FredTalk Discussion Forum
Fredericksburg.com
 
Fredericksburg.com Homepage Link
ADVERTISE|Alerts|Home|Mobile|About us|Index|RSS|Closings|Live Help
Click here to see today's Free Lance-Star!
Customer care
Sat, May. 10, 2008

advertisement

 

 


State vintners get spirited reception



-

Make a post about this story on FredTalk. Get a printer-friendly version of this page. E-mail this story to a friend.
The first Virginia Wine Expo receives a spirited response from both the public and the trade

Date published: 2/21/2008

AUDIO: Ann Heidig, Virginia Wineries Association president and co-founder of Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania County, comments on the Virginia Wine Expo.


(Click Play icon
hear audio)

BY CATHY JETT

Barboursville Vineyards' winemaker wasn't sure what to expect from last weekend's Virginia Wine Expo.

But before the first-time event had even opened to the public at the Richmond Convention Center, a wholesaler there had hooked up Luca Paschina with a restaurant in New York that wanted to carry his wines.

"We couldn't have done this 15 years ago," an enthusiastic Paschina said of Barboursville and the 29 other wineries participating in the expo. "We wouldn't have had the quality of wine for the event."

The two-day expo, which organizers hope will become an annual affair, showcased the wineries during a traditionally slow time of year for the $347 million industry.

It was open to both the public, which snapped up nearly 7,000 tickets, and to distributors, retailers and restaurants bent on discovering such wines as the new viognier from Oak Crest Vineyard & Winery in King George County.

Also included were several fancy-foods dealers and other vendors such as the soon-to-be-published Virginia Wine Lover magazine, as well as food and wine pairing demonstrations and talks on different aspects of the wine industry.

"I see this as something we can use to grow in the future as a trade show," said Ann Heidig, Virginia Wineries Association president and co-founder of Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania County. "It's a real concept that I think has long been needed in the state of Virginia and it's a great venue."

Now is an exciting time to explore Virginia wines, Bruce Schoenfeld, Travel + Leisure magazine's wine and spirits columnist, told wine makers in a seminar held Saturday before the expo opened to the public.

While wineries in California's Napa Valley are concentrating on cabernet sauvignon because it is so profitable, vintners at Virginia's 131 wineries are still experimenting, he said.

"Virginia wine is a work in progress," Schoenfeld told them. "You're helping to make the decisions that will define your state for years to come."

It doesn't hurt that it will soon be easier to find wines from 62 small wineries across the state. The Virginia Winery Distribution Corporation, which the General Assembly created last year after Virginia wineries lost the right to self-distribute, will finally be up and running soon.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recently determined that the entity is a state agency and doesn't need a federal license, and Virginia's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control just has to issue licenses to wineries that want to use its services instead of going through a large distributor.


1  2  Next Page  

Date published: 2/21/2008


Most recent reader comments:

1 comments have been posted.
  It was a great event! (posted by kimcmitch , Feb. 21, 2008 8:58 am)    Report this post to admins
And it was hard to pick which wines to bring home. I hope next year they have a larger space for this event.

What do you think?

Enter your FredTalk username and password to post a comment on this story. If you are registered on FredTalk or another part of this site, use that login here. Otherwise, you can just REGISTER here... .

Username: Password:

Post title:


Please keep it brief: (512-character limit)
(Posts that exceed the 512-character limit will be deleted.)


By checking this box, you agree to the terms of the FredTalk User agreement.
Make a post about this story on FredTalk. Get a printer-friendly version of this page. E-mail this story to a friend.



Local News Updates:
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS F2 TORNADO HIT
(Saturday, 07:43, The Free Lance-Star)
Storms rip up homes and businesses in the area, but no major injuries reported
(Saturday, 07:08, The Free Lance-Star)

Local News
Today's Popular Stories:
Storms rip up homes and businesses in the area, but no major injuries reported
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS F2 TORNADO HIT
Confirmed: Tornado hit Stafford
'Just time to save yourself'

AP News Updates:
Myanmar junta hands out aid boxes with generals' names
Hezbollah to withdraw fighters in Beirut; 12 die in clash
Obama rises from political obscurity to verge of history
Cease-fire reported with Iraqi militants in Sadr City
Nursery programs allow imprisoned moms, newborns to bond
Pollution brings end to mining town in Oklahoma
Mother's Day celebration reaches 100th anniversary
Analysis: Good economic news something of a mirage
Jenna Bush's wedding is low-key affair at ranch
Cavs' Wallace unlikely to face Celtics in Game 3

Local News
Most commented items in past 48 Hours:
Don't pack heat on campus 05/03/2008 (38 comments)
Devil in the details for Stafford schools 05/06/2008 (38 comments)
HARD STANCE ON ILLEGALS 05/07/2008 (21 comments)
Gunman heavily armed 05/07/2008 (20 comments)
Border-crossing softies played it safe 05/09/2008 (15 comments)
Keep it up, Dems! You're making the GOP look good 05/08/2008 (12 comments)
Storms rip up homes and businesses in the area, but no major injuries reported 05/10/2008 (11 comments)
Why extending the HOV lanes will not work 05/08/2008 (10 comments)
Family talks about victims 05/08/2008 (9 comments)