True Heritage is a still nascent Virginia wine project founded by George Hodson and Emily Pelton. You might recognize those names—the siblings are part of the family behind Veritas Vineyard and Winery and Flying Fox Vineyard. Hodson, CEO of True Heritage, says the new undertaking is a partnership between the Veritas team, which has 20 years of experience in growing and making Virginia wine, and local landowners who wish to grow grapes.
The name True Heritage evokes a sense of the past, an intentional reference to the fact that grape growing and winemaking in Virginia finds its origins in the 1600s and in such places as the Jamestown settlement and Colonial Williamsburg. However, the vision that Hodson and Pelton express is not just about the past, but also firmly set in the future of the Virginia wine industry. In short, they want to move away from Virginia wine that is produced only to sell to visitors out of a tasting room and toward higher production volumes intended to be distributed and sold in stores and restaurants in other states and, ultimately, other countries.
“I was getting tired of hearing the ‘I didn’t even know you made wine in Virginia’ statement,” Pelton says. “The reason a lot of people are not aware is that agritourism is so popular that most (Virginia) wine is consumed out of tasting rooms on site and there is limited availability outside of that.”
Hodson elaborates. “Our fear is that if we only sell Virginia wine to people when they come visit us, we limit ourselves to a fraction of customers and never gain the recognition…that we and other producers achieve here in Virginia,” he says. “We want to be a wine region and not (just) a wine-themed tourist experience.”
A large part of achieving wider distribution is to eliminate the expenses associated with having a “destination winery” and focus on wine production rather than tourism and events. To this end, True Heritage has no physical presence. There is no tasting room, no expensive buildings or landscaping to maintain, no staff required for service. By reducing overhead and keeping prices low, the siblings seek to make Virginia wine more accessible to the consumer when it is ultimately sold in retail stores and restaurants.
With its commitment to Virginia wine, True Heritage chose to concentrate on grape varieties known to do well in the state and, specifically, in the Monticello American Viticultural Area: viognier, petit manseng, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. Pelton, who serves as head winemaker, notes her winemaking practices are fairly minimal, in line with her philosophy of producing wines to express a true sense of place. Here, “place” is not just the state of Virginia or even the geographically more limited Monticello AVA, but rather specific vineyards planted on historic estates located in Keswick, in the southwest mountains. Currently, there are three such sites planted with 67 acres under vine and a fourth vineyard to be planted soon, which will add an additional 20 acres.
The goal is not just to sell more wine. Rather, there is a deep desire to help Virginia achieve national and international recognition as a wine region. Perhaps, one day wine drinkers will be talking about Monticello or Keswick in the same way they now talk about Bordeaux, Chablis, or Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “This is definitely a long-term vision,” Pelton says, “and we are fully committed to planting and increasing production levels in order to get Virginia wine competitive in the marketplace. Our love for the Virginia wine industry is at the heart of this project…we want more people drinking Virginia wine!”
Where to find it
Look for True Heritage in retail locations such as grocery stores and wine shops, as well as in select restaurants. You can also buy directly online at trueheritage.com. Later this year, with the anticipation of easing pandemic restrictions, the winery plans to offer opportunities for local wine lovers to participate in tastings.
