Here we go! Virginia Wine has announced medal winners for this year, and will soon announce the Governor’s Case and the Cup winner! Longtime readers know I have never been terribly excited about medals, points, and scores because some of my most favorite wines never enter competitions or very rarely win. However, last year’s Virginia competition was quite different, with a number of grapes we hadn’t seen often among the medal winners, and wineries we had not seen either. While the process for judging changed again this year, I was hopeful we would continue to see a broadening of the recognized wines and winemakers to showcase more of what is unique and exciting about Virginia. The biggest change they made to the entry process is that each winery could enter no more than six wines. Previously it was unlimited, resulting in seeing a single winery’s name many times on the list, providing an appearance of favoritism or favoring a single style. But this medal list has a ton of variety so it appears they succeeded! Our Wandering Winos chat has been nerding out with the medals data, and these people know a lot more about wine than I do, so it’s been fun to be part of that.
First, here is the list of medals for your enjoyment. This will be updated once the case and cup are announced too – it’s dynamic, and they’ve been correcting it since posting. It seems to have landed now. Here is a fantastic post from contest judging director Frank Morgan that crunches a bunch of the data on this year’s winners. The man must do magic with excel.
Right at the top of the gold medalists is our beloved Ankida Ridge, with a gold each for the 2022 Pinot Noir and the 2023 Chardonnay. I honestly see that Chardonnay going far, perhaps being in my personal top ten this year, and as a fabulous example of the 2023 vintage’s bright, fresh acidity, it could be in the case. The Pinot Noir is just gorgeous and drinking so well right now. It is a lovely and fruit-filled wine that goes with everything, including nothing at all. I love these two wines and I’m so glad they’re getting recognition.
I was also thrilled to see Eastwood earn a gold for the 2022 Petit Verdot (I sampled a ton of this at the judging competition) and a silver for their 2022 Merlot (I had some of this too!). Eastwood’s wine is getting very interesting and exciting, and I’ll be spending some more time there. This Petit Verdot is a fruitier and cleaner example than I’ve had from them previously.
The 2022 Mountain and Vine Screaming Hawk Meritage Reserve earned only a silver medal last year but found it’s way to gold this year. I liked this wine a year ago, and still have one on my rack next to the Cup-winning 2021 vintage. I dunno what I’m waiting for to open it, and want badly to check it out. I’m betting they will see this sell like hotcakes now that it’s got the medal, and I have very high hopes for the 2023 edition. But I think most 2023 reds are going to knock our socks off.
Albariño made a big splash this year, with 53rd Winery and Vineyards bottle getting a gold. This was a stellar bottle- very acidic with fruit explosion – refreshing and joyous on the porch on a hot day. I loved this wine, and I’m getting more, along with 2024. It did make my top ten last year, and I’m guessing it’s got a good shot at the case, at least in my book.
I was thrilled to see Hark, Grace Estate, Chestnut Oak, and Veritas also on the medals list. I’ve had at least nine of the wines that took home a gold this year, and that is atypical. I’ve had at least 25 or so of the 621 medal winning wines/ciders. Hark is a go-to, and Out and About will head there in a few weeks to check in on their releases. I’m waiting for more of the 23 Rosé (which got a silver but deserves a gold and best in show Rosé in my opinion) at Hark. I also need to revisit Grace Estate, Chestnut Oak, and Veritas because their medal winners are ones (I think) I’ve had, and I enjoyed them a lot. I like seeing wines I enjoy receiving recognition – it makes me feel better about the wines I choose and I love seeing them succeed.
Back to that post from judging director Frank Morgan – I love where he talks about possible future shifts in the contest:
Future Updates — Welcoming Virginia’s Next Generation of Winemakers
One of my future intentions for the competition is to find a reasonable way to increase participation from small (micro, boutique) producers. Custom crush operations like Walsh Family Wines and incubators like Eastwood Farm Winery have helped lower the costs and barriers to entry to starting an independent wine brand. Virginia is home to an excellent range of small batch producers like Joy Ting Wines and Wound Tight Wines from Cory Craighill. Most of these smaller producers do not enter the Governor’s Cup for a number of reasons — some are experimenting with new styles that may not be well-suited for traditional competitions, others have no interest in having their wines judged in a ‘competition,’ and others do not meet the production requirements. I would like to accommodate those small producers who would like to enter the Governor’s Cup but don’t meet the case requirements.
Now that is exciting, and exactly what I think we need. Kenny and I chatted a lot this morning about what this could look like and he raised a lot of important questions for consideration on this – what is the production threshold for “small batch?” Is it for the wine itself or for the whole winery? What about winemakers who may be part of a large production winery but also make a side label that has lower production, say 100-200 cases a year – are they eligible? Does it matter whose ABC license is used? A move like this, while complex, throws the doors open to a broad and diverse range of winemakers – more women and winemakers of color who are engaging in small batch and bringing their own voices and styles to Virginia Wine. And Virginia Wine is better for it.
I do like the way the contest and awards are heading, and some medalists like Cunningham Creek who are near me will be getting a visit to check these wines out in the near future. Now we wait for what goes in the case and wins the cup. I have hopes for some of my favorites, and will be watching for the winners. Oh, and 53rd, get some Albariño ready (both 23 and 24!) because I’ll be on my way soon!
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