Regional profile: Virginia, USA
Virginia is a wine region that is beginning to see the fruits of its perseverance. Adventurous winemakers in this eastern state, close to Washington DC, have learned to adapt, and the proof is in a smartly deployed array of grapes and styles. Jason Tesauro takes a tour and highlights producers to watch and a selection of its distinctive wines to try
Virginia wine-growers, already suffering Covid-related tourism and restaurant losses in April 2020, were dealt a further blow when frost hit in May. Workers battled an extended cold snap with bonfires, smudge pots, wind machines and helicopters. The result was minor frost damage for all and major devastation for some. Any remaining optimism withered like so many young buds when freezing temperatures a week later cost vulnerable sites their entire 2020 vintage.
As of early September, those who survived had the possibility of an otherwise solid harvest. It’s an apt case study in topsy-turvy perseverance: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Or, as Virginia’s longest-tenured viticulturist, Barboursville Vineyards’ Fernando Franco, put it: ‘Just another challenging, beautiful Virginia vintage.’
‘Emerging’, ‘up and coming’, ‘under the radar’ – each term has found its way into a trendy headline about Virginia – a touristdraw state that lies in the heart of America’s Atlantic east, sharing borders with North Carolina to the south, Maryland to the north, and Washington DC across the Potomac river. Some 18 years after the late Michael Broadbent MW first touted Virginia in his column in this magazine, and 10 years after making countless ‘rising star’ and ‘regions to watch’ lists, Virginia is betting on something more bankable than transient novelty: transportive quality.
Slow burner
Even if you’ve never visited central Virginia, smooth Cabernet Francs convey in their warm, earthy cassis the iron-rich red clay from ancient Blue Ridge foothills of oxidised greenstone; in northern Virginia, elegant Chardonnays and Bordeaux blends whisk you along steep granite slopes and well-drained sandstone; and Shenandoah Valley, protected from wind and rain by Allegheny mountain ranges to the west, impel you up to coolerclimate varieties thriving in limestone at elevations that bolster acidity and minerality.
Virginia’s wine timeline stretches back to when colonists planted vines in the early 1600s. But it’s a chronology of fits and starts, wars and pestilence, native varieties and hybrids, tobacco and teetotalling, until the 1970s. That’s when an idea first hatched by Thomas Jefferson in 1807 – Vitis vinifera flourishing in Virginia – at last reached commercial viability.
Yet it wasn’t until the late 1990s that anyone outside the region really knew or rightly cared. By the mid-2000s, serious critics were noting legitimate standouts; then came the 2010s, a decade that saw Virginia’s popularity explode – the new darling of sommeliers, critics and tourists.
In 2013, Virginia’s stars were Bordeaux blends. Eight years on, it’s a far more varied slate: delicate sparklers, adventurous whites, a panoply of rosés, beguiling reds and terrific sweets. Tannat and Petit Verdot shine here. So does Viognier: ‘It’s the one Virginia wine that I can pick out blind,’ says Nadine Brown, an influential sommelier who ‘turned to Virginia for more Old World-style wines than you find in California’.
Quiet confidence
There’s daring in the air. It’s not youthful arrogance, but a quiet confidence born of trial and error. Even outlier vintages such as 2020 have historic comparisons from which growers and makers draw wisdom and technical cues. That it has taken decades instead of centuries speaks to the collegial spirit of collaboration. There is still surprise, but veterans here are too smart to be flummoxed, too grounded to be cocky and
‘Hot-dry, cool-wet, cool-dry – you name it. We’re rolling with it and showing off our vintages unabashedly’
Emily Pelton, Veritas Vineyard & Winery
too much in love with their land to be dispirited by the weather.
Emily Pelton, head winemaker at Veritas Vineyard & Winery, says: ‘I love seeing the progression of our winemakers in reacting beautifully from one drastically different vintage to the next. Hot-dry, cool-wet, cool-dry – you name it. We’re rolling with it and showing off our vintages unabashedly.’
Virginia is a constellation of tiny viticultural areas; in part, because varied topography, soil composition and microclimate deter mega-vineyards. There are eight recognised AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), but three main geographic regions: northern Virginia, central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley. At 110,780km2, the state comprises almost the same surface area as Bulgaria, yet produces only about one-tenth of the wine (total Bulgarian wine production was 1.04m hl in 2018, according to international wine industry body the OIV).
Total output in 2019 reached 90,840hl – less than half of Greece’s total of about
2m hl (according to EU Commission
estimates). The number of wineries has doubled to more than 300 in the past decade, though the area under vine increased only by about 20%, the Virginia Wine Board says, while yield averages remain below 49hl/ha.
A rich mix
Virginia is too heterogenous to be a two-grape champion like Burgundy. Instead, there’s an A-Z spice rack of pure vinifera and hybrids available for fine-tuning to site, like a game of rock-paper-scissors: earlier-ripening varieties beat autumn chill, thicker-skinned varieties trump the rains, and hybrids best most pests. In the cellar, creative blends (red and white) are coping mechanisms in the face of vintage variance. ‘Look at the region as the many different microclimates it is,’ says Swati Bose, co-owner of Flight Wine Bar in Washington DC. ‘Virginia is experimenting and discovering its potential. I’m excited to see focus on vineyards and varied terroir, not one defining variety and style.’
This is all driven by a shift toward understanding wine from the ground up. Jim Law, wine-grower behind Linden Vineyards, explains: ‘Rather than the old “hail Mary” approach of site selection, people are talking about the soil/site/vine/quality relationship. It took the Europeans hundreds of years, but I’m hoping that in the information age we can move faster. The key to progress is not cleverness in the cellar, but wise vineyard establishment decisions.’
‘The key to progress is not cleverness in the cellar, but wise vineyard establishment decisions’
Jim Law, Linden Vineyards (above, far left)
Giant leap
Fly into Dulles International Airport and you can go from tarmac to Tannat in under an hour. Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County is touted as ‘DC’s wine country’: with binoculars, to the southeast you can see the Washington Monument from Bluemont Vineyard’s panoramic terrace. Given the proximity and variety of new wineries and experiences, this is the most exciting corner of Virginia and among the most intriguing in US wine.
‘Over the past five years, Virginia wine has taken a giant leap in quality, more than any other span in history,’ says Christine Vrooman, owner of Ankida Ridge Vineyards. She points to ‘improved viticulture, new varieties, recognition of place, more sophisticated winemaking, and plantings in higher elevations’.
‘I’m really optimistic about the potential in Shenandoah Valley,’ says winemaker Michael
Shaps. ‘Great dirt, climate, value – and people!’ Vrooman agrees: ‘Climate change is driving growers to high-elevation viticulture – cooler climates, slopes and porous, rocky soils. The desire for mountain fruit has become a “thing”. Varieties thought not to grow in Virginia are now gaining recognition for high quality when grown at elevation.’ Ankida Ridge’s Pinot Noir, which is grown at 550m, is a prime example.
Where else can you start an evening with crisp blanc de blancs, shift to unctuous Petit Manseng and finish with a heady Tannat? During the Covid-19 pandemic, Virginia’s wine industry was deemed ‘essential business’. Now, gourmands and would-be world travellers who once pooh-poohed wineries in their own backyard are curing cabin fever with day-trips into Virginia wine country. East Coast Americans who envy their counterparts in the Mediterranean are – at last – embracing their own Blue Ridge bounty, and this wine culture is hitting stride in synchrony.
Some say that the best Virginia can do hasn’t even been planted yet. Until then, there are already so many things producers can count on while being adventurous. Vineyards mature, growers wisen, winemakers innovate, wines improve – this makes it a golden time to drink Virginia wine.
Slater Run Vineyards, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Middleburg 2017 90
N/A UK www. slaterrun.com
Slater Run’s estate was designed by ampelographer Lucie Morton, the first American woman to attend the viticulture course at Montpellier’s national agronomy school. Made in the Champagne method with 24 months on lees, this has a terrific mousse, aromas of tart apple and yeasty autolytic notes. As it opens, the palate turns from green citrus to stone fruit flavours. Drink 2020-2025 Alcohol 12%
1 Linden Vineyards, Hardscrabble Chardonnay 2017 95
N/A UK www. lindenvineyards.com
A titan of Virginia’s 20th-century rebirth, Linden is still a stalwart today. This lovely Chardonnay reveals aromas of ripe pear, hints of citrus pith and fresh herbs. The palate shows glorious acidity and texture, with the 10 months in oak very well integrated, giving it a premier cru Burgundy level of grace and ageability. The Hardscrabble red blend is equally finessed. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 13%
2 Walsh Family Wine, Petit Manseng, Loudoun County 2018 94
N/A UK www.walshfamilywine.com Winemaker Sarah Bryant Walsh has produced an exciting, generous Petit Manseng of lovely complexity and length. ‘ We separated the fruit and did two ferments: one wild, one inoculated,’ she says. ‘ There’s no malolactic, but a fair amount of batonnage and it’s aged entirely in neutral oak.’ The sweetly fruited mid-palate leads to a super-clean finish. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 12.5%
Veritas Winery & Vineyard, Viognier, Monticello 2017 93
N/A UK www.veritaswines.com
Winemaker Emily Pelton – eldest daughter of founders Andrew and Patricia Hodson – is today one of Virginia’s leading wine ambassadors. This radiantly pure Viognier is like a botanical garden in full bloom: overflowing with peach, ripe pear and lemon curd. While luscious, it has a dry almond-skin finish thanks to 10 months in acacia wood, and it should age beautifully. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 13.5%
3 Michael Shaps, Petit Manseng, Monticello 2016 92
N/A UK www.virginiawineworks.com
Michael Shaps has here crafted a serious Petit Manseng with the structure of a bold, showy Chardonnay: an enticing fruitcocktail of lychee, kiwi, grilled pineapple and petrol complexity. The high alcohol means it’s a touch hot on the mid-palate, but the unctuous body finishes clean. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14.4%
4 Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Pinot Noir 2017 93
N/A UK www. ankidaridge.com
To date, Ankida Ridge is the only Virginia producer to have cracked the Pinot Noir code. This example is rich in ripe red and black cherries and plums. Notes of woodland, stones and moss, pomegranate and fennel freshness, and cedar planks from 10 months in barrel (30% new French) are supported by solid tannins and a long, fruity finish. Drink 2020-2033 Alc 14.5%
The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek, Cabernet Franc, Loudoun County 2017 93
N/A UK www. lostcreekwinery.com
From an estate that practises sustainable, minimal-intervention farming, this is a prime example of Virginia Cabernet Franc. It saw extended maceration and 18 months in oak, but the whole-berry fermentation means its bright black fruit characters are supported by elegant tannins and a perfumed finish. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14%
Barboursville Vineyards, Octagon, Monticello 2015 92
£41.10 Zonin UK
Made since 1991 and only in standout vintages, Barboursville’s Octagon is arguably the wine that put Virginia on the map. Based on Merlot, it’s always a reflection of that year’s particular bounty – Nebbiolo has even found its way into previous editions. It’s a wine that only starts to open about five years from the vintage and then drinks beautifully over the next 15. Drink 2020-2035 Alc 13.5%
5 Lightwell Survey, The Weird Ones are Wolves, Shenandoah Valley 2017 91
N/A UK www. lightwellsurvey.com
This irreverent collaborative’s on-thefringe wines are showcases of what else is possible in Virginia. Bottled unfiltered, this co-fermented blend of 90% Cabernet Franc plus Syrah, Riesling and Petit Manseng is juicy and silky – a bridge between rosé and red. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 13.5%
6 Stinson Vineyards, Tannat,
Monticello 2017 91
N/A UK www. stinsonvineyards.com
Despite 27 months in French oak (50% new), the brightness of this 88% Tannat, 12% Merlot blend makes it feel more like a Côtes du Rhône. Black fruits, blueberries, strawberries and floral notes give way to toasty cedar and spicy white pepper, with plenty of tannins to bind. Drink 2020-2028 Alc 15.1%