Not Your Father's Virginia Wine

Does your impression of Virginia wine date back to an unfortunate taste 10 or 20 years ago, in a store or at a sweltering festival somewhere in hunt country? Mine did, but I kept tasting, as Virginia wines kept getting better. Unfortunately, I'm not at all convinced that most people have continued to taste and keep an open mind about Virginia wine.

That's why I hope you'll enjoy my column in today's Washington Post, in which I highlight some interesting trends in the Virginia wine industry - it's growth over the past decade, with an increasing emphasis on quality; it's success in new markets, both among younger, tech-savvy drinkers and overseas; and the increasing focus on vineyard-designated wines that express and develop Virginia's terroir, unique from that of France or California.

This is Virginia Wine Month, as declared by the Virginia Wine Folks. And next week is Regional Wine Week, as declared by Jeff Siegel (The Wine Curmudgeon) and myself at DrinkLocalWine.com. Be sure to check in regularly for the best blogoscribbling about wines "from around here, wherever here happens to be."