Luca Paschina has been blending the merlot-based Octagon Barboursville since 1991. In January, Decanter magazine named it one of the top 20 merlots from around the world. Supplied photo
Virginia wine has earned increasing recognition in recent years, but its reputation has not always traveled as far or as well as its best bottles deserve. Within the state, great wines have inspired loyalty, pride, and serious respect. Elsewhere, they are still too often received as a curiosity or a pleasant surprise.
That is part of what makes the recent recognition of Barboursville Vineyards’ 2017 Octagon by Decanter magazine feel so meaningful: At the end of last year, the 2017 Octagon was named among the magazine’s top American wines, and then, early in 2026, it was included in the publication’s top selection of merlot-based wines.
That list included bottles from regions such as Bordeaux, Tuscany, and Napa Valley, placing the 2017 Octagon in company rarely kept by a Virginia vintner. The news casts an even brighter light on Virginia wine, and particularly on the Monticello AVA.
But the story is not just about an outstanding bottle—it’s about the journey Virginia producers have been on for decades. And for Barboursville, the recognition is about more than a single acclaimed vintage. It reflects the winery’s place in Virginia wine and the long stewardship of winemaker Luca Paschina. (Last week the winery announced its sale to an undisclosed investor group, and confirmed Paschina as CEO and president going forward.)
Founded in 1976, Barboursville is one of the Commonwealth’s original modern wineries and remains one of its defining estates. In a region that seems to have spent much of its history proving itself, Barboursville has long been among the wineries defining its character. Its significance lies not only in longevity, but in a sustained commitment to excellence. Nearly 50 years on, its best bottles continue to shape the conversation around how serious Virginia wine can be.
No figure is more closely associated with that work than Paschina, who arrived from Italy in 1990 and has become one of Virginia wine’s most respected voices. He describes Octagon as an early ambition of his winemaking. “Since I arrived, I had the vision to make the best wine I could,” Paschina says.
His first attempt came during the 1991 vintage, though he notes that the vines available then were older plantings with weaker genetics. It was not until 1997, with younger vines, better sites, and improved clonal material, that the wine began to look more like the Octagon Barboursville is known for today.
Octagon did not come about because of clever marketing or artificially elevated pricing. Rather, it was shaped gradually through observation and experience, dedicated vineyard work, and disciplined winemaking. Central to that approach is the decision to make Octagon only when the vintage produces excellent fruit. Paschina explains that the wine has not been made in every vintage. “2000 as well as 2003 and 2011 were mediocre and Octagon was not produced,” he says. That selectivity is part of the wine’s credibility. It speaks to the standards behind the label and the seriousness with which Barboursville has treated its most ambitious bottling.
This is not the first excellent Octagon, and Paschina points to a string of other vintages he considers exceptional or close to it, including 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2019. The 2017 also earned inclusion in the 2025 Governor’s Cup Case, affirming its standing at home. Still, recognition from Decanter lands differently. Praise from within the Commonwealth has long been there and certainly matters, but this kind of attention places Octagon, and Virginia wine, into a wider conversation.
Octagon quietly makes a compelling case for merlot, an underappreciated grape variety. In Virginia, it can be overshadowed by cabernet franc or petit verdot, two varieties that draw more attention from local wine drinkers. But merlot has been a steady performer here and can be especially useful in blends. Paschina puts it plainly: “Merlot has always been at the core of the blend, and it is slightly more reliable than franc when it comes to delivering a very good wine even in a difficult growing season. Its advantage is its lower vigor in the rainy season and earlier ripening.”
That observation points to another easy-to-miss truth about red wine in Virginia. As competitions like the Governor’s Cup have shown, some of the state’s strongest wines are not single-variety bottlings, but Bordeaux-style blends built from grapes like merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and cabernet sauvignon. The benefits of blending in wine are not unique to Virginia, but in a region where weather can shift dramatically from year to year, blending offers flexibility and precision. Here, the skill and experience of a winemaker like Paschina can make a real difference, shaping wines with more balance, complexity, and consistency than any one grape provides on its own.
Octagon is one of the clearest expressions of this idea. Certainly, this latest recognition is a significant honor for Barboursville and for Paschina, whose work has helped define one of Virginia wine’s signature bottles. But it also suggests something about where Virginia wine is headed. The state’s best producers no longer need to be framed as charming exceptions, or recognized only within the state. They are making wines of character and excellent quality, and the global wine world is beginning to respond.
Paschina has met the honor with characteristic gratitude, calling himself “a fortunate man,” and saying it left him feeling “like I am touching the sky with my fingers.” After more than three decades of work, that reaction feels well earned.
