Everybody’s heard of Napa and Sonoma and the myriad of wine tasting possibilities. Some have even ventured into Washington State and the Walla Walla region or explored the wealth of Pinot Noir in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, but there’s more. There are wine-making operations now in almost every state. New York State’s pride is along the Finger Lakes, but the mid-Atlantic part of the East Coast, aka, Virginia has become the newest contender in swooping up the accolades. Neighboring state Maryland wants a little bit of the action and has just inaugurated its first wine trail. They are still in their infancy in capturing the essence of terroir.

With over 140 wineries in the state, it is no small undertaking to experience Virginia wine. It seems as if each part of Virginia has its own wine trail. In the Charlottesville region you have the Monticello Wine Trail (quick history lesson: Thomas Jefferson’s  residence, Monticello), and further north closer to Washington, DC is Loudoun County which has identified itself with the entire metropolitan area in calling itself  DC Wine Country. Many well known wine writers have seemed surprised by the bounty of sophistication. One has even taken the premise of the movie “Bottle Shock“and applied the principle to Virginia with that state beating out California. That’s how good the product is and how superb some of the wines are.

Hardly a national or regional competition gets judged without awarding golds to the stalwarts of the Virginia wine trade. Barboursville Vineyards continues to take home top honors in a variety of categories with its highly touted Octagon earning impressive results it seems wherever it is tasted. Chrysalis Vineyards in the Middleburg area has garnered attention for its commitment to the Norton grape, Virginia’s native grape. When we say Governor’s Cup award winners in Virginia we are talking about some serious, stiff competition.

So many fine wines. Virginia has mastered the art of wine tourism and some of the wineries have captured the national attention they deserve.

Take a trail; Experience wine-making on the East Coast.