March 12, 2026 – During the annual Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup Gala at the Main Street Station, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced that Valley Road Vineyards of Afton had won the 2026 Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup competition with their 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve.
Following multiple rounds of rigorous blind tasting by nationally recognized wine professionals, 224 gold medals were awarded to 113 producers.
Now in its 44th year, the Virginia Governor’s Cup® Competition is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most stringent wine competitions. Organized by the Virginia Wineries Association in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association, the competition is open exclusively to wines and ciders made from 100 percent Virginia-grown fruit.
Entries are evaluated blind over preliminary and final rounds using a 100-point scoring system. Wines receiving 90 points or higher are awarded a gold medal.
Frank Morgan served for the third consecutive year as Director of Judging. A longtime Virginia wine writer and Governor’s Cup judge, Morgan noted the unprecedented scale and caliber of the 2026 competition.
“The 2026 competition represents another record-setting year, with more participating wineries than ever before and an unprecedented number of gold medals awarded.”
Central Virginia accounted for 43% of gold medal-winning producers in this year’s Cup competition, followed by Northern Virginia with 37% and the Shenandoah Valley with 14%. Red wines earned 62% of the gold medals, while white wines accounted for 31%. More than half of the gold medals were awarded to wines from the most recent vintages submitted. The 2023 vintage showed remarkable success, accounting for 38% of all gold medals and underscoring the momentum and quality of Virginia’s current releases.
In total, more than 25 grape varieties across 9 vintages were represented among the gold medal winners. Among the most awarded categories were Meritage blends, earning 50 gold medals, followed by Cabernet Franc with 30, Chardonnay with 19, Merlot with 15, and Petit Manseng with 14. The full list of gold medalists can be found at www.virginiawine.org/governors-cup/awards/2026.
Governor’s Cup Winner
Valley Road Vineyards 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve
Governor’s Cup Case Winners (top twelve gold medal wines)
7 Lady Vineyards2023 Meritage
Barboursville Vineyards2024 Vermentino
CrossKeys Vineyards2024 Cabernet Franc
Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard2023 Two Springs
Glen Manor Vineyards2023 Vin Rouge
Granite Heights Winery2024 Humility
Michael Shaps Wineworks2023 Cabernet Franc
Pollak Vineyards2023 Merlot Reserve
The Winery at La Grange2024 Petit Manseng
Trump Winery2018 Blanc de Noir
Woodbrook Farm Vineyard2024 Petit Manseng
Cider of the Year
Blue Bee Cider2024 Hewe’s Crab
Best In Show Varietals/Categories
50 West Vineyards2024 Vidal Blanc
Chrysalis Vineyards at The Ag District2022 Norton
Good Spirit Farm2024 Albariño
Hark Vineyards2022 Ember
Knight’s Gambit Vineyard2023 Chardonnay
Paradise Springs Winery2023 Petit Verdot, Brown Bear Vineyard
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards2024 Sauvignon Blanc
The Barn at 6782024 Viognier
Walsh Family Wine2021 Bethany Ridge Tannat
WildKind Estate2024 WildKind White