DID YOU KNOW that some of the oldest European wine-grape vines in North America were planted right here in Virginia? It’s considered the birthplace of winemaking on this continent using European vines, dating back to the 1600s.
Thomas Jefferson was also a fan, bringing vines from France in the 1700s, and encouraging other founding fathers such as George Washington to take part in the enterprise. You can still visit the site of some of Jefferson’s original vineyards near Monticello, his home in central Virginia.
But it was the Italians who finally made the art of winemaking in this region stick. In the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth, you’ll find Barboursville Vineyards, where general manager Luca Paschina is a third-generation Italian/American winemaker. Follow the Monticello Wine Trail from here or, if you’d rather sample wines from multiple Virginia wineries, the Virginia Wine Collective has opened near Charlottesville.
The serene rolling landscape of Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard provides a stunning backdrop for wine tasting along the Monticello Wine Trail, with award-winning wines and dishes made from the winery’s own gardens. Photo: Virginia Tourism Corporation
Wine enthusiasts aren’t the only ones taking notice; Wine Enthusiast magazine recently named Charlottesville the Best Wine Region in the world. Here, you can sip and sample wines from seven independent winemakers’ vintages. And the wine world at large is showing up: in 2024, Vinexpo held the 5th edition of its Vinexpo Explorer Vinexposium event, spotlighting “under the radar” wine regions. The Commonwealth welcomed more than 40 wine and spirit buyers from around the world, including Canada, to experience Virginia wines firsthand.
Playing host to buyers from across the globe was the Boar’s Head Resort. Just off the beaten track in Charlottesville, the bucolic location of Boar’s Head feels like rural countryside, with walkable paths along sparkling ponds. It’s a tad enchanted, too; on a stroll through the grounds, I encounter art installations and sculptures – giant flowers laced with twinkling lights, a few bronze boars – dotted among the woods and lawns.
Ponds, sculptures, and wooded trails make Boar’s Head Resort a picture-perfect stop for wine and countryside lovers in Charlottesville. Photo: Virginia Tourism Corporation
In Crozet, about 15 minutes from Charlottesville, we pour out of the bus hired to ferry the group and onto the green lawns at King Family Vineyards. With stretches of green good for grazing or playing polo (yes, you can do that here), and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, the vineyard combines multiple functions yet retains a down-home feel. The white clapboard barn-style building welcomes us; inside, two long tables are set for dinner for about 200; outside the fire pit blazes to fend off the early autumn chill. The wine-tasting room is open daily, and I’m enjoying a sip of the King Family’s Crosé, a crisp rosé in a peachy pink hue that perfectly pairs with the sun’s setting light.
After plenty of wine, it’s time to switch to spirits. Not supernatural, per se, but spirits in the form of distilleries. Bourbon, whisky, rye, gin – you name it. The day starts at Virago Spirits, where rum reigns supreme. This makes sense, with a history of pirates and shipwrecks off Virginia’s coast. Six types of rum are distilled here, along with two flavour-infused gins (hibiscus and oolong tea) and a coffee liqueur.
Next up, Ironclad Distillery, with its speakeasy-meets-grandma’s-living-room vibe, overstuffed couches, and long wooden bar. It’s ideal for a relaxed tasting of Ironclad’s specialty: bourbon and bourbon-based cocktails. Manhattans, Old Fashions, even a twist on a Sazerac – order one, sink into a couch, and sip away.
At Copper Fox Distillery, there’s bourbon, rye, single malt whiskies, and vodka. Rather than peat, the distiller uses fruit woods to smoke and dry grains for the spirits. To malt the barley, it’s spread out on the floor like a nubbly rug; all the grain is sourced from a single local farmer.
The only distillery in North America malting their own barley. Making “Applewood-aged” Single Malt American whisky and “Applewood-aged” Rye Whisky. Photo: Virginia Tourism Corporation,
We’re just in time to watch the sun set, painting the early autumn sky in pinks, oranges, blues, and gold, reflected in the leaves that dot the hillsides around Barboursville Vineyards. The stone terrace evokes a Tuscan aura, with vines in orderly rows forming part of the view.
But we’re in Virginia, where European vines have a 400-year history (some vines in Nova Scotia may be nearly as old). Virginia winemakers are making waves with the Viognier grape, similar to winemakers in BC’s Okanagan Valley. For Barboursville winemaker Paschina, it’s the red that excites him. Octagon 2021 is the showpiece, an award-winning Bordeaux blend mixing Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot.
As I savour a sip, the sky glows, refracting like a rainbow against the ruby wine in my glass.
GOOD TO KNOW: Starting in February, Carnival Cruise Line will offer year-round cruises from the “Mermaid City,” Norfolk, Virginia, to ports in the Eastern Caribbean and the Bahamas on the Carnival Sunshine.
For more information: virginia.org/canada
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