{"id":4416,"date":"2011-01-27T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-27T20:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=4416"},"modified":"2011-02-25T15:21:04","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T19:21:04","slug":"virginia-wine-earns-its-passport-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/virginia-wine-earns-its-passport-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Wine Earns Its Passport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing Number of Old Dominion Wineries Selling Overseas<\/strong><\/p>\n

The British wine lover moves slowly down the aisle of a London wine shop examining various selections of Viognier.\u00a0 As he reads the back label of a bottle of Condrieu, France\u2019s finest rendition of the grape, his eye catches a bottling of another wine he recently read about, a Virginia Viognier.\u00a0 He places the French beauty back on the shelf and lays the Virginia bottle carefully in his basket.<\/p>\n

Another bottle sold. \u00a0Another convert made.\u00a0 Virginia wine goes international.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Rappahannock Cellars Viognier<\/p><\/div>\n

In some respects, Virginia\u2019s emergence as a growing wine power house should not come as a surprise; especially if you work in the industry or have tasted the top tier wines to confirm its winemaker-driven achievements. But caution must be taken not to believe too quickly in owner-written press releases.\u00a0 The more salient question is what are folks outside of Virginia saying about the product?<\/p>\n

In the mid-1970s, when commercial wineries began to blossom in the Commonwealth, the quality of the wine was…hmmmm, variable?\u00a0 Creating a wine industry with commensurate quality is an evolutionary process.\u00a0 In Europe, they have been working at it professionally for several hundred years.\u00a0 Even California was on the brink of commercial and critical success in the early 1900s when prohibition stepped in and halted its progress for decades.\u00a0 Wine takes time.\u00a0 And great wine takes lots of it.<\/p>\n

Viewed in this context, Virginia\u2019s growth in just forty years has been remarkable. Today, some 180 wineries are producing 450,000 cases a year.\u00a0 It is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation.\u00a0 But as impressive as it sounds, consider that during the last twelve months Gallo vinified over 66 million cases.\u00a0 And worldwide there is 7 billion gallons of wine produced annually.\u00a0 Virginia contributes less than a drop to the world\u2019s wine bottle.\u00a0 And yet, its reputation grows.<\/p>\n

Reputations are hard-earned and easily lost as evidenced by a glance at any daily newspaper.\u00a0 CEOs, politicians, educators, and athletes, just to name a few, can see hard-earned achievements swept away in a tsunami of bad newsprint.\u00a0 So how has Virginia wine gained its growing recognition and how will it retain it?<\/p>\n

Entrepreneur Provides Opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Christopher Parker<\/p><\/div>\n

One important benchmark for success is the attention generated by quality. Such acclaim builds slowly over time till a tipping point of wide-spread recognition kicks in.\u00a0 When our British wine buyer selected a Virginia Viognier over a better known French version the question arises as to why?\u00a0 The answer in this instance is that the wine earned its purchase because of its quality, but was provided the opportunity by a gentleman named Christopher Parker and the spotlight he has shone on the state\u2019s wines.<\/p>\n

Parker is a Londoner who has been living in Virginia for over twenty years.\u00a0 His previous career brought him to the states, and after successfully building his technology company he sold it and turned his business attention to Virginia\u2019s wines and its lifestyle.\u00a0 \u201cShortly after arriving here in the late 80s, my wife and I began to explore the countryside west of Washington, DC.\u00a0 We were struck by its beauty and its wineries.\u00a0 We had no idea Virginians made wine,\u201d recalls Parker.<\/p>\n

As a lifelong wine drinker, Parker knew his wines.\u00a0 He and a business partner previously had operated a small wine importing business in the UK during their spare time, specializing in little known producers from around the world.\u00a0 After moving to Virginia, it was apparent to Parker a new venture could be devoted exclusively to the sale of Virginia wines in the United Kingdom.\u00a0 In 2008, New Horizon Wines was born.<\/p>\n

In May of 2009, after laying the groundwork within the state\u2019s industry, Parker coordinated a tasting of wines from nine Virginia wineries at the London International Wine Fair, the largest annual show for wholesalers in Britain.\u00a0 Nine winemakers from the state\u2019s wineries traveled to London and personally poured their wines at the three-day event attended by 15,000 trade representatives.\u00a0 It was the first opportunity for most of the English wine professionals to taste Virginia\u2019s product.\u00a0 The pros\u2019 reaction was a combination of surprise and admiration.\u00a0 To date, New Horizon Wines has introduced a variety of bottlings from eleven Virginia wineries in Great Britain.<\/p>\n

Notwithstanding this early success, Parker has no illusions about quickly exporting enormous quantities of Virginia wine overseas.\u00a0 There is an ocean of wine in today\u2019s world market and gaining customer attention entails work, and a lot of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI view my company as both a business and a labor of love. We are telling the story behind the wine label, and I can speak from experience of having lived here for over twenty years.\u00a0 We are creating an international market for Virginia wines. Each year our export business has grown.\u00a0 I\u2019m also combining wine exporting with lifestyle travel experiences for my fellow citizens in the UK.\u00a0 A vacation at Keswick Hall combined with tours of the Charlottesville wineries is just one example of what my firm will be offering in 2011,\u201d explains Parker.<\/p>\n

Top Tier Wineries Sign On<\/strong>
\nSo what wines are being sold overseas because of New Horizon\u2019s efforts?\u00a0 Viognier and Cabernet Franc lead the pack but several other varietals are in the firm\u2019s portfolio.\u00a0 The current list of local producers includes Boxwood Winery, Breaux Vineyards, Pearmund Cellars, Philip Carter Winery and Rappahannock Cellars.\u00a0 Other notable exporters are Barboursville Vineyards, Keswick Vineyards, Veramar Vineyards, Veritas Winery, White Hall Vineyards and Williamsburg Winery.\u00a0 The list will continue to grow.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Rachael Martin, Boxwood Winery<\/p><\/div>\n

Rachael Martin, Executive Vice President, Boxwood Winery says, \u201cI recently returned from England where I hosted two wine dinners featuring our wines.\u00a0 The response was gratifying and resulted in new orders being placed on the spot. The wines are being embraced because of their exceptional quality, not simply because of their place of origin.\u00a0 Our exports have doubled over the last year to some hundred and twenty cases.\u00a0 Next year we\u2019ll see even further growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Blosser, with Breaux Vineyards, echoes Martin\u2019s assessment, \u201cI attended this year\u2019s London International Wine Festival and experienced a defining moment in my wine life.\u00a0 Steven Spurrier, an icon of British wine, stopped by the Virginia tasting area and sampled all the wines.\u00a0 He returned a short time later with a major figure from France\u2019s Viognier producing region of Condrieu, urging him to taste the quality of Virginia\u2019s Viognier.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The gentleman was impressed.\u00a0 It was no small reaction coming from a Frenchman producing the same wine in the home of the Viognier grape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philip Carter Strother, owner of Philip Carter Winery, says, \u201cIn 1762, the Carter family of Virginia produced wine at the plantation Cleve and it was recognized in Britain for its quality.\u00a0 It\u2019s gratifying that nearly 250 years later we are again providing citizens of England our wine.\u201d\u00a0 Chris Pearmund, proprietor of Pearmund Cellars, recognizes the link with Britain and his family.\u00a0 \u201cI hail from the UK and still have family living there.\u00a0 It\u2019s great to be selling our wine in my native country. It\u2019s a small volume, but in this industry you need to take one small step at a time,\u201d he emphasizes.<\/p>\n

\"\"

John Delmare<\/p><\/div>\n

John Delmare, owner of Rappahannock Cellars, thinks overseas sales of his wine builds creditability.\u00a0 \u201cIf you can export wine overseas, it sends a strong message to domestic customers that our quality is being recognized beyond the state\u2019s borders,\u201d he says.\u00a0 And Justin Bogaty, winemaker at Veramar Vineyards, similarly views Britain as an opportunity, stating, \u201cBuilding our reputation domestically is a challenge given there are over 6,000 wineries in the United States. If we can deliver value-based quality wine to the British market, I think it will resonate here and help propel our industry forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker places the state\u2019s industry in perspective, explaining, \u201cVirginia wine is a bit analogous to New Zealand\u2019s experience.\u00a0 In the late 70s, they began exporting wine, generating some $40,000.\u00a0 Today, New Zealand has a mature market valued at over $800 million dollars. Virginia doesn\u2019t produce enough wine to realize these kinds of numbers.\u00a0 But over the next few decades the state has a huge potential for direct and indirect economic growth from wine sales and associated business.\u201d<\/p>\n

British Scribes Impressed<\/strong>
\nA more recent achievement of Parker was his successful initiative to invite a group of nine wine media professionals from Great Britain and one from Canada to tour Virginia wine country during the second week of September 2010.\u00a0 The tour was organized in partnership with the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, several Virginia wineries, and regional hotels and resorts.<\/p>\n

The attendees, members of an influential group called The Circle of Wine Writers, traveled over 600 miles through the Virginia countryside, visiting 11 wineries and tasting over 150 wines, while attending several dinners where regional fare was paired with local wines.\u00a0\u00a0 For most of the writers it was their first visit to Virginia.\u00a0 Let\u2019s listen in on some random comments as they described their impressions:<\/p>\n

\u201cWho expected Nebbiolo in Virginia, and of such high quality? I found them attractive young and very beautiful aged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cabernet Franc Reserve from the perfect 2007 vintage was superb\u2026this stunner will be aged for another 12 to 14 months before release.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2007 Seyval Blanc was lean and delicately structured, with vibrant acidity and citrus flavored freshness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cabernet Franc had a big, rich raspberry nose, fresh fruit, and silky texture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quality of Virginia wines compares well with that in most other wine producing regions in the world.\u00a0 The Virginia wine industry is still in its infancy and on a learning curve—it didn\u2019t take long to suss out the special qualities the Virginian soil can give to Viognier and Cabernet Franc.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"In summarizing the overall experience one writer wrote, \u201cThis has been an extremely enlightening tour for all of us—superbly put together and organized to show us just what Virginian wineries are capable of producing and their rapid improvement over the last 20 years. I am sure that if we are invited again, in just a few years time we will experience an even greater geometrical progression.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is important to reflect that each of these writers have returned home and is writing independently about their experience.\u00a0 Virginia\u2019s reputation in the international wine market will be further enhanced by the opinions of these enophiles.<\/p>\n

The challenge today for Virginia wine is to intensify its laser-like focus on quality. One marker foredaining this advancement is seen in the increasing number of national and international wine professionals laboring in our wine cellars and vineyards.\u00a0 The days of hobby winemaking morphing into a small business are fading fast. \u00a0Laudatory assessments from around the world will continue only as long as winemakers and vineyard managers do not rest on their laurels.<\/p>\n

Indeed, it\u2019s taken an enormous commitment to achieve the current success in Virginia wine.\u00a0 But the work has just begun. \u00a0The state\u2019s national and international reputation depends on it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Published in\u00a0the\u00a02011 edition of the Piedmont\u00a0Business Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing Number of Old Dominion Wineries Selling Overseas The British wine lover moves slowly down the aisle of a London wine shop examining various selections of Viognier.\u00a0 As he reads the back label of a bottle of Condrieu, France\u2019s finest rendition of the grape, his eye catches a bottling of another wine he recently read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[216,236,101,238,266,280,275,276,16,104,273,267,239,271,279,233,272,270,235,37,113,274,281,268,277,242,278,269],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n