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Virginia Wineries

In the past, I have blogged about wineries we visited in Finger Lakes New York, Yadkin Valley North Carolina and various regions in Virginia.  We recently went to Charlottesville Virginia to visit the historic homes of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and , of course, we visited some wineries in the area.  We have been to wineries in the Charlottesville area in the past and believe that some of the finest wineries in the eastern United States are located there.

Many of the wine regions in the eastern US do well with white wines, especially Viognier, Reisling and Chardonnay.  Virginia wineries distinguish themselves from those in other eastern states by producing some terrific reds.  The Virginia wineries have done this by recognizing that they cannot make Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to compete with California and Washington.  Instead, they concentrate on grapes that can grow well in the Virginia climate and these are often from Italy, Spain or regions of France outside of Bordeaux.  We tasted great Barbera, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc (a Bordeaux grape that does well here).  When they do make Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, they make a lighter style wine that is very different from other regions.

Here are three wineries that have interesting stories:

Barboursville Vineyards

Barboursville was the first Virginia winery to produce quality wine grapes.  It was started by the Zonin family from Italy on the former estate of Governor John Barbour, a contemporay of Jefferson and Madison.  Gabriele Rausse came from Italy and planted the first vineyards.  You do not want to miss a tasting at this winery because you get to taste 21 wines for $7.00 and keep your glass.  On a previous trip, we went to Barbourseville on a weekend and I do not recommend that.






Gabriele Rausse Winery

After initiating the vineyards at Barboursville, Gabriel Rausse worked at several wineries in the area and eventually started his own Gabriele Rausse Winery along with his two sons.  This is a quite unusual winery.  You have to be looking for this winery to ever find it.  The winery sits back from the road behind a group of trees.  The only sign by the road is a homemade sign that says "tastings" and winery is open only on certain days, not including Saturday.  The tasting room is rustic and that is being generous in my description.  However, the wines are some of the best in Virginia and worth the visit.





Blenheim Vineyards 

Down the road from Gabriele Rausse and across the street from another famous winery which I would not visit, is Blenheim Vineyards.  Interestingly, this winery is owned by Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band.  We almost left when the only building visible from the parking lot was an old barn.  However, behind the barn and down a flight of stairs is the tasting room.  Once you are in the tasting room, it is quite nice with a panoramic window view of the surrounding countryside.  We had the most knowledgeable and pleasant server at this winery.  The wines are very good and this was one of the best tastings of our trip.


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