ATMOSPHERE

June 25, 2024.

Most Virginia wineries are family owned and production tends to stay within the Commonwealth.  Roughly 69% of total sales are direct to the public in winery tasting rooms.  Of all states, Virginia has the highest percentage of revenue coming from tasting rooms.  Virginia makes great wine. But is that enough to sell its brand? by Stefanie Gans, October 1, 2019, Northern Virginia Magazine.  Since reliance on tasting room sales means a fairly thin profit margin, wineries will often have festivals, music, and other events to round out the visit.  For example, we attended a “I Love Lucy” festival at Three Fox Winery a couple of years ago featuring grape stomping contests and Lucy look-alikes.  In 2006, Oasis Winery may have gone too far for the local Fauquier government which imposed strict zoning and noise ordinances.  Helicopter overflights alarmed the neighbors.  Unfortunately for Fauquier County, Oasis was owned by Tareq and Michaele Salehi, of White House Reception Crasher fame.  Their high-powered connections in Richmond led to passage of Virginia laws to limit local regulation of winery events to no more than what applies to other businesses and moved planning and zoning authorities from the local jurisdictions to the VABC. Va Code 15.2-2288.3.  See, Protect the Occoquan Watershed – Farm Winery, Brewery, and Distillery Legislation.  https://protectow.com/farm-winery-and-brewery-legislation, accessed May 11, 2021.  Section 15.2-2288.3 provides in part:

Usual and customary activities and events at farm wineries shall be permitted without local regulation unless there is a substantial impact on the health, safety, or welfare of the public. No local ordinance regulating noise, other than outdoor amplified music, arising from activities and events at farm wineries shall be more restrictive than that in the general noise ordinance. In authorizing outdoor amplified music at a farm winery, the locality shall consider the effect on adjacent property owners and nearby residents.

Local jurisdictions have also used zoning ordinances to restrict the size and hours for special events, or even to prevent establishment of wineries to begin with.  It seems as if these issues have been worked out at the local level.  See discussion in Andrew Painter’s Virginia Wine: Four Centuries of Change (2018) page 224 ff.  In Fairfax County, a challenge by the local Board of Supervisors that a proposed winery was a manufacturing operation rather than an agricultural one, resulted in the Virginia Alcohol and Beverage Control Authority asserting the primacy of state law over local ordinances. In re Paradise Springs Winery, LLC,  Appl. #056973 Alcoholic Beverage Control Bd. (Sept. 3, 2009)(a local ordinance could not be used to prohibit a farm winery from opening because that ordinance was inconsistent with the ABC Act. The ordinance essentially established a higher burden on farm wineries for obtaining a zoning permit than the ABC Board required for obtaining a farm winery license.)  This was in keeping with the Virginia Supreme Court which ruled in an unrelated case that a locality may not “forbid what the legislature has expressly licensed, authorized, or required.” Blanton v. Amelia County, 261 Va. 55, 64, 540 S.E.2d 869, 874 (2001).

Challenges from restrictive covenants and conservation easements were eventually resolved in favor of free use of land unless a restriction or easement expressly prohibited the activity.  Wetlands America Trust v. White Cloud Nine Ventures, LC., 291 Va 153, 782 S.E.2d 131 (Va S Ct 2016) (aka Chrysalis Winery v. Ducks Unlimited).  Still it is not out of the question that folks neighboring a proposed winery would object and possibly sue to avoid infringement on their bucolic lifestyle by large shipping trucks and drunken yahoos on narrow country roads.  This is a continuing issue. 

Part I.  June 12, 2021

Hospitality.  In France and many other countries, wineries are mostly closed to the public, will not accept reservations, do not welcome and cannot accommodate visitors.  By contrast, in Virginia in the pre-COVID-19 days, it was a simple matter to show-up unannounced at the tasting rooms of most Virginia wineries to sample a tasting flight of wines.  Coupled with country air, spectacular mountain and valley views and a nice piece of cheese with fruit, there few better ways to spend an afternoon.  This openness is an endearing part of Virginia hospitality. Virginia Wine.org posts a list of wineries with some site-specific data such as whether outside food is permitted, whether the winery has heated outdoor seating, are pets welcome, and whether reservations are required – and other factoids.

Even with this openness, a word to the wise:  Check the winery website or call before making a special trip.  Some wineries may be closed for special events on the day you wish to visit (unless you want to crash a wedding).  A number of Virginia wineries also close to the public or have limited hours over the Winter months. 

Time will tell whether COVID-19 dictates part of a new normal.  As the virus waxes and wanes, most Virginia wineries may institute more restrictive policies to protect workers and patrons, such as: limiting the number of parties in the facility by requiring reservations and cash deposits, limiting seating arrangements and group size, and eliminating tasting flights in favor of bottle purchases, to name some measures.  Plan to contact the winery before visiting.  In addition to Virginia Wine.org, Nancy Bauer, who hosts the “Virginia Wine in My Pocket” site (vawineinmypocket.com), has a convenient unofficial survey of many Virginia wineries and their COVID status and restrictions.

Some wineries have sponsored virtual tastings, which is a great money-maker for the winery because it requires participants to buy several bottles to take a sip of each.  It is not known how much of these more restrictive measures will continue after – or when – Virginia moves to the “Next Normal.”

 Part II.  Events and Programs.  October 29, 2024

Virginia Wine Month.  Since 1988, Virginia has celebrated Virginia Wine Month in line with annual grape harvests throughout the Commonwealth. Wine Month is typically an occasion for harvest festivals and special events at winery venues.  We have attended special wine harvest diners, for example, that highlighted and honored the growers who sourced the grapes.

For the past couple of years, one day within Wine Month has been designated for Harvest Parties.  In 2024, it will be October 19th.  This is being promoted as a Virginia holiday although probably not like Yorktown Victory Day (same as Columbus Day).  Many wineries are holding events on or around that date, and individuals are invited to host harvest dinners with friends to feature Virginia wine and other products.   For instance, did you know that Viognier goes well with Virginia Ham?  What wine goes well with Virginia peanuts -maybe a fortified wine like sherry or port.  Peanut butter pie might benefit from some Virginia Pinot Noir.

Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition.  Each year since 1982, judges assemble to select a single wine as the Governor’s Cup winner, and a case of the top scoring twelve wines are awarded selection to the Governor’s Cup Case.  (Weirdly, in 2020, there were 13 bottles in the case.)  This is advertised as one of the most stringent curated wine competitions in the country.  The Competition is hosted and managed by the Virginia Wineries Association in partnership with the Governor-appointed Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office. 

To enter the competition, the wine must be 100% Virgina fruit.  A Virginia winery must have a minimum of 40 cases available for sale.  Any winery that succeeds in being named to the Governor’s Cup Case (the top 12 highest scoring wines.) also must sell eight cases of the awarded wine to the Virginia Wine Marketing Office for use in promotions.  And the winery pays a $100 administrative fee.  A number of smaller wineries have told us that they don’t compete in the Governor’s Cup because they cannot afford to set aside 50 cases of each wine they enter.  (I note that the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association annual competition requires submission of three 750 ml bottles per wine, and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine competition requires submission of 25 cases per wine entered.)  On the other side of the argument, the Marketing Office would ask why the state should promote the competition and the awarded wines if the winery’s production is so small that no wine is available at the time of award.  I sense there is some middle ground to be explored on this point.

Entries are submitted by November and the Competition now takes place in January, and selections are announced in February or March.  For the 2024 competition, 41 preliminary and final judges sampled 752 wines from 79 Virginia wineries to decide the winners.

Virginia Governor’s Cup Winners (Past Nine Years):

2024 - King Family Vineyards 2019 Meritage [as a side note: Meritage blends led all categories of entries with 90, followed by Cabernet Franc (73) and Chardonnay (59).  See, Dayna Smith, "King Family Vineyards takes home Governor's Cup," Daily Progress at https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/business/king-family-vineyards-takes-home-governors-cup/article_cd12693e-dcfb-11ee-b3ab-67ede45e50db.html

2023 - Delfosse Vineyards and Winery 2021 Screaming Hawk Meritage

2022 -  Cana Vineyards and Winery 2019 Unite Reserve

2021 – Barboursville Vineyards 2015 Paxxito

2020 – 868 Estate Vineyards 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito

2019 – Horton Vineyards 2016 Petit Manseng

2018 – King Family Vineyards 2014 Meritage

2017 – The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 – Keswick Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Franc

Since 2016, a total of 47 different wineries have been represented in Governments Cup Case selections - that is - the top twelve scoring wines.  Barboursville Winery has made the most frequent appearance in Case selections (12), followed by King Family Vineyards (7) and Michael Shaps (6).  You can read more about these three wineries in our posts of July 23, 2021, March 3, 2024, October 29, 2023, and May 29, 2023, respectively.

Gold Medal Wine Trail.   During COVID, the Virginia Wine Marketing Office instituted the Gold Medal Wine Trail to encourage people to get out to the wineries.  This all-digital mobile site effectively replaces the Virginia Wine Passport from several years ago.  Signing up is free on the Virginiawine.org website and offers some special deals when you visit a Gold Medal winery.  Check it out.  Besides the 12 case winners, the Governor’s Cup also names a longer list of Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners.  If you are planning an itinerary, focusing on Governor’s Cup winners is a good organizing principle, to be sure.

Cornus Virginicus.   In 2022, the First Lady of Virginia began a collaboration with a Virginia winery to create a wine that "celebrates Virginia's flourishing agriculture - especially its farmers, growers, and winemakers."  A different winery is chosen each year.  The trend so far is that the winner of the prior year's Governor's Cup teams with the First Lady on the next Edition of Cornus Virginicus.  Part of the proceeds of the sale of the wine are donated to an agricultural charity of the First Lady's choosing.  Here are the pairings so far:

2023.  Edition II.  Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg.  Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom

2022.  Edition I.  Barboursville Vineyards.  Future Farmers of Virginia and Virginia 4H

Local Awards. If you want something more locally-focused, check out awards for wineries and vineyards in your area.  For example, the Monticello Cup has been awarded since 1991for wines made up of grapes from the Monticello AVA.  This is sponsored by the Monticello Wine Trail - a part of the Jefferson Wine Grape Growers Society.  King Family's 2021 Mountain Pains Red won in 2024; Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards won in April 2023 (check out our profiles on the Blog).  The Loudoun Wine Awards has been around since 2015, sponsored by the Loudoun Wineries Association.  In October 2024, Endhardt Vineyard won the Chairman's Grand Award for its 2023 Upper Block Sauvignon Blanc.  Nice that it coincides with Wine Month.

Part III. Wine Clubs. August 29, 2022

This is a pitch to join a wine club associated with a Virginia winery. 

To me, you have to make a real distinction between wine clubs that are general on-line arrangements, of which there are legion, and a club associated with a particular winery.

There are general on-line wine clubs for movie goers (“TCM Wine Club” (Turner Classic Movies- movie themed selections); animal lovers (“TCWC Wine Club” (club benefiting animal rescue in Northern California), and baseball nuts (“Feelin’ Squirrelly Wine Club” of the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team).  There are wine clubs connected with wine sellers (“Club CW” connected to a well-known Washington DC liquor store), and political leanings (“National Review Wine Club”).  There is also a “Virginia Wine Club” that focuses on Virginia wine.  If you can think of an interest or hobby, there is probably a wine club for it ~ proof that wine goes with everything.  Depending on the specific club terms, most will provide discounts on selected bottles shipped to your home or office and will afford various loyalty and reward incentives.  On the negative side, also depending on the terms, you may get more wine delivered than you can process, receive wine that is discounted due to mediocre quality or producers clearing their inventory, have selections made by unknown supposed “experts,” or pay member fees that do not directly support the cause or connection.

I am not aware of any winery in Virginia, open to the public, that does not have some wine club.  Like their cousins described above, most will offer an allocation of their wines on a periodic basis (monthly/quarterly, etc.) along with perks like free tastings, invitations to special events, preferred parking, use of facilities, and discounts on products and merchandise.  Many Virginia wineries are smaller operations with less selection which can mean a lower risk of getting “clearance” items and a higher chance of getting new releases.  The big point for me is that this membership supports local business.  During COVID 19, we saw how important this was when many wineries survived on the loyalty of their wine club members.  See, Shelby Vittek, “How Wine Clubs Are Helping U.S. Wineries Stay Afloat,” Beverage Industry Enthusiast, November 2, 2020, accessed at https://www.winemag.com/2020/11/02/wine-clubs-business/, April 27, 2022.  I know that during the Pandemic, Kim and I purchased more wine and other stuff from the winery we belong to for the purpose of helping the winery in dark times. 

I realize that some folks don’t live within an easy drive of a winery, although we are blessed in Virginia with having many wineries spread throughout the state. My advice is that, if it is doable, go for that drive in the country, visit a place to which you have a connection, maybe come to know the staff, the owner, or the winemaker, and taste the wine.  It is not as convenient as receiving untasted, anonymously-selected wine on your doorstep, but sometimes happiness comes from meeting others and going the distance.