Photo courtesy Muse Vineyards
When something is the oldest of its kind, it can sometimes get a bad rap, tarred with the not-ion of being stuck in its ways. Similarly, the same can be said about being the biggest, because we all know that quality trumps quantity. But the Shenandoah Valley American Viticultural Area, situated on 2 million acres between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains, takes both titles. A winemaker’s paradise, the limestone-soiled valley surrounded by protective mountains became the first AVA founded in the commonwealth, back in 1982. And now, it is beginning to gain a reputation as one of the most fun, ideal and eccentric regions for vino producers in Virginia.
“There’s a natural freshness and acidity that wines from Central Virginia may lack,” says Lee Hartman, a winemaker and a co-owner of Bluestone Vineyard. “Here in the Valley, we definitely have acid.”
A recent visit to the wineries that make up the Shenandoah Valley AVA served as a reminder of all the diverse grape-centric nooks and crannies scattered throughout the state. Receiving less rainfall annually, and with a higher, optimal elevation, the valley provides the opportunity for many grapes to thrive. The relatively cool, dry, gentler climate of the Shenandoah Valley AVA produces a wider breadth of more resilient varietals, leading to bright wines that pack bright acidity.
It’s also a region that fellow vintners across the state turn to when sourcing grapes for their own wines. Stretching from the eastern panhandle of West Virginia to bucolic Botetourt County, it’s an area where long-seasoned cabernet sauvignon fruit, finicky chardonnay and petit verdot, and Austrian and German grape varieties ranging from grüner veltliner to riesling can shine.
“In the Valley we have less big rain events during ripening and during harvest season,” Hartman says. “Afton [Mountain] is the great protector of the Valley.”
While petit verdot, chambourcin and cabernet franc are noted as some of the grape varietals that best express the spirit of the Shenandoah Valley AVA, hybrid varieties such as marquette and cayuga, in addition to those found in dessert and sparkling wines, have been proving their potential. Bust out that grape-centric wish list, because Virginia Wine Month is upon us, and the Shenandoah Valley has plenty of noteworthy stops.
Cayuga grapes (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Awooga for Cayuga
At Briedé Family Vineyards in Winchester, husband-and-wife team Loretta and Paul Briedé practice organic methods and rely on hybrids, specifically the French-American white grape, cayuga, — which originally gained prominence in New York’s Finger Lakes — to produce their citrus-forward bubbles.
Try: Sparkling Winchester 2017, which Loretta declares was “made in a true Champagne style”
Freeze, You’re It
Traminette, a disease-resistant hybrid grape that thrives in the Shenandoah Valley, lays down an ideal foundation for dessert wines. Bearing a resemblance to gewürztraminer, the white grape is having a moment. Reviving an almost dying art, these three modern interpretations and award-winning offerings were made to mimic Germany’s famous “eiswein,” or ice wine, in which grapes are frozen during or after the harvest, resulting in concentrated, boozy and seductively sweet full-bodied offerings.
Bluestone Vineyard, 2016 Blue Ice
Not to be confused with blue steel, this single-varietal sipper is made from 100% traminette grapes and earned the family-run vineyard a silver award at the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup.
Rockbridge Vineyard, 2017 V d’Orv
A honey-kissed blend of vidal blanc, vignoles and traminette, this blend bursts with orange aromas and has earned multiple Governor’s Cup awards in recent years.
Barren Ridge Vineyards, 2019 Christof
Named after Baden Württemberg Christof Weibler, the first winemaker from the former apple orchard turned Fishersville vineyard, this 50-50 vidal-traminette dessert wine exudes more citrus and tropical fruit notes than its counterparts.
Photo courtesy Shenandoah Vineyards
Glory to the Grape
Muse Vineyards, Woodstock
Muse is led by husband-and-wife proprietors Robert Muse and Sally Cowal (who is known to rock a pair of cork earrings), the duo a few years shy of 80. Opening Muse in 2006, Cowal, once a U.S. ambassador, and Muse, a former international attorney, have garnered attention for their Bordeaux-style 2009 clio.
Try: 2020 roussanne
Brix and Columns Vineyards, McGaheysville
Making its debut in 2017, this vineyard offers panoramic mountain views and was founded by two former farmers who are partners in life — and in the vines.
Try: 2019 chardonnay
Shenandoah Vineyards, Edinburg
Focused on traditional, Old World-style wines, Shenandoah Vineyards is the eldest winery of the Valley, nearing 50 years of business. In 2018, wine guru Michael Shaps, considered one of the most prominent Virginia vintners of the modern era, purchased the vineyard.
Try: 2019 cabernet sauvignon
Photo courtesy Lee Hartman
Bluestone Vineyard, Bridgewater
A graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, Lee Hartman swore he wouldn’t follow in his parents’ winemaking footsteps. Lo and behold, he’s navigating Bluestone Vineyard into the future.
Try: 2018 blanc de blanc
The Winery at Kindred Pointe, Mount Jackson
Helmed by Amy and Bruce Helsley, the winery opened in 2011. The property features a pavilion and a recently expanded tasting room in a renovated horse barn.
Try: 2017 Picasso
