Women in Wine Come of Age in Virginia; Cana Claims Governor's Cup

Cana is Top Dog in VA Wine and super dog friendly! 

Main Street Station

Richmond, Virginia

This year the Virginia Governor's Cup Celebration occurred in March, which happens to be Women's History Month; coincidentally, Melanie Natoli made history as the first woman to win the coveted award. Her Cana Vineyards 2019 Unite' Reserve beat out 614 wines from over 100 wineries to earn best-in-state honors. 

Unite' is a red blend dominated by Petit Verdot (65%) and finished with Cabernet Franc (29%) and  Merlot (6%). All of the fruit comes from Cana's Middleburg estate.

Governor Glenn Youngkin presents the 2022 Governor's Cup to Cana's Melanie Natoli

Natoli came dressed for success in a blue suit, having observed that two years prior all of the winemakers on stage were men, most of them were wearing blue suits. "It is a great honor to take this home, not just for myself, but for all the amazing women winemakers we have here in the industry," Natoli said, adding " We may be few in in number but we are mighty in passion and skill."

Virginia's Women in Wine - Maggie Malick, Melanie Natoli, and Rachel Stinson

Three women winemakers are represented in this year's Governor's Cup Case (the top 12 wines in Virginia). Natoli has two wines: Unite' and Cana's 2019 Le Mariage (also a Bordeaux blend). Rachel Stinson contributed another red blend, Stinson Vineyards 2017 Meritage, and Maggie Malick won a spot for her namesake winery's 2020 Albariño.

Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matt Lohr presented the award for the top cider in Virginia to Albemarle Ciderworks for its 2019 Virginia Hewes Crab. 

In all 127 wines, ciders and meads won gold in the competition and were showcased at the Celebration, with special recognition given to the top 12 (including the Cana Unite'), which will comprise this year's Governor's Cup Case. Read about them here.