Château Morrisette: From Family Hobby to Destination Winery

  Château Morrisette began as a family hobby in the 1970s and is now one of Virginia’s oldest and largest wineries. By Melissa Flynn • Photographs by Pat Jarrett   David Morrisette likes to joke that what began as a family hobby quickly got out of hand. In the 1970s, his parents, William and Nancy Morrisette, [...]

Winemaker’s Notes: Daniel Neumeister

Sugarleaf Vineyard’s winemaker Daniel Neumeister was tragically killed on October 4, 2010, in a traffic accident outside Charlottesville. Here is the Winemaker’s Notes profiling Daniel that appeared in the first issue of Flavor (Summer 2008).     Sugarleaf Vineyard’s winemaker reflects on the challenges and thrills of making wine in Virginia. By Daniel Neumeister With [...]

Growing Wines: Chardonnay

Chardonnay is more complex than you think. By Jim Law • Photographs by Molly McDonald Peterson   There is more acreage of Chardonnay in Virginia than of any other variety, and this reflects a national trend: Chardonnay is the most widely sold variety in the U.S. Arguably, it makes some of the most complex and [...]

Unleashing Your Inner Winemaker

In the fields and cellars of wineries around Charlottesville, a local community college is training future winemakers, vineyard owners, and wine industry professionals. By Jennifer Conrad Seidel • Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson The wine industry in Virginia is growing. Even in 2009, when we were spending our grocery and entertainment dollars more carefully, the [...]

Champagne in Translation

Claude Thibaut makes sparkling wine in Virginia using what he learned growing up in Champagne and working his way up in California. By Grace Reynolds • Photos by Sarah Cramer Shields On a journey spanning more than 25 years, Claude Thibaut has carried his sparkling-wine expertise from France to Virginia, with stops in Australia and [...]

Winemaker’s Notes: Lori Corcoran

This Loudoun County vineyard owner is one of  Virginia’s newest winemakers.

Corcoran Vineyards is on a farm in Waterford, Virginia, about an hour [...]