Barboursville Vineyards is one of 300-plus wineries in Virginia. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Virginia and wine have become synonymous, particularly over the past 20 years, and for good reason. From the growing Monticello Wine Trail and an increase in local bottle shops and grape-centric services to an expanding class of winemakers and shakers, exploring wine has never been so easy. Pop a bottle, pour a glass and celebrate Virginia Wine Month.
Players
Winemakers are as vital as the grapes themselves, parental figures who help guide the fruit along its life journey. In the commonwealth, these caretakers include European winemakers, transplants from Old World wine countries who were drawn to the tight-knit communities and foothills of Virginia.
King Family Vineyards’ Matthieu Finot, a Rhone Valley native who founded the Virginia Winemakers’ Research Exchange, has become recognized as an industry leader, producing Governor’s Cup-winning bottles, along with an experimental, small-batch side label.
Hailing from Italy, winemaker Luca Paschina has been with Barboursville Vineyards for more than 30 years, while Damien Blanchon of Afton Mountain Vineyards began his winemaking practices in the Beaujolais region of France before immigrating to Virginia.
RVA Uncorked
Shockoe Wine Red Blend 2019 (Photo courtesy Shockoe Wine)
Aiming to showcase the history of Shockoe Bottom, Shockoe Wine released its first bottle in 2021. Produced by True Heritage — an offshoot label from Veritas Vineyard & Winery — the bottles can be ordered online at shockoewine.com/shop.
Founded in 2019 by Megan Holland, an alum of Barrel Thief, Saison Market and Alewife, Women in Wine highlights low-intervention wines while also creating a safe space for people to learn and imbibe. “The idea was to make wine more accessible to women and LGBTQIA+ people,” Holland says.
Lance Lemon and Kristen Gardner, owners of RichWine (Photo by Jay Paul)
Join the Club
Launched in 2020 by friends and oenophiles Lance Lemon and Kristen Gardner, RichWine was founded to showcase organic and skin-contact selections — think small producers and budget-conscious bottles from coastal villages — while also focusing on bridging gaps in the wine community. Check out their delivery service (two-bottle minimum), wine club membership (let them do the hard part and choose wines for you) and dedicated shelf space at Urban Hang Suite.
The Broken Tulip has slowly become known for its stellar wine selection as much as its celebration of local farms and purveyors. Named “Broken Bottles,” its wine club offers one-, six- and 12-month memberships, with everything from Virginia vintners to a sparkling red from Slovenia in the mix.
Partnering with local natural wine importer and distributor Native Selections, Little House Green Grocery has a no-commitment wine club membership that grants access to a duo of bottles monthly.
At Barrel Thief, owner Booth Hardy says the “Thieves’ Choice Monthly Case” presents guests with a totally customizable experience. “We have a lot of fun picking wines for guests,” he says. “They get two industry veterans — and certified sommeliers — making educated decisions based on the guests’ comments. It’s really a lot like the bigger wine clubs.”
Cabernet Franc grapes (Photo via Getty Images)
Keep It Franc
The second-most planted grape in the state, Cabernet Franc is an expression of Virginia’s unique terroir. Barboursville pours with a heavy hand, boasting the most acres in Virginia dedicated to the European grape.
I’ll Take a Glass of …
Lehja: With more than 400 wines filling the shelves and cellar at Sunny Baweja’s Short Pump restaurant, Lehja’s collection has earned plaudits from James Beard Award nominations to Wine Spectator magazine’s annual Award of Excellence.
Restaurant Adarra: Husband-and-wife team and level two sommeliers Randall and Lyne Doetzer are the trusted sources behind Restaurant Adarra’s impressive wine list, which checks the boxes of biodynamic, natural and intriguing.
Grab and Go: For pour-at-home nights, staff selections and edible accoutrements to boot, stop by Bottleworks, C’est le Vin, Manchester’s Table, Saison Market, Second Bottle and Sefton Coffee Co.
The last harvest of 2019 at Afton Mountain Vineyards (Photo courtesy Afton Mountain Vineyards)
Monticello Wine Trail
Keswick
Newly opened in March, enter another world in this Wes Anderson-inspired wonderland. Its first release will debut in 2022.
Greenwood
Head winemaker and Virginia native Corry Craighill brings experience from regions such as South Africa, New Zealand and Oregon to her creations.
Afton
Views and vino. One of the first farm wineries in the state features French winemaker Damien Blanchon, who joined the team a decade ago.
Gordonsville
A Virginia grape pioneer, the late Dennis Horton has a legacy that lives on through three generations of Horton women, including his granddaughter Shannon, whose side project Gears & Lace features more out-of-the-box varietals.
