This June, the Monticello Wine Trail went into celebration mode. Its Wine Week kicked off with a pair of Friday night wine dinners, then segued to a Saturday gala that announced Afton Mountain Vineyard’s 2024 Albariño as winner of the 34^th Monticello Wine Competition. This year also featured a number of special events, including a sparkling wine brunch, rosé picnic, and elevated wine tastings.

A key part of Wine Week’s popularity is it allows enthusiasts to mingle with their favorite Monticello winemakers. Recent media coverage of the “the birthplace of American wine” has given these vintners extra reason to celebrate.

Wine Enthusiast has proven to be a huge cheerleader for Virginia wine, crowning Charlottesville and the Monticello AVA as its “Wine Region of the Year” in 2023. More recently it pronounced “Its Ingénue Era Over, Virginia Wine Takes Center Stage”.

Not to be outdone, in late May the New York Times published “Virginia Wine Grows Up”, featuring several Charlottesville winemakers. Decanter, VinePair, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and other major outlets have likewise recently spotlighted Virginia wine.

With this backdrop, it would be an understatement saying the mood at the Monticello winemaker dinner on the rooftop of Charlottsville’s Doyle hotel was festive. The theme of the evening; “Women in Wine”, was also a topic near to the audience’s heart.

Dining at The Doyle Hotel

Our 5-course dinner included wine pairings from six wineries, nearly all of them represented by their female owner or winemaker. These vintners mingled with the crowd and shared their stories as their wine was poured.

First up was Shannon Horton, pouring Horton Vineyards’ Sparkling Viognier, paired with our hors d’oeuvres.

Shannon explained how the idea behind this Méthode Champenoise crafted wine is an example of how quickly her father, Horton Vineyards founder Dennis Horton, could improvise.

Years ago, Dennis had an overly bountiful crop of viognier that needed to be thinned before harvest. Rather than waste fruit, he realized these still underripe grapes could potentially be used for sparkling wine. The chemistry was spot-on, and they’ve been making a sparkling Viognier ever since.

We then moved to the dining area where Kirsty Harmon of Blenheim Vineyards poured a 2024 rosé paired with our first course; a strawberry salad with candied almonds.

Kirsty is a big fan of rosés blended from multiple varieties, with this vintage using a combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec (but no Pinot Noir or Syrah this time).

Corry Craighill’s 2024 Sauvignon Blanc from Septenary Winery was our next pairing, served with trout and a charred tomato beurre blanc.

Corry joined my table for a while and explained how owners Todd and Sarah Zimmerman love New Zealand-style Sauvignon Blanc, so she made this wine in a style that’s reminiscent of that region.

While her red wines have yet to hit the tasting room, Corry is the winemaker behind Septenary’s most recent white wine releases. Corry also owns Wound Tight, her personal label where she gets to be more experimental.

Once the starting dishes were finished, the red wine pairings with our main courses were served.

AJ Greely of Hark Vineyards poured our first red; a 2023 Cabernet Franc served with duck confit.

2023 was an exceptional year for Virginia wine, and AJ explained this was Hark’s biggest Cabernet Franc crop to date. I loved how AJ didn’t try to make it into a ‘big’ red and instead let the grape’s varietal characteristics shine through.

AJ hung out at my table for a bit and invited us to visit Hark’s brand new tasting room, which was opening that weekend.

Next to last was Eastwood Farm winemaker Jake Busching sharing his 2022 Petit Verdot, served with wagyu NY strip and potatoes. Owner Athena Eastwood couldn’t attend, so Jake represented in her stead.

Petit Verdot is often thought of as a ‘steak wine’, with tannin and acid that can stand up to heavy foods. While those characteristics often means PVs need time to age, Jake crafted this wine to be fruit forward and easy drinking, enjoyable even without a food pairing.

Jake also told us about Athena’s newest venture, the Virginia Wine Collective. The Collective recently opened in downtown Charlottsville and features a number of micro wine brands that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Owner Laura Lavalle finished the evening with Wisdom Oak Winery’s 2017 Tinto, paired with a triple chocolate terrine.

Laura explained Tinto is Wisdom Oak’s interpretation of a port style wine, using a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and brandy, aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels.

Recognizing Monticello’s “Women in Wine”

The selection of female hosts to lead this event wasn’t coincidental. The “Women in Wine” theme continues to receive considerable attention in the world of Virginia wine.

In August of last year, local wine promoter Nancy Bauer launched the Virginia Women in Wine (VWW) professional organization. VWW has since partnered with the Monticello Wine Trail and other organizations to host additional events, ranging from winemaker dinners, communications roundtables, and the unveiling of the VWW’s “Closing the Gender Gap” white paper.

A breakdown of the demographics of the Virginia wine industry demonstrates the need for these initiatives. Only 18% of Virginia wineries employ a female Head Winemaker, yet females compose roughly 2/3rds of local winery staff.

The opening of Eastwood’s Wine Collective promises to open additional (cellar) doors for entrepreneurs by reducing startup costs that might bar them from the wine industry.

The Collective’s unique design includes individually rentable winemaking spaces, a shared production area, and a joint tasting room, all under the same roof. This allows participants to control their own winemaking process, while sharing equipment and retail space that would normally be outside the financial reach of a small operation.

This setup is especially important for female and BIPOC entrepreneurs, who often lack the networking opportunities and financial backing open to the majority of the industry. Members of the Collective also have the option to utilize Jake as a consultant to tutor them in winemaking.

Wine enthusiasts that missed Monticello Wine Week will soon have additional opportunities to engage the winemaking community. The Doyle will soon host Oeno Camp, an immersive experience that cultivates and supports BIPOC wine entrepreneurs.