A sweet win

By Paul H. Ting

There’s something alluring and gratifying about continuing a best practice that originated in the ancient world, and the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup winner is a prime example.

On March 9, Governor Ralph Northam presented the award to Barboursville Vineyards for its 2015 Paxxito. The Cup is given to the top-scoring wine in the annual competition, which this year saw more than 100 wineries in the state submit a total of 544 wines for judging. Winemaker Luca Paschina accepted the award, flanked by Fernando Franco, viticulturist at the winery since 1998, and associate winemaker Daniele Tessaro.

The 2015 Paxxito is a sweet, dessert-style wine made with moscato ottonel and vidal blanc and a production technique called passito. Passito is perhaps best known because of vin santo, a style of wine that has been produced in Italy since at least the Renaissance era. Paschina calls it an “ancient method of winemaking” that “requires lots of labor,” including picking and sorting the individual grapes by hand.

In short, passito involves picking grapes relatively early to preserve their natural acidity and then laying them out on straw mats or perforated wooden trays for drying. Historically, this occurred by exposure to sunlight and wind, but Paschina admits that the often-unpredictable weather in Virginia has led the winemakers to actively circulate air for drying. Barboursville started using passito in 2001, and now has a Paxxito Barn where the process occurs. As water is removed, the shriveled grape gains concentration of flavor and sugar (sugar concentration can be as high as 47 percent by the end).

In addition to requiring intensive manual labor, the process also results in less wine produced. Paschina says that, despite this, “the reward is big,” as volume is exchanged for concentrated flavors and a dense mouthfeel. The resultant wine is sweet and unctuous, with intense aromatics and flavors of honey and dried fruits, such as peaches and apricots. On the finish, the acidity takes over, leaving an impression much like a sweet-tart candy.

Founded in 1976 by the Zonig family of Italy, Barboursville was the fifth winery started in the state of Virginia. In 1990, Paschina joined the winery from his home in the Piedmont wine region of Italy. Despite the fact that Paschina has been behind three previous Governor’s Cup winners, it’s obvious from his emotional words that this award still brings him great pride.

For the local wine industry, the Cup is widely considered the most prestigious annual competition. Now in its 39th year, the competition’s rules require, among other things, that wines entered be produced with 100 percent Virginia fruit. Wines are subject to a strict blind-tasting process with a panel of well-qualified judges, and those wines that score 90 points or higher are awarded gold medals, of which there were 96 this year.

The top 12 wines make up the Governor’s Cup Case, and the top wine is then awarded the Cup. According to Paschina, the Virginia Governor’s Cup is “one of the most stringent competitions in the United States.” This year, Barboursville was also recognized with two other wines in the final case (2016 Octagon red blend and 2019 Vermentino Reserve), and received three additional gold medals (2019 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, 2017 Paxxito, and 2017 Octagon), for a total of six.

An examination of the complete list of gold medals and the composition of the final case reveals a local wine industry that is growing, exploring, and continuing to mature. A wide range of wineries is represented from all geographic areas of the state, with both well established and familiar names, but also wineries that have only recently launched. In addition, an increasing diversity of grape varieties is seen, both red and white, including ones that are not traditionally associated with Virginia such as vermentino, nebbiolo, moscato, and tannat.

Six gold medals, three wines in the Case, and a fifth Governor’s Cup. For Barboursville Vineyards, these results reinforce its standing as one of the pillars of the Virginia wine industry.

2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup Case
2015 Barboursville Vineyards Paxxito
($35, winemaker Luca Paschina)
2016 Barboursville Vineyards Octagon
($55, winemaker Luca Paschina)
2019 Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve
($23, winemaker Luca Paschina)
2019 Bluestone Vineyard Petit Manseng
($24.50, winemaker Lee Harman)
2016 Breaux Vineyards Meritage
($45, winemaker Josh Gerard)
2016 Breaux Vineyards Nebbiolo
($62, winemaker Josh Gerard)
2019 Carriage House Wineworks Petit Verdot
($31, winemaker Michael Fritze)
2017 R.A.H. Wine Company Series 1
($35 for 375ml bottle, winemaker Maya Hood White)
2017 King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains
($70, winemaker Matthieu Finot)
2015 Michael Shaps Wineworks Meritage
($50, winemaker Michael Shaps)
2014 Trump Winery Brut Reserve
($80, winemaker Jonathan Wheeler)
2017 Veritas Winery Petit Verdot
($45, winemaker Emily Pelton)

The Governor’s Cup Case is used by the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office to promote Virginia wine. VWBMO recently announced the creation of the Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medal Trail, which includes all 47 wineries, cideries, and meaderies that received a gold medal. More information can be found at taste.virginiawine.org.