Va.'s best wineries? Try using the state fair yardstick

By Jim Raper

I HAVE NO stock answer when readers ask what wineries are the best among the 130 or so in Virginia. Our modern-era wine industry is only 35 years old, not mature enough to have produced tried-and-true tiers of quality. My top list, if I maintained one, no doubt would change every several months.

But it never hurts to have a short list of labels in mind when you are shopping or ordering wine in a restaurant. To start your top-tier list, you might want to focus on wineries that win medals in major competitions. One of the sturdiest showdowns in these parts is the State Fair of Virginia Wine Competition, which always has a large panel of knowledgeable judges. When I saw the results of the 2008 State Fair competition, I decided to assign points for gold and silver ribbons and see what sort of top-tier ranking would emerge. It's actually a pretty reliable list. Here goes, starting with the highest scoring winery:

 1. Keswick Vineyards near Charlottesville won golds for Chardonnay 2007, Viognier 2007, Cabernet Franc 2006 and Merlot 2006. It won silvers for Heritage 2006 and Touriga 2007.

2. Rockbridge Vineyard south of Staunton won golds for Chardonnay Dechiel 2006, Riesling 2007, Merlot 2006 and Cabernet Franc Dechiel 2006. It won a silver for Chardonnay 2006.

3. Barboursville Vineyards near Charlottesville won golds for Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 and Merlot 2006. It won silvers for Brut nonvintage sparkling wine, Malvaxia 2005, Octagon 2004 and Octagon 2005.

4. Rappahannock Cellars in Northern Virginia won golds for Claret 2006 and Cabernet Franc 2006. It won silvers for Chardonnay 2006, Viognier 2007 and Vidal Blanc 2006.

5. (four-way tie) AmRhein Wine Cellars near Roanoke won golds for Melange 2005 and Petite Verdot 2005. It won a silver for Sauvignon Blanc 2007.

- Cooper Vineyards in Louisa County won golds for Coopertage Blanc 2006 and Petit Verdot 2006. It won a silver for Viognier 2006.

- Ingleside Plantation Vineyards on the Northern Neck won golds for Rosato di Sangiovese 2007 and Petite Verdot 2004. It won a silver for Merlot 2005.

- Sugarleaf Vineyards near Charlottesville won a gold for Petit Verdot 2006. It won silvers for Viognier 2006, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and Cabernet Franc 2006.

 You might be interested to know that when state industry insiders selected 65 Virginia wines to pour for an international audience in London last year, the top four wineries on the list above were well represented, as was Cooper. Also keep in mind other producers with three or more wines in the London lineup: Breaux Vineyards, Kluge Estate, Pearmund Cellars, White Hall Vineyards, Winery at La Grange and Windham Winery.

 I wrote recently about a new law in Virginia that lifts a Prohibition-era ban on mixing spirits and wine to make sangria. Thomas Lisk, legal counsel to the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, contacted me to report that the bill signed by the governor - the patron was Del. Terrie Suit of Virginia Beach - also allows other bar mixtures of spirits with wine or beer, such as the kir and kir royal. A kir is usually made with six ounces of dry white wine and an ounce of creme de cassis. If you use sparkling wine as a base, it becomes a kir royal. Order a kir when you first sit down to dinner to stimulate your taste buds.

Jim Raper, humstew@cox.net