Wine lovers: Don’t dismiss Virginia

to show signs of what it would become until relatively recently. In the early 1980s, Virginia was home to a half-dozen wineries. Fifteen years later, there were close to 50, and in 2005, there were more than 100. Today, the number of wineries in Virginia tops 250.

The state is home to seven official wine regions (Middleburg, Monticello, North Fork of Roanoke, Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace, Rocky Knob, Shenandoah Valley and Virginia’s Eastern Shore) that produce a handful of good-quality grapes. Red Bordeaux varieties — particularly cabernet franc and petit verdot, but also cabernet sauvignon and merlot — are popular and successful in Virginia, as are chardonnay, viognier and another French white variety called petit manseng. The grapes often endure tough weather conditions, including excessive heat, humidity and rain at various points during the growing season. But the commitment to winemaking in Virginia has deepened steadily in recent decades, and talented new professionals from the United States and Europe have consistently joined the community.

The wines of Virginia are not especially cheap and not as widely available as wines from some other states. But there are good wines being produced in Virginia, and if you’re looking to mix up the variety of bottles in your stash, this is a good place for that.

Below is a selection of Virginia wines from a recent tasting. They are listed by color (white first, followed by red) and in ascending order, according to price.

With notes of citrus, pear and minerality, this wine, fermented and aged in stainless steel, has a soft, medium-body mouthfeel followed by zingy acidity on the finish.

$22

This is a rich and buttery New World chardonnay with a whiff of smoke, and classic vanilla notes that are not cloying or over the top.

$23.50

Made completely from the French grape variety petit manseng, this wine is viscous with notes of honey, but also bright and full of tropical fruits and citrus.

$25

Butterscotch, orange peel, tropical fruit and spice emerge from this full-bodied white, composed mostly of petit manseng, blended with 5 percent roussanne.

$30

This Bordeaux blend offers blackberry and other ripe dark fruits, along with many layers featuring fig, coffee, leather and cedar, all pointing to a long finish.

$50 $26

Dark fruits and leather characterize this age-able powerhouse blend of 67 percent cabernet sauvignon, 28 percent merlot and 5 percent petit verdot.

$50

Full of cranberry, herbs, coffee, cocoa and spice, this 100 percent cabernet franc, aged 10 months in oak barrels, is full-bodied, deeply layered and complex. This blend of 69 percent cabernet sauvignon and 31 percent merlot has notes of plum, dark fruit, wet earth, tobacco and cedar.

$69

KARLY POPE/MOMENT OPEN Grapes ripen in the hills of Virginia, home to more than 250 wineries, more than all but four states in the country.