Today, corks are popping from Leesburg to Pulaski. In less than two decades, Virginia winemaking has grown from a struggling cottage industry to a burgeoning international force. The industry transformation has been, and continues to be, remarkable. The state's winery count has increased from 6 in 1979 to 52 in 1998. These changes make it an exciting time to visit Virginia wineries.
Visitors get a close-up view and firsthand taste of the fruits of our winemakers' labors.
Since Thomas Jefferson's time, growers have suspected that Virginia soils and high elevations, which minimize summer heat and lengthen the growing season, would make ideal grape-growing conditions. But it wasn't until the 1980s that the industry really took off, in part because of support from state officials. In 1985 the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Winegrowers Advisory Board to promote winemaking in the state. The Assembly also set up a research team to provide grape growers with the technical support necessary to produce a healthy crop. The results of these efforts and the efforts of individual wineries are here for us all to enjoy.