by Richard Leahy | Apr 8, 2026 | Conferences & Meetings, News, XXVirginia Wine
Frank Morgan moderates with winemakers as attendees tastes gold medal winners of the 2026 VA Governor’s Case wines From March 24-26th, the 14th Eastern Winery Exposition brought the industry’s largest trade show and conference for the production grape and...
by Richard Leahy | Mar 1, 2026 | Wine of the Week, XXVirginia Wine
Blend: Tannat 62.5%, Cabernet Franc 25%, Cabernet Sauvignon 12.5% If you’ve been looking for a red Virginia wine “for a winter’s night,” you can hardly do better than this original, stylish yet elegant blend from the west of Rockbridge County...
by Richard Leahy | Feb 13, 2026 | Tastings/Evaluations, Varietals, Virginia Wine, Wine of the Week, XXVirginia Wine
In this wretched “winter of our discontent”, it’s vital to know you have enough full-bodied, rich red wines to last you through it. Virginia excels in producing varietal Petit Verdot, which has perfume, ripe black fruits, guts of deep but smooth...
by Richard Leahy | Jan 1, 2026 | Tastings/Evaluations, XXVirginia Wine
This was written in the course of the year, so the ones tasted first were listed first. The scoring system is at the bottom of the entry; wines are not listed in order of score. ***+ Philip Carter Winery “Cleve” 2019 This wine is the estate flagship red, a blend of...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 25, 2025 | XXVirginia Wine
I promote drinking locally, especially since Thanksgiving is an East Coast American tradition. Here are a couple of guidelines if you plan to observe Thanksgiving with a traditional menu: You can find the best wine matches for the traditional menu with East...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 20, 2025 | XXVirginia Wine
The Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail, comprised of wineries in the Shenandoah Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), the oldest and largest in the state, presented the Seventh Shenandoah Cup trophy to the top-rated wine submitted in its competition at a Celebration held...
