October Wine Club: Virginia Rising
Welcome to the October wine club story from GoodWine x UnWined! We’re so excited you’re here, and we can’t wait to showcase these wines that are at our front door.
Ben Jordan, left, in the barrel room at Commonwealth Crush.
Jeff Raymond White of Glen Manor Vineyards in Front Royal, VA.
There’s no way around it–Virginia is on the tip of the tongue right now for everyone in wine. And when it comes to climate and our mission at GoodWine to move folks in a net-zero (good for the planet!) direction, Virginia is an amazing laboratory for the work. With its challenging climate and (re)new(ed) wine industry featuring quite a few new faces, it’s a testing ground for new approaches as growers and makers try to get a handle on what they can do to make the juice they love.
The climate and weather here require grape growers and winemakers to get creative. Virginia contends with more rain than the typical wine-growing area as well as humidity—both of which are tough on grapes. Rain affects the sugar level in the grapes, dilutes the flavors, and promotes mildew and other diseases. These challenges in Virginia require growers to stay in tune with the weather, and growers often have to pick based on when a hurricane is coming rather than other reasons they might choose, like sugar level or phenolic ripeness (meaning that the building blocks for good wine in the grapes are ready). There are also big and small pests Virginia growers have to deal with, too (squirrels and turkeys!)
So this month, we had the tough task of picking just three wines to give you a sense of where Virginia has been and where it’s going. The state’s vine-growing tradition is rooted in a 400-year long history, but the number of wineries has increased very recently (from 6 in 1970s to over 300 today). Just by the numbers, we have a good indication that Virginia wine is on the move, so we wanted to capture this moment in time.
So pop open the white wine in your trio, and start to get pretty proud of your home state. And, if you’re still enjoying your previous months’ wines, that info can still be found on the site, too! June was organic farming (aka farming without chemicals), July was all about makers and growers who do more with less by reducing waste, and August was all about hand-harvesting and benefits for the planet. Our most recent month, September, was all about how to use wine certifications to help you shop for wine.
The Wines
First, you’ve got the Early Mountain “Young Wine” White 2021 from the Monticello AVA. Early Mountain is an example of a more recently established producer who is also well-known (have you had the scrumptious rose?!), and for helping put Virginia wine on the map beyond its borders. This wine is made from a hybrid grape called Vidal Blanc. Hybrids are grapes that are crossed with different grape species than the typical ones you find in your wine (aka Vitis Vinifera). They are often better able to withstand tough weather and fend off disease in the vineyard, which means that they’re a great option to pioneer and to future-proof wine. They’re popular in cold climates in the United States and elsewhere for just this reason. (If you missed our interview with Virginia’s own Artemisia Farm & Vineyard last month on their experimentation with hybrids, check it out.) Let us know what you think of this refreshing white!
— Early Mountain "Young Wine" White 2021
Next is a wonderful example of where Virginia wine is going and the collaboration that is springing up to support it. It’s the Common Wealth Crush “Family Meal” and is a blend of 9 grapes (I kid you not!) from the Shenandoah Valley AVA. They are Merlot, Grüner Veltliner, Vidal Blanc, Petit Manseng, Pinot Gris, Chambourcin, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Traminette. This wine is a product of a custom crush facility started by Tim Jordan and Ben Jordan (who is a master of his craft and helped put Early Mountain on the map). The facility basically allows new winemakers who don’t own production equipment to use the facilities and get technical support. In this way, the facility serves as a business incubator, allowing startups in wine to build their expertise without the same level of risk (winemaking is expensive!). Founded just last year, Common Wealth Crush is one to know and follow, and Tim and Ben have other projects too (Midland, Star Party, and Lightwell Survey). Plus this wine is just so delightful!
— Common Wealth Crush "Family Meal" 2022
Finally, we wanted to show you an example of a benchmark wine style that pioneers in Virginia adopted from France to deal with the weather back in the 1980s: This is the Vin Rouge from Glen Manor Vineyards in the Shenandoah Valley AVA. To hedge against weather, Glen Manor blends the Bordeaux grapes together (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot). Because they ripen at different times, weather in a particular year that disadvantages one grape might work better for another, and blending them together gives the winemaker the ability to make the best possible wine with what they’re given.
Glen Manor’s vineyards were planted in the 1990s on the family farm (which they’ve owned for over 100 years), and visiting them is an absolute treat, as you’ll hear the whole story of how they have grown to be who they are today.
Tasting this wine alongside the “Family Meal” is a fascinating study in contrasts: Two Virginia blends that each take their own approach and have such different and scrumptious results.