Judging by its growing number of high-end wineries, Virginia is to the east coast of the US what California is to the west coast. And this promising wine region is about to come of age, reports Roger Morris FOR AN emerging wine region to be commercially successful, it needs to accomplish three basic things – have the terroir to grow quality grapes, attract the talent and infrastructure necessary to convert these grapes into quality wines, and then possess the marketing expertise to convince enough people to continually purchase the wines. Globally, dozens of regions have reached this plateau. But for a wine region to be recognised as world-class, one whose best wines can command premium prices and be sought out by collectors, it must hurdle a higher bar – establish a universal reputation that the wine elite can no longer ignore. On America’s east coast, those who make wine in the state of Virginia, and those in the wine trade who closely follow them, believe the region is now primed and ready for its star turn. Much is made of America’s third President, Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson, who in his younger years toured France on a wine-buying spree and later vainly attempted to establish a successful vinifera vineyard at his plantation, Monticello, in the early 1800s. In spite of this engaging back-story, Virginia’s commercial winegrowing industry didn’t seriously begin until the 1970s, less than 50 years ago. As late as 1980, it had only six producing wineries. Since
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
