| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Our Wines |
 History
of Virginia Wines |
| |
| Although there is evidence to suggest
that the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia had experimented with
vineyards and winemaking, Thomas Jefferson is credited with
successful grape cultivation and popularizing winemaking in
Virginia. The horticultural icon and beloved 3rd president of
the United States desperately wanted to grow grapes of the variety
enjoyed by European wine producers. He employed a pair of Italian
vintners to work a portion of the land adjacent to Monticello
and soon found that they had successfully acclimated the foreign
grapes to the local soil and climate conditions. |
| |
|
The Virginia wine industry was growing, to the
enjoyment of local farmers and aristocrats, but the political
turmoil facing the nation in the mid-1800s proved detrimental
to this newly successful regional venture. During the Civil
War, Virginia vineyards were known to be places of pride and
became targets of arson. In the following decades, farmers focused
on crops that were more easily grown and sold and the wine industry
of Virginia all but disappeared.
The onset of Prohibition in the early 1900s also kept Virginia
growers from including grapes in their planting plans and even
after the end of Prohibition, Virginia farmers just seem to
shy away from the crop. Starting up again in the 1970s, Virginia
landowners delved into the possibilities of growing a wide array
of grapes and experimenting with winemaking. It didn’t
take long for the trend to catch on, or for the public to crave
the local labels. Today the Commonwealth of Virginia boasts
more than 300 vineyards in it’s countryside and approximately
100 wineries and is quickly becoming known as the Napa Valley
of the East.
Here at Narmada Winery, we would like to keep up with Thomas
Jefferson’s belief that every venture in horticulture
should be journaled. |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
