VINEYARD VIEW
Local Wines Making their Mark in Commonwealth Competitions By Peter Leonard-Morgan
Virginia now has over 260 wineries and contributes almost $1.4 billion to the economy. More than a dozen Loudoun and Fauquier wineries came away with gold medals from the Virginia Governor’s Cup competition earlier this year. Lisa Christopher of Maggie Malick Wine Caves in western Loudoun, garnered two silver medals at this year’s Governor’s Cup, with nine wins there since 2015. She believes more local competitions, like the Governor’s Cup, “elevate and promote Virginia’s best, and give winelovers and consumers an idea of the yardstick by which we measure the progress of our state’s industry.” Malick is a boutique winery and visitors to this unique tasting room ‘cave’ enjoy their wines standing at the bar, adjacent to racks of oak barrels which patiently age red wine for at least 22 months before bottling. Sebastien Marquet is the winemaker at the Bazaco family’s Doukenie Winery near Hillsboro. He secured three golds, two silvers and a bronze for his Doukenie vintages at
Peter Leonard-Morgan the Governor’s Cup. Hailing from Burgundy, Marquet comes from a long line of French vignerons. He said that producing quality wine in Virginia is a challenge, one he relishes because it truly tests his skills as a professional winemaker every day. Arriving initially in Napa Valley from France, Marquet enjoyed mak-
ing wine in the Golden State, where vines prosper in its excellent soils and exceptional climate. His Virginia calling came in 2007 and he’s never looked back. “As a winemaker, I believe that entering wines into competitions, where they will be judged against the best in the industry, is a true test of the product which my team and I create,” he said. “The feedback I receive from expert judges helps me to focus on how and where I can improve. We all strive for perfection, despite the fact that perfection is, philosophically, unattainable. “Virginia weather conditions can be difficult compared to other regions in the world. Today, Virginia wineries have proven that our wines are world-class, as demonstrated by the many successes on the international stage.” Steve Bozzo, owner of Bozzo Family Vineyards west of the village of Hillsboro in Loudoun County, acquired and cultivated a 16.5-acre parcel of gently sloping land in 2013. Bozzo was fanatical from the outset about doing everything absolutely right. As a result, he came away from
the 2018 Governor’s Cup with a gold medal for his 2016 Meritage labeled “2nd Act” even before the doors have opened to his new tasting room. “We’re a new farm winery, have only one vintage bottled, and have not yet opened to the public,” he said. “We entered the 2018 Governor’s Cup competition as a learning experience. We were totally surprised by the gold medal and attribute that achievement to joyous work and the steady support of family, friends, and the Loudoun wine industry.” In 2017, the Commonwealth experienced a bountiful harvest in many counties, thanks to early warm spring weather which encouraged an early bud break and corresponding sooner-than-usual harvest. This all bodes well for some excellent wines in the coming years and, hopefully, many more medals for Virginia’s talented, tireless wine-making professionals. Peter Leonard-Morgan is a real estate agent with Middleburg-based Hunt Country Sotheby’s International Realty, and a member of the Middleburg Town Council and Go Green Committee.
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Country Spirit • Fall 2018