I'm taking a survey on Virginia Wines. I would like to know what it is about VA wines that keeps it from getting any recognition. I've taken several classes including a Wine Spectator class and none of them mention Virginia. Why?

We visited a number of wineries in Virginia in 2002. In general, the wines were pretty mediocre with a few decent ones, mostly whites. The sweet wines were far below those of other areas in the eastern US. The best wine we had from Virginia was Oakencroft's regular Chardonnay bottling, not the highly oaked reserve. I felt the best winery all around was White Hall. Don't feel badly about your state's wines. The average one we tried was better than the average one I've had from any US state or Canada except for the three west coast states.

I talked to a winestore owner about this the last time I was in Leesburg. I had never tried a VA wine and was keen to. He told me that the only red grown there that was decent (in his opinion) was cab franc. He recommended a bottle of something (sorry, I can't remember what it was) that he thought was the best of the lot.
I took it home and tried it, and sorry to say it did not measure favorably with any California or Washington cab franc I had ever tried.
Maybe you guys should just stick to Concord grape juice?

I live in Northern Virginia, and I go to the annual Virginia Wine Festival and frequently go out to wineries.

I've found reds in general to be average at best. I have enjoyed many whites quite a bit.

I disagree that desert wines here aren't worth looking at, with Gray Ghost's Adieu in particular being a really good desert wine, but I haven't tried a lot.

My assessment of Virginia wines is that they're catching up to or passing New York wines (finger lakes, long island are what I've tried). Virginia makes several successful whites, generally chardonnay. Reds are inconsistent, but you can definitely find nice every-day-drinking values. There are a few good sparklers and desert wines if you know where to look.

The main problem is that there is a lot of crappy wine mixed in... you have to try a lot to find something you'd like to take home. You don't want to experiment by buying them. Take a trusted recommendation or go on a winery tour.

California - Washington - Oregon are the first-tier states in my mind (duh), and New York - Virginia are second tier.... with the first three WAY in front. I don't know about (haven't tried) other states, other than North Carolina... which is several years behind Virginia in my opinion. Third tier.

I live in Richmond, VA and I can tell you that I've yet to try a really good wine from the state. The closest I came was a Chateau Morrisette Reserve Chambourcin. It was $45, and not worth but $9. It's the terroir!!

Lentini, catching up to or surpassing NY wines is not saying very much. Our wines are virtually all mediocre, with most of the few drinkable ones being overpriced.

Board-O -

I don't disagree with you!

I keep hoping to see some coverage on Virginia or New York in WS magazine. But then I remember... They're not good enough to warrant a trip out of state to visit them. If you're here for other reasons, it's fun to try them.

I'd love to see a State of Wine in the States article... maybe a report card, even, that discussed how US states outside of the big three are doing. Maybe a monthly feature showcasing the other states briefly.

quote:

Originally posted by chef_e2003:
I'm taking a survey on Virginia Wines. I would like to know what it is about VA wines that keeps it from getting any recognition. I've taken several classes including a Wine Spectator class and none of them mention Virginia. Why?

Ummm.... because they suck?

Melissa--

That was just ignorant, now wasn't it? You may wanna try the Sponge Bob forums on Nicklodeon.com

While the Virginia wine industry has grown considerably in the last 5 or 6 years, the problem is that even when Virginia wines are decent, they are not much of a value considering what else you can buy for the same money.

That said, visiting Virginia, which is a beautiful state and full of history and places to see (including mountains and beaches) can be enhanced by visiting the wineries. It makes for a great drive thru beautiful country and is a lot of fun.

quote:

Originally posted by mike1026:
Melissa--

That was just ignorant, now wasn't it? You may wanna try the Sponge Bob forums on Nicklodeon.com

I don't think it was an ignorant comment. That term has long since entered the mainstream and is widely used. And it has a pretty clear meaning.

Virginia wines pretty much do suck, don't they?

sweet melissa is making non-adult comments and should be banned. where is wine spectator when needed.

Actually, she's correct....IF she's tried a half dozen VA wines and found them all poor.

Otherwise she's being ignorant and simply repeating someone else's point of view.

Either way, the comment adds little to the discussion.

BTW, I haven't tried any VA wines so I have no opinion.

SM comments are spot on.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob the Wineseller:
sweet melissa is making non-adult comments and should be banned. where is wine spectator when needed.

Too funny.... I made a "non-adult" comment? Are you for real?

First of all, Thomas Jefferson was one of the first people to find out that Virginia wines do indeed suck. I've had enough of them myself to form the same opinion.

"To suck" is certainly slang, but it has long since found its way into the mainstream vernacular. It is not ignorant nor is it inappropriate - it simply means that something is "inadequate, unpleasant, or objectionable."

The originator of this post was soliciting others' opinions as to why Virginia wines don't seem to get any recognition. I simply answered his question with my opinion, in the most straightforward, concise language I know... i.e. because they suck.

Hope that helps.

SM

P.S. Thanks for the support, GreenDrazi!

I see now that most people find VA wines repulsive. So how would one rank the top 5 wine producing states. Also, is there a VA wine you like and why?

Hey Bob-the-Wineseller... why didn't you get hissy with Golf&PinotNut for starting the thread titled "FRENCH WINE SUCKS!!!" How non-adult of him, huh?

By the way, that thread has 183 replies and about 4200 views... suggest you go over to that thread and give him a piece of your mind.

I was born in VA and most of my family still lives there. My brother lives in Richmond and I try the wines whenever I go to visit. Everyone who has followed them at all knows about the '94 Horton Viognier which was, I believe, the highest-rated wine ever to come out of VA. I was lucky enough to try it, out here in Seattle, and it was every bit as good as advertised. Sad to say, not much else since has been even respectable, at least of what I've tasted. Valhalla is threatening to m ake something good down there outside Roanoke but their plans to bottle a premium estate-grown Merlot may be a bit over-ambitious. Morisette has had a couple of years in which the wines were drinkable but that's just the problem: VA wijnes are nearly always drinkable but just never surprising or profound or exemplary of anything, really. They don't show a lot of varietal character and lean toward simple. In fairness, though, except for Morrisette and Horton, the wine biz in VA is so freakin' new, maybe the vines just aren't far enough along - and maybe the winemaking, too? - to get any real results. I'm reserving judgement. Washington's wines didn't really begin to show any real across-the-board quality, IMHO, until almost '00. Now, WA is a KILLER wine state but the trade had to mature, here. In time, given Virginia's wonderful terrain, zillion microclimates, and relatively mild winters, someone is going to make some great juice.

I am heading out to DC as well as Charlottesville/Monticello next week... What is the consensus these days on Virginia Wines? Anything I should try at this point.. This thread does not lend itself to greatly enjoying the local wine scene, but hey that was 2005.. Thanx in advance for suggestions.

Wow, a three-year bump!

Sometime last year, I headed up a blind tasting that compared Washington wines with wines from New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Dr. Konstatin Frank Riesling (New York) compared very well with a Washington Reisling.

Pennsylvania Merlot (Chaddsford) got its butt kicked.

For a Cabernet, we compared Barboursville from Virginia with College Cellars in Walla Walla. While the College Cellars was one of WOTN, folks were pleasantly surprised by the Virginia Cab. Mind you, it wasn't anything to go and buy by the case, but it wasn't anything to dump down the drain.

About a month ago, I had a Cab Franc from Barboursville that I thought was better than the Cab Sauv. Cherry and toast - not overly oaky. I think I gave it 87 or 88 points.

So, to answer the question, Barboursville isn't horrible. Give it a shot.

Stevebody just made me remember a VA wine I had to weeks ago. It was a Viognier,but I can't remember which vineyard. It may have been Horton, and was a 2006 I believe. It was a great wine for VA standards, and still very good in relation to others outside VA. And at $8 according to my friend, not a bad QPR.
I've lived in VA my whole life and have not been found of the juice here. However, the earth doesn't rumble under my feet every couple of years on this coast either so I guess there's a little trade off.

Horton and Barboursville are in and around Monticello/Charlottesville.
Here are the other wineries close by:
Oakencroft Vineyards & Winery
King Family Vineyards
White Hall Vineyards
Stone Mountain Vineyards
Burnley Vineyards
Keswick Vineyards
Veritas Vineyards & Winery
Afton Mountain Vineyards
Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery
WIntergreen Winery
Pollak Vineyards
Jefferson Vineyards
Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard
First Colony Winery
DelFosse Vineyards & Winery
Sugarleaf Vineyards
Gateway
Acorn Hill
Prince Michel.

Thanx for the tips.. It should be interesting...

Go to Jefferson's trailer for a laugh. The wines are absolutely horrible, one of the all-time worst wineries we've ever visited.

Go to Oakencroft for some drinkable Chardonnay and a picnic. White Hall had the best line-up. If you go there, stop by the monastery for some artisinal cheese.

Just to chime in, our editorial coverage is determined by the quality of the wines (and the results of our official blind tastings). When Virginia gets a critical mass of quality offerings, I'll be happy to report on them. In the meantime, results from my tastings are often lackluster (with a few exceptions, notably Linden...)

We don't ignore regions - we cover more than anyone else, and by far IMO. We've been all over Argentina, Chile and South Africa for years...Douro reds before the band wagon started to fill up...we covered Germany and Austria in depth when no one else bothered...Greece & Israel now...etc.

The "other U.S." category has been discussed here before. When the wines step up in quality, we'll be there to tell the story...