BARKING NEWS:

Keswick 2021 Chardonnay and Barboursville Octagon make Wine Enthusiast's Top 100... Jump Mountain Borderland 2019 (Red Blend) wins Shenandoah Cup... Delfosse 2021 Screaming Hawk Meritage wins 2023 Governor's Cup... #VAWines capture 80 medals; 7 double golds @SF Int. Wine Competition... MV@MV - Muse Vineyards at Mount Vernon

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wine Bloggers Get Big Welcome from Virginia Governor



Official welcome for the Wine Bloggers Conference from Governor Bob McDonnell (Wine Dogs are big fans!). Munchkin is packing her bags for Charlottesville.


Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Bob McDonnell


Virginia Welcomes National Wine Bloggers Conference
– 330 wine bloggers from across the country to converge in Charlottesville this weekend –

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today welcomed 330 national wine bloggers to the annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference taking place this weekend in Charlottesville. The three-day symposium brings top wine bloggers from across the country to taste local wines, visit wineries and discuss the intersection of wine and new media.

Virginia, home to almost 200 wineries across the state, is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation. The Virginia Wine Board, the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau are working in partnership to host the event, which is organized by Zephyr Adventures. Eric Asimov, chief wine critic for the New York Times, and Jancis Robinson, world-renowned Master of Wine, will be special guest speakers.

Speaking about this weekend's conference, Governor McDonnell remarked, "Virginia is honored to be hosting the Wine Bloggers Conference and excited to showcase our local wines to this national audience. The conference locating in the Commonwealth this year is yet another indication of the Virginia wine industry's growing reputation in domestic and global marketplaces, and it also furthers my goal of making Virginia the East Coast Capital of wine and wine tourism."

Virginia's theme for the conference is "A Commonwealth of Wine," highlighting the fact that Virginia has wineries in nearly every region of the state. Virginia has nine distinctive wine regions and six federally-recognized American Viticultural Areas.

Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd P. Haymore added, "The Virginia wine industry is an important part of our agricultural and tourism efforts to employ thousands of Virginians, preserve working farmland and promote buying locally grown products. I commend the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office for their work in bringing the Wine Bloggers Conference to central Virginia and for helping to promote our burgeoning wine industry."

During the event the wine bloggers will attend seminars, taste wines from nearly 60 Virginia wineries from across the state, tour more than 20 area wineries and visit area attractions including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and downtown Charlottesville. Attendees also are taking a pre-conference tour of Loudoun County wineries.

"We're proud to be the host city for the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference," said Kurt Burkhart, Executive Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We see this conference as the perfect complement to Vintage: The Winemaker's Year, which clearly shows that Virginia wines have arrived."

Attendees will use social media sites including Facebook and Twitter to share impressions and discoveries about Virginia's wines and travel experiences as well as blogging from the event.

Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, noted, "This is an incredible opportunity to showcase Virginia as a wine travel destination to thousands of potential travelers across the country through social media. We are excited to be a part of this event and look forward to welcoming the wine bloggers to Virginia."

Allan Wright of Zephyr Adventures stated, "We are thrilled with the response Virginia has shown us once we decided to bring the conference to the state. This is our fourth conference but our first on the East Coast and we feel we made the right decision in picking Virginia as the host."

Visit http://winebloggersconference.org/america for more information or keep up with the conference action on Twitter @Winebloggerscon #WBC11. Follow Virginia's wine and tourism industries on Twitter @vawine, @visitVirginia and @vatourismpr.

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Sunday, July 17, 2011

VA Wine is Golden

Congrats to the Gold Medal winner (41 strong) at the State Fair of Virginia wine competition.

The competition drew 193 wines from 43 wineries. The gold-ribbon winners:

Afton Mountain Vineyards: Festa Di Bacco 2009, Gewurztramier 2009;
Annefield Vineyards: Cabernet Franc 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009;
Barboursville Vineyards: Octagon 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Sangiovese Reserve 2009;
Barren Ridge Vineyards: Meritage 2008;
Casanel Vineyards: Batucada Cabernet Sauvignon 2008;
Delfosse Vineyards & Winery: Cabernet Sauvignon 2008;
Democracy Vineyards: Velvet Revolution 2009, Forum 2009;
Flying Fox Vineyard: Viognier 2010;
Gray Ghost Vineyards: Reserve Chardonnay 2009, Vidal Blanc 2010; Ingleside Vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Merlot 2006, Petit Verdot 2006, Sangiovese 2008;
Keswick Vineyards: Petit Verdot 2009;
Lake Anna Winery: Enigme NV, Totally Red NV, Morgan Merlot 2008; Pearmund Cellars: Cabernet Franc Pan D'OR Vineyard 2009;
Rockbridge Vineyard: Meritage 2007, Chardonnay Reserve 2009, Dechel Riesling 2008, Merlot Reserve 2007;
Sugarleaf Vineyards: Vidal Blanc 2009;
Sunset Hills Vineyard: Viognier 2010;
The Hague Winery: Meritage 2009;
The Winery at La Grange: Meritage 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009; Veritas Vineyard & Winery: Cabernet Franc 2010, rosé 2010; Foggy Ridge Cider: First Fruit Cider 2010, Serious Cider 2010, Sweet Stayman Cider 2010; Reynard Florence Vineyard: Petit Manseng 2009;
Sunset Hills Vineyard: Nettare di Tramonto 2008;
Veritas Vineyard & Winery: Petit Manseng 2009.

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