MEET VIRGINIA KELLY MAGYARICS n a forward-thinking area rich with his- nists couldn’t establish a wine industry. george torical importance, where ingenuity and Washington tried and failed to start a vineyard innovation have coexisted with longstand- at Mount Vernon. Most famously (and perhaps ing traditions and deep-seated beliefs, most discouraging), Francophile and enophile Isuccess eluded would-be vintners for centuries. Thomas Jefferson cultivated European varietals Despite a requirement that every male settler at Monticello for more than 30 years without plant and tend at least 10 vines, Jamestown colo- producing a single bottle of wine. Photos by Kelly Magyarics (left), Kenneth Garrett (right) 82 October 31, 2010 MEET VIRGINIA Kelly Magyarics is a Flash forward 400 years. Today, the state of Political distinctions wine-and-spirits writer Virginia boasts 160 wineries, compared to only and wine educator based 46 in 1995. Wine sales for the year ending June Considering the entire state as one wine- in northern Virginia. 30 were up nearly 13% over the previous year. making region would be as inaccurate as mak- She can be reached Viognier and Cabernet Franc are emerging as ing broad generalizations about California through her website, the state’s varietal stars; Bordeaux blends, spar- wine. “Virginia as a whole is a huge area to be www.kellymagyarics. kling wines, and a quirky indigenous grape also assumed as one viticultural region,” explains com, or at www.twitter. attract their share of attention. If you haven’t al- Jordan Harris, winemaker and general man- com/kmagyarics. ready made her acquaintance, meet Virginia— ager for Tarara Winery in Leesburg. Indeed, six and her wines. of the 187 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) are found in the state: Eastern Shore, Monti- Potomac cello, Northern Neck Winchester Waterford � � george Washington Shenandoah Valley AVA I81 Leesburg� Middleburg I66 � Birthplace, North Fork The Plains � � Arlington� Washington, D.C. h Front Royal � of Roanoke, Rocky West Virginia Alexandria ShenandoaMonticello AVA Knob, and Shenan- I95 Harrisonburg � � Culpeper Northern Neck George doah Valley (which � Washington Birthplace AVA Barboursville Fredericksburg Staunton � Eastern Shore AVA extends into West Vir- �Gordonsville � Crozet Chincoteague � Keswick Waynesboro�� � � Island ginia). Harris points Afton Charlottesville � Clifton � Forge I64 Tappahannock out that as wineries I64 Lexington Ja � � me s � Blue Ridge North Fork of Roanoke AVA Covington are built closer to one Mountains Richmond I64 another, establishing � Appomattox Hopewell Lynchburg � � Chesapeake Bay �Roanoke Farmville� wine trails and mar- I77 Blacksburg � �Williamsburg Tazewell � Petersburg Newport News keting initiatives, they � Pulaski Virginia � � Roanok Norfolk � � Norton n � Rocky Mount e � Virginia Beach lsto Wytheville Ho I81 I77 � w I95 �Chesapeake Rocky Knob AVA South Boston � Ne � Barboursville Vineyards � Danville � Suffolk Martinsville � A85 Emporia tasting room (left); Box- wood Winery estate in The Plains (top). Sommelier Journal 83 Jordan Harris (left), wine- maker for Tarara Winery in Leesburg (right). are boosting interest in Virginia wine by attract- and the Shenandoah Valley have only a 160- ing both repeat visitors and new enthusiasts. day growing season; in northern Virginia, east The state government also plays a vital role of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s closer to 200 in promoting the Virginia wine industry. The days. According to Harris, who operates in the Department of Agriculture funds both a state northern area, “Our wines tend to be leaner, viticulturist and the enology department at with great balance, moderate alcohol level, and Virginia Tech University. “Our governor [Bob great complexity when compared to some other McDonnell] and secretary of agriculture [Todd New World regions.” Haymore] are huge supporters of the wine in- dustry and provide all the assistance we require,” says Jim Corcoran, proprietor of Corcoran Vine- Grape varieties yards in Waterford. The state wine-marketing Although a wide range of North American office provides free services to vintners, and the and vinifera grapes are planted, an aromatic Virginia Wine Distribution Company, of which white and two Bordeaux reds are emerging as Corcoran is a board member, gives producers in the Old Dominion’s key varieties. Beguiling Virginia the ability to self-distribute—a huge and sensual Viognier, with its aromas of hon- plus for operations that are too small to attract eysuckle, peach, and orange blossom, is a major distributors. success story. After a trip to the Rhône Valley As in any winegrowing area, climate dra- in the early 1980s, Dennis Horton of Horton matically influences the final product. Five dis- Vineyards decided to plant the grape, whose tinct regions—Tidewater, Piedmont, northern thick skin and loose clusters are well suited to Virginia, western mountain, and southwest- the humidity of Virginia summers. Today, Hor- ern mountain—provide the moderate climates ton produces award-winning and immensely needed for international and indigenous grape popular Monticello Viogniers in both still and Corcoran Vineyards tast- varieties to thrive. The mountainous southwest sparkling styles. ing room (left) and winery (right) in Waterford. Photos by Becki Culley Kelly (top), Magyarics (bottom left), Melanie Corcoran (bottom right) 84 October 31, 2010 meet virginia Jake Busching, general manager and winemaker for Pollak Vineyards (far left); Pollak Petit Manseng vines (left); Kluge Estate retail shop (middle top), harvest (middle bottom), and vineyard in Charlottes- ville (bottom right); Kluge CEO and co-owner Wil- liam Moses (bottom left). The emerging style for Virginia Viognier is dry or off-dry, without the use of new oak or malolactic conversion. Winemaker Matthieu Finot of Monticello’s King Family Vineyards, who worked for a time in Nuits-Saint- georges, contrasts the minerality of Condrieu with the fruit-forwardness found in bottlings here. Crisp and inviting, Virginia Viognier is a perfect match for crab cakes, simply grilled fish, or spicy Asian cuisine. Jake Busching of Pollak Vineyards near Charlottesville, a 5,000-case- per-year operation on 28 acres that planted its first vines in 2003, calls Viognier the “red-wine drinker’s white wine” because of its body and verve. Although other producers in the state use neutral oak to round it out, he prefers stainless steel to retain its freshness, fruit, and acidity. At nearby Veritas Winery, also in the Monticello AVA, winemaker Emily Pelton strives to take the grape directly from the vine to the glass, aiming for the purest expression of fruit. Relatively high alcohol (14.5%) is seam- lessly integrated. Chardonnay is still one of the most widely planted grapes in the state, ranging in style from unoaked, with crisp apple and pear flavors, to full- bodied, oaky, buttery, and viscous. Finot is quick to point out that Vir- ginia’s weather is quite different from California’s, so that even a Virginia Chardonnay with 100% oak aging and malolactic conversion retains an inviting level of fresh acidity. Not surprisingly, the success of Chardonnay has led to the produc- tion of sparkling wines. “We grow great Chardonnay because our multi- seasonal climate generates great nat- ural fruit,” explains William Moses, CEO and co-owner of Kluge Estate in Charlottesville, which produces 10,000 cases a year of méthode tra- ditionelle blancs des blancs and spar- kling rosés. Kluge’s sparklers are Photos by Kelly Magyarics Keith (top), Lanpher (middle, bottom right) currently aged in stainless steel, but Sommelier Journal 85 the winery is transitioning to some thrives in the red-clay soils that are prevalent barrel aging. Its new, state-of-the- here, although Finot notes that it takes on more art sparkling-wine facility will open of an Old World profile than a New World one. in early 2011. Rachel Martin, executive vice president of Mid- Claude Thibaut, calling on dleburg’s Boxwood Winery in northern Virginia, more than 25 years of experience in says her goal is “to produce a premium red wine his native France as well as in Aus- in the Bordeaux tradition reflecting the Virginia tralia and California, has consulted terroir.” To that end, she makes a duo of blends with Kluge Estate on its sparkling from estate-grown fruit—the Left Bank-style winemaking. In 2005, Thibaut Boxwood and the Right Bank-style Topiary— partnered with Manuel Janisson with Bordeaux’s famed Stéphane Derenoncourt to form Thibaut-Janisson winery, acting as consultant. Three satellite tasting which bottles a Blanc de Chardon- rooms (with another opening in 2011) supple- nay made from the Monticello AVA. ment sales of the 5,000-case-per-year winery. Its latest offering, called Virginia “Virginia has the soil and climate to grow Fizz, is a crisp, peachy Crémant- outstanding Bordeaux varietals,” claims Mo- style wine, also marketed to bar- ses. Kluge Estate’s 2,500 annual cases of New tenders as a versatile mixer. World Red, which is 40% Merlot, are sourced In the red-wine category, thin- from the highest-quality blocks on the estate af- skinned, early-ripening Cabernet ter 30-50% of the fruit has been dropped. Using Franc has shown great promise. In general, 100% French oak from a variety of coopers adds Cabernet Franc is fruitier, more herbal, and concentration. In addition, the winery turns out lower in acidity than its genetic sister Caber- some 7,500 cases a year of Albemarle Simply net Sauvignon, which vintners admit does not Red, making it Kluge’s highest-volume product. fare well in the Monticello area. Keswick Vine- This wine contains a higher percentage of Caber- yards winemaker Stephen Barnard notes that net Franc and comes in at a lower price point for the green-pepper aromas often encountered in several reasons, including a shorter aging time. Virginia Cabernet Francs are caused by under- In Busching’s view, Virginia lacks what he ripe grapes, not by any fault of the variety. Adds calls a “cult wine scene,” with impossible-to-get Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, bottlings that generate buzz.