Thoughts on Virginia wine?

The wine business in Virginia has definitely picked up speed. Wineries and vineyards have multiplied and Virginia wine has officially begun taking a stand in the world of wines. Virginia definitely offers beautiful mountain views and a delightful climate to enjoy these destination wineries, but how is the wine? Every winery claims to have award winning wines, but how seriously can we take these wineries? With over 230 wineries and quite a few wine trails, it could take a while to test them all out.

Some of the wine trails include:
211 Scenic Vino Wine Trail: 7 wineries and distilleries located along the scenic 211.

Artisanal Wineries of Rappahannock: Great weekend trip for those of you in Washington, DC.

Bedford Wine Trail: Complete with the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smith Mountain Lake, along with a few wineries.

Blue Ridge Whiskey Wine Loop: For the wine lovers and whiskey lovers alike.

Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail & Eastern Shore Wine Trail: Take it to the coast with these two wine trails.

With many more, these Virginia wineries must have something to offer.
Thoughts?
http://www.virginiaestates.com/vineyards/

Like any wine region, there are some stunners and some wines that are not so good -- or are they just not to my taste??

I've visited Virginia wine country on five or six occassions, last time was last month with the American Wine Society National Conference.

Virginia wines have their own section at Whole Foods Market in London, and the Wine Society - among others in the UK - lists some Virginia wines.

The export problem is that, on a world market where Virginia hasn't yet established reputation the wines are expensive.

The wines seem more European in style than California, they're nearly all from vinifera, although varieties not so mainstream elsewhere and chosen to match the growing conditions. There's the honorable exception of the home grape Norton and there are some great examples of that variety.

On the home front, Virginia's climate is difficult for grape growing. However there are plenty of locals keen to buy Virginia wines direct from the winery and enthusiastic growers and makers to supply them.

Would I invest? I don't know how profitable the wineries are. However Mr Trump invested and he's no fool. Oh, wait a minute ....

I'm voting 'too far from home'.

[David M. Bueker]

I started tasting Virginia wines in 1988. They have come a long way, but have real issues in terms of competitive pricing. This is typical of emerging wine regions.