In my travels to Atlanta last week, I counted 6 vineyards and wineries before I got to Amherst, and I may have missed one or two. Seemingly, no matter which road you get on in Virginia, there will be a vineyard every 20 miles. At last count, there were over 250 registered vineyards and wineries in our Commonwealth.
“They” say that Virginia produces good wines, “They” being the ones that can distinguish between a glass of box wine and a fine pinot noir. I am not one of the “They’s”. I’ll drink Boone’s Farm if it’s cold enough. One of my favorite wines is a cabernet sauvignon by Liberty Creek. It’s less than ten bucks for a big bottle.
What I wonder is how all these wineries survive. They must produce thousands and thousands of bottles of wine and they are all pricey, usually $15 to $20 for a small bottle, often more. If that’s all Virginian consumers had to choose from, they might sell out, but there are also lots and lots of good California wines, French wines, Spanish wines and some good stuff coming out of Australia. You need directions to navigate through the massive wine department at Harris Teeter.
Virginia, though, has been in the wine business a long time. Colonists in the 1600s planted grape vines on arrival and a fellow named Jefferson was quite a wine enthusiast.
But “They” say that growing grapes in Virginia can be a challenge because of the summer heat. It has only been in the last 50 years or so that the vintners figured out all the varietals. The Zonin family from Italy was largely responsible with the introduction of their Barboursville Vineyards.
Today, most Virginia wines are blends, not made from one grape. They mix and match and have all sorts of bouquets and tastes. Often, one vineyard will grow grapes for another winery. Virginia vineyards now produce about 7,000 tons of grape juice.
To keep all these vineyards afloat, many mom and pop operations now offer tasting rooms and entertainment as well as food. We enjoy our visits to Cross Keys in the Valley and their wines are very good, but I still enjoy a bottle of Liberty Creek at less than half the price.