Barboursville Vineyards is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

located in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

in the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Barboursville, Virginia. It is located within both the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

viticultural areas.

History

The wine producing estate was founded in 1976 by Gianni Zonin,Ray, Johnathan, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (November 5, 2005)
Presidential selection
/ref>Apple, R.W. Jr.''The New York Times'' (September 13, 2000)

/ref> an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

winemaker from the

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

. Part of an affiliated group of wineries owned by Zonin based in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

,McKeon, Nancy, ''The Washington Post'' (November 28, 2009)
For Barboursville's vintner, wine and design bridge Old World and new
/ref> Barboursville Vineyards is its only American venture. The winery is built on the grounds of Barboursville, the home of the 19th

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Commonwealth of Virginia,

James Barbour James Barbour (June 10, 1775 – June 7, 1842) was an American slave owner, lawyer, politician and planter. He served as a delegate from Orange County, Virginia in the Virginia General Assembly, and as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates ...

, on an estate of which is divided between Albemarle County and Orange County. The home was built from 1814 through 1822 and is based on an architectural design provided by Barbour's political ally and friend,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, since 1969 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It draws approximately 80,000 visitors a year. The estate is the first producer in the new era of Virginian wine history to plant ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curr ...

'' since the failed attempts of Jefferson, initially through former vineyard manager Gabriele Rausse.Ward, Logan, ''CNN.com'' (from ''Southern Accents'' (magazine))(October 5, 2006)
Jefferson's Virginia: America's hottest new wine country
/ref> Winery manager Luca Paschina first arrived as a consultant in 1990, now estimated among Virginia's leading winemakers,McIntyre, Dave, ''The Washington Post'' (August 19, 2009)

/ref> has a stated goal to work to achieve quality consistently over several vintages.McIntyre, Dave, ''The Washingtonian'' (November 8, 2007)

/ref> Considered one of the leading wineries in Virginia, Barboursville Vineyards wine was selected to be served to the Queen Elizabeth II on her 2007 visit to Virginia.

Production

The

viticultural Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

area extends .DeBord, Matthew, ''Wine Spectator'' (December 10, 2002)
American Way of Wine
/ref> The

vines A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

are predominantly

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

grape varieties for the red wines, and also including

Nebbiolo Nebbiolo (, ; pms, nebieul ) is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero ...

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...

and

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

, and among white varieties are Viognier, Chardonnay,

Pinot grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

and Sauvignon blanc. The Barboursville Vineyards flagship wine, Octagon, is a Bordeaux-style blend, mainly based on Merlot, with parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

. Octagon was first produced in 1991, then again in 1995, but 1998 marks the vintage that began the run of consistency, with the exception of the 2003 vintage when no Octagon was produced. Among a host of other wines produced, there is a Barbera Reserve, a Cabernet Franc Reserve, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, a Nebbiolo Reserve, a Sangiovese Reserve and a Vintage Rosé. Among white wines there is a sparkling Barboursville Brut NV, a Chardonnay, Pinot grigio, Sauvignon blanc and a Viognier Reserve, and a late harvest

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal ...

produced from Moscato Ottonel and Vidal grapes, the Malvaxia Passito whose character has been commended by British wine writer Hugh Johnson.Berger, Dan, ''Los Angeles Times'' (June 8, 1995)
The Littlest Wines
/ref> Barboursville Vineyards has a total production of of wine a year.

References

External links

Barboursville Vineyards official site
{{authority control Wineries in Virginia Orange County, Virginia 1976 establishments in Virginia