November 17th – 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 Fifth Shenandoah Cup trophy to the top-rated wine submitted in its competition at a Celebration held on November 10 at The Yellow Barn at Shenandoah Caverns in Shenandoah County. Jump Mountain’s 2019 Borderland, a blend of 50% Tannat, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, won the Cup with the highest point score.
Members submitted 73 wines for judging by a panel organized by Frank Morgan, a Virginia wine writer for various publications and the author of the “Drink What You Like” blog. Wines were judged in flights and scored on the 100-point Wine Spectator scale. The judging panel consisted of wine experts Anna Kietzerow, Matthew Brown, Jeff Latchum, Robert Smith, Tassie Pippert, Kathy Wiedemann, Kenny Bumbaco, Fred Reno, Booth Hardy, Megan Hereford, Lance Lemon, and Michael Kimball. Eighteen wines won gold medals, 49 earned silver medals, and six earned a bronze medal. All wines must be made with 85% Shenandoah Valley grapes and produced by a member of the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail.
Gold medals were awarded to:
- Barren Ridge Vineyards 2019 JAS A. HIGGS
- Bluestone Vineyard 2021 Bridgewater Crimson
- Bluestone Vineyard 2021 Merlot
- Bluestone Vineyard 2017 Blue Ice
- Bluestone Vineyard 2022 Petit Manseng
- Bluestone Vineyard 2022 Vidal Blanc
- Briedé Family Vineyards 2020 Sparkling Winchester
- Briedé Family Vineyards 2022 Marquette
- Brix & Columns Vineyards 2021 Chardonnay
- Cave Ridge Vineyard 2019 Petit Verdot
- Jump Mountain Vineyard 2019 Borderland
- Jump Mountain Vineyard 2021 Livia
- Muse Vineyards 2020 Petit Verdot
- Muse Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Franc
- Muse Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Muse Vineyards 2019 Clio
- Rockbridge Vineyard 2018 V d’Or
- Wolf Gap Vineyard 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve
Trail President Lee Hartman, winemaker at Bluestone Vineyard, welcomed the crowd and spoke briefly about the Valley and the Trail. Steve Gregory from WHSV-TV was the Emcee for the evening and thanked our sponsors and The Yellow Barn at Shenandoah Caverns. He then introduced guest speaker Kelly Cornett, a wine event and media consultant based in Atlanta and host of “A Cork in the Road” podcast. Kelly was the tasting room and wine sales manager at CrossKeys Vineyards for three years and spoke of how her experience in the Valley influenced her wine career.
Event sponsors were LD&B Insurance & Financial Services, River City Glassware, Niagara Labels and Winchester Equipment. The goal of the Shenandoah Cup competition is to draw more attention to the Shenandoah Valley AVA by highlighting the superior growing conditions for wine grapes and the resulting wines that are being made from them.
About The Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail
The Shenandoah Valley Wine Growers Association is a nonprofit regional trade association with an active membership of Shenandoah Valley (a BATF Approved Viticultural Area – AVA) wineries, businesses and folks interested in wine. The Association’s vision is to lead in the promotion and protection of Shenandoah Valley AVA as one of the finest winegrowing regions in the world; to enhance the future of Shenandoah Valley through the preservation and enhancement of its resources: its land, wines and people; create a unified voice to advocate the common interests of our members; and to meet the challenges of our dynamic, global industry with innovation and integrity.
