Virginia Governor’s Cup

Mom and Dad are super excited about attending some wine gala in a few weeks.  I took a peek at the invitation and saw that it was for the 2018 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  Now you know me and my research – I just couldn’t stand knowing about something but not really knowing, so I put my nose to the ground and started sniffing out the facts.

Apparently, this Governor’s Cup is a wine competition that has happened every year for the past 36 years! It is organized by Jay Youmans of the Capital Wine School in D.C.  He is one of only 45 Masters of Wine (MW) in the United States, so he really knows his stuff.

Not only was this a really good year for Virginia wine (99 took gold), but it was a prolific year as well.  Over the course of December and January, 442 wines were sampled by carefully selected judges.  In order to enter a wine, the fruit used to produce the wine has to be 100% Virginia grown.  Documentation has to be provided to prove this and to give other technical aspects of the wine such as acidity and sugar levels.  Judges taste wines over the course of two rounds, and wines are scored on appearance, aroma, flavor, overall quality, commercial suitability using the 100 point Wine Spectator scale.

The preliminary round consists of 8 judges and takes place over 10 days.  Each of the wines is tasted by 7 judges in a single blind fashion – this means the judge knows the grape or category, but no other identifying information (such as vintage, winery, and name) is given.  The scores are averaged after dropping the lowest score, and only the highest scorers proceed to the final round.  This year, all preliminary round scores were about 2 points higher than last years.  This is a good indicator of it being a great year for Virginia wine.

The final round consists of 12 judges and takes place over 3 days.  Each judge samples each wine and scores are averaged in the same way as the previous round and medals are awarded based on the score:  gold medals are awarded to those with 90-100 pts, silver to those with 85-89 points, and bronze to 80-84 scorers.  The 12 wines that score highest are considered to be in the “Governor’s Cup Case”  – wines you are encouraged to buy in order to taste the best of the best of Virginia wine offerings.  The highest scoring wine takes home the grand title of Virginia Governor’s Cup winner.

After I became a Winston-sized expert in the Governor’s Cup, it only took laying next to the dinner table to find out why Mom and Dad are really, really excited about attending this year’s gala.  Our Viognier was a gold medal winner this year!  If you remember, this wine is both Mom and Emma’s favorite.  All of us were so happy to hear that the very first wine made for us earned such a high ranking in this year’s Governor Cup.  It can only be a sign of many award winning wines to come!

Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Gala Recap

Yesterday was one for the books.  Well, not for me really.  I actually just got to mope around the house all day long missing my Mom and my Dad, expected to exist on food and water but no cuddles and nobody calling me a good boy.  I was so excited when my parents came home, I could hardly sit still to hear all about it.  There were toys to be thrown and ears to be scratched. However, I knew all of you were sitting at the edge of your seats waiting to learn about everything that went on at the Virginia Governor’s Cup Gala last night, so I made myself put my best listening ears on and got all the details for you.  The Governor’s Cup Wine Gala gives all wine lovers a chance to taste the best of what Virginia wine has to offer.  All wines served at the gala have been through a series of rigorous judging and have all been awarded a gold medal from the Governor.

The event was held in the the newly remodeled train station in downtown Richmond.  All of the wineries were set up on tables that lined the main hall.  Each table was shared by two vineyards, so it was especially easy to make your way through the offerings. The center of the room was filled with standing cocktail tables and long spreads of delicious foods.  The fare was decidedly southern with a lean toward selections that were good for wine pairing: country ham sandwiches on sweet potato biscuits, southern antipasto, shrimp and grits, decadent cheeses, crab cakes, baked brie cups, pecorino meatballs, and so much more.  Everyone was able to get plenty to eat AND go back for seconds.

The tasting tour was interrupted briefly to honor the recipients of the Virginia Wine Person of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement awards, to recognize the wines that made it into the Governor’s Case, and to announce the winner of the prestigious Governor’s Cup.

The honor of Wine Person of the Year was given posthumously to Frank Britt who began the “Official Virginia Wine Lover” publication and also started the James River Wine & Music Festival.  Mr. Britt garnered such notice and publicity for the Virginia wine industry that his contribution could not be overlooked.  The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Lucie Morton, a native Virginian, who is an internationally known viticulturist.  Ms. Morton is best known for discovering one of the fungus that causes the dreaded “black goo” that can decimate vineyards if not treated.  She manages several vineyards in Virginia and also consults with vineyard owners around the world.

The wines selected for the Governor’s Case were a varied mix of red and white varietals and a sprinkling of blends and dessert wines.  Jefferson Vineyards had two Viogniers place: the 2015 was fermented in a combination of oak and stainless, while the 2016 was done entirely in oak.  Keswick Vineyards and Potomac Point Winery both had their 2016 Cabernet Francs selected. Three Petit Verdots were chosen (all 2015): The Barns at Hamilton Station, North Gate Vineyard, and Veritas Vineyard & Winery. Blends are often seen as the perfect marriage that brings out the best characteristics of the varietals that they contain, and three made their way into the case this year.  They were The Barns at Hamilton Station Meritage (2015), Early Mountain Vineyards Eluvium (2015), and King Family Vineyards Meritage (2014).  Every good meal deserves a good dessert, and this case provides two very special dessert wines: Barboursville Vineyards 2014 Paxxito and Cross Keys Vineyards 2015 Ali d’Oro.

Governor Ralph Northam gave King Family Vineyards 2014 Meritage the distinct honor of winning the 2018 Governor’s Cup.  This blend of 50% Merlot, 23% Petit Verdot, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec was fermented for 2 months before being gently pressed.  The resulting juice was put through malolactic fermentation in barrels and aged for 18 months in 50% new French oak. Matthieu Finot, the winemaker for King Family Vineyards, made his way to Virginia after working in vineyards throughout France, Italy, and South Africa.  He brings a depth of experience that is evident in the subtle complexity and undeniable deliciousness of his wine.

I know that not all of you were lucky enough to attend the gala, but Mom and Dad tell me that every single one of the wines selected for the Governor’s Case can be easily tasted by taking a few day trips around Virginia.  This should be music to your ears and magic to your taste buds!  What Mom and Dad didn’t realize was that they didn’t need to leave the Shenandoah Valley to receive the best news of all.  Yesterday, legislation was passed in Virginia that repealed that pesky rule that kicked me out of the tasting room.  That’s right, folks, starting on July 1st of this year, I will be allowed back in the tasting room.  I can’t wait to visit with each one of you without the doggie gate between us!