Virginia Wines Go To London

W hat do Virginia wine and       England. On May 2, the Virginia    England have in common?       wines will be tasted at            Answer: history and           Vinopolis, a world wine center in  today’s interest in pursuing          London. Will the Mother Country    quality wine. This year is the        be impressed?                      400th Anniversary of the founding                                        of Jamestown by the English           Will Thomas Jefferson’s dream of   settlers. Several events have         producing fine wines in Virginia   been planned to commemorate the       be met? After all, an attempt was  founding of Jamestown in 1607.        made to grow grapevines very       One of the events planned will be     early in the 1600’s. When the      the tasting of Virginia wines at      first settlers arrived in          Vinopolis in London. The theme is     Jamestown, native grapes grew in   “Virginia, First in Wine.” “First     abundance. Wine produced with      in Wine” refers to the quality of     these native grapes in 1608 was    Virginia wines and to the             unlike wine in Europe. Wine from   established fact that Virginia        Virginia was bitter and did not    was the first place in the new        travel well. England was hoping    world for the English to attempt      the colonies could provide wine    the cultivation of grapes and         for the Mother Country. Laws       winemaking. In February, a number     requiring the growing of grapes    of Virginia wines were judged at      were passed. Failure to grow       White Hall Vineyards in a wine        grapes would result in severe      tasting event. The purpose was to     penalties. By 1619 the House of    choose wines to go to England for     Burgesses required each adult      a tasting. On April 30, Virginia      male to plant grapevines.          will present wines at a VIP           However, at this time vineyards    invitation only tasting at            and vine growing requirements      Hampden House (a historical           were not well understood. By the   house) in the middle of Chiltern,     late 1700’s, Thomas Jefferson had  visited grape growing areas of        elusive. As time went on, an       France and fully believed that        accidental hybrid began to grow    Virginia could grow grapes and        successfully and after the Civil   produce wine as good as any other     War, vineyards were beginning to   country. Jefferson said, “We          flourish. Then came a manmade      could, in the United States, make     disaster in 1919. Congress         as great a variety of wines as        approved the 18th Amendment and    are made in Europe, not exactly       by 1920 the amendment was          the same kinds, but doubtless as      ratified. This decimated many of   good.” Jefferson tried growing        the existing vineyards and in      his own vineyards and                 combination with the Depression    participated in a venture with a      in later years most vineyards      vineyard planting next to             could not survive. By 1933 when    Monticello. The vineyards did not     the 21st Amendment repealed        survive. Despite Jefferson’s firm     Prohibition, much damage had       belief that Virginia could grow       occurred to the wine industry.     grapes and produce fine wine, he                                         was unable to make a single           Today, after Prohibition,          bottle of wine before he died.        Virginia is making much progress   George Washington also tried          towards becoming a well-known      growing grapes but the vineyards      area for growing grapes and        were not productive and he            producing fine wine. To prove      replaced the vineyards with           this point, 65 wines from 28       orchards.                             Virginia wineries were chosen to                                         provide wine for the wine tasting  During the 1800’s, Americans          at Vinopolis in London. Vinopolis  attempted to grow wine grapes         is a wine museum, tasting          throughout the country. Again,        facility and restaurant all        due to lack of knowledge about        rolled into one building. Wines    vineyard diseases, success was        from all around the world are      available for tasting at              the Pearmund Ameritage last        Vinopolis. However, until now         night. It seemed to have really    only wines from California have       developed after opening. It was    been represented of wines             full of rich fruit cake aromas     produced in the United States. If     and flavours. Still smooth and     you have the opportunity to visit     soft, the spicyness of the Malbec  London on May 2, stop by              element shone through the red and  Vinopolis and check out the           black forest fruit flavours. It    Virginia wines.                       impressed the members of the                                             tasting team. So I look forward    How will Virginia wines fare at       to tasting the wines in May.”      Vinopolis? On our recent visit to     Anyone who has visited wineries    Vinopolis we shared a bottle of       in Virginia and talked to the      Pearmund Cellars Ameritage with       winemakers knows that Virginia     Tom Forrest, the Tour Development     wineries are intent upon making    Manager. He shared the bottle         fine wine from the best grapes     with other tasters and had the        available. England, we hope you    following comment, “I retasted        like Virginia wine.                About the Author: Kathy Sullivan is a freelance writer who writes for Wine Trail Traveler. She enjoys learning about wine and wineries and bringing this knowledge to her readers. Read more articles by: Kathleen Sullivan Article Source: www.iSnare.com