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VIRGINIA throughout the 1950s. But it wasn’t until Italian vintner Gianni Zonin hired Rausse to help with Barboursville Vineyards that the industry was on its way back. Rausse helped bring Virginia wine out of the Thomas Jefferson biographies and back into the hands of consumers. Barboursville became the first commercial seed that would grow Virginia into the burgeoning American wine region it is today. State of the State While Rausse was experimenting, learning which grapes grow where, he helped others create their own vine- yards. By 1995, there were 46 vineyards across the state. Virginia now boasts more than 190 wineries. Although the majority of Virginia’s wines are still sold from local tast- ing rooms, in recent years Virginia labels have been popping up on menus in New York, Washington D.C. and throughout Maryland. Leading the way as it did in the 1970s, Barboursville Vineyards is moving beyond the regional market and will soon be available in eight states and England. Significantly, it is the first U.S. winery represented by Broadbent Selections Inc., which imports some 2,000 wines from Europe and South Africa. “Virginia wines will start cropping up on wine lists now that we repre- sent Barboursville. It is the first U.S. winery that we decided to represent, which should tell you how I perceive the future for Virginia,” says CEO Bartholomew Broadbent. “I believe Virginia could become the most impor- tant U.S. wine-producing state after California, Washington and Oregon. Barboursville has proven that great wine can be made consistently.” Terroir on Tap Virginia has five distinct climates that range from a 160-day growing season in the Shenandoah Valley to a 200-day season in the Blue Ridge. Clyde Housel, owner of Hidden Croft Vineyards, says Cabernet Franc grows especially well in his vineyard’s microclimate influ- enced by a nearby mountaintop. “A lot of the thunderstorms skip over us,” he says. “We have a drier microclimate, which lends itself to more robust red wines.” Hidden Croft grows Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Traminette, Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. Other than the Eastern Shore, which has sandy soil, most Virginia vineyards grow in loamy soil with a component of gravel or granite. “This gives us good drainage,” explains Matthieu Finot, the French-born winemaker for King Family Vineyards. A Sense of Adventure Virginia winemakers are an adventur- ous bunch who are cultivating more than a dozen varieties and are boxing on average 2,000 to 4,000 cases a year. Almost all of them grow Cabernet Franc and Viognier, two French varieties that have earned Virginia winemakers gold medals in international competitions. Beyond those two grapes, it’s a free- for-all. Vineyards such as King Family Garbiele Rausse accepts the Virginia Agribusiness Council’s Distinguished Service Award. Known as the father of modern Virginia wine, Rausse was the first winemaker at trendsetting Barboursville Vineyards. 104 / the tasting panel / april 201 1 Winemaker Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards comes from a long line of French winemakers. Born in Crozes Hermitage, in the Rhône Valley, he studied viticulture and enology in Burgundy.