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 There are no limits to the charm of wine. Beyond the incredible attraction of the beverage itself you have wine culture, wine education, wine clubs, wine trails, wine dinners, wine economics, wine speak...you get the point. We love the drink and everything that surrounds it. One of those small peripherals we find so charming are the NAMES of wines. The name can describe, compliment, define, locate, memorialize or do none of the above. The name is whatever the Vintner wants it to be. 

Some wine names have become iconic in the history of Virginia wine. Octagon. Now I would dare say any true fan of Virginia wine would be able to tell you, without hesitation, that Octagon is Barboursville Vineyards flagship red Bordeaux blend. But what makes the name memorable? Octagon is not a wine term, in fact it doesn't describe the wine at all. It does however describe an incredible Virginia landmark located on site at Barboursville Vineyards. The ruins of Governor Barbour's mansion, designed by Thomas Jefferson and destroyed by fire in 1884. The most innovative feature of the house? An octagon room. So the name "Octagon," coupled with an incredible lineage of consistent, high quality vintages, has become synonymous with Barboursville's finest wine.

While this is obviously the most extreme and successful branding of a single wine in Virginia naming wines is an industry wide exercise. Wines that cannot be classified as a varietal (e.g., Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) all need a name. And as anyone who has been in the industry a while will tell you, sometimes coming up with that perfect moniker can be a challenge. Its a Vintners version of coming up with a new password. And we don't all have historically significant archeological ruins in our backyard for inspiration. 

At Chateau MerrillAnne we have many blends...and a couple of varietals, that have names. Some names have significance while others are the result of the desperation of meeting an impending bottling deadline. Probably our most historically connected wine name is "Marquis Rouge." The inspiration for it is tangible as we are located on Marquis road. This route was used by the Marquis de Lafayette during the American revolution as he marched his army to Yorktown to trap the British army of Cornwallis. This French and American collaboration helped win our independence. The wine mimics that national collaboration in that it is 50% American (Norton) and 50% French (Petite Verdot and Tannat). One of our all time best sellers, we will be releasing the 2021 Marquis Rouge in the fall of 2024.

Our "Founded 1734" is a red Bordeaux blend done in a claret style. The name is a tribute to our beloved Orange County. Other wines that share a colonial Virginia theme are "Governor Spotswood Red" (a famous colonial Governor), Palace Red and Palace White (no, not named after the incredible palace that is our tasting room, but after the Colonial Governor's Palace in Williamsburg). 

Other names of Chateau MerrillAnne wines might be considered more descriptive. Vin Gris is our rose'. Vin Gris is French for "gray wine," a term they use to describe rose' style wine. Duo is our wildly popular blend of the "duo" of Viognier and Chardonnay. Chat Petillant is French for "sparkling (or bubbly) cat." This is our traditional method sparkling Chardonnay. Laranja is Portuguese for orange and is the name of our fortified white wine. It was produced in the "orange" style of fermenting white wine on the skins. Laranja has a lovely mouthfeel and hints of caramel. And last, but not least, Vinocello is Italian for a "Kiss of Wine." This is a play on the name Limoncello, an Italian aperitif after which Vinocello is modeled. 

And then you have our whimsical, perhaps nonsensical wine names. Cher Ami is the name of our fortified tart cherry wine. It is named after a famous World War I hero, the courageous carrier pigeon Cher Ami. Yes, you read that correctly, it's named after a bird. Stop by to hear the story. And then we have our dry rose' that is named Grimalkin. Old English for an old, grumpy cat.

As you go along, wine names become more elusive. Now you are thinking 'YOU JUST NAMED ONE AFTER A BIRD!!!' And you would be right, but at least Cher Ami had a great story. Sometimes you just have to look into the past and come up with something that will have no meaning whatsoever to anyone else, but on the surface sounds like a great wine name. Green and Royal comes to mind here. An incredible blend of Petite Verdot and Tannat it offers bold, fruit forward flavors and a velvety mouthfeel. The name sounds classy, right? It's an intersection in Alexandria where the author went to school. Another is Bucknell Manor. Aged for 19 months in bourbon barrels, it is our best selling fortified wine. Bucknell Manor is the neighborhood the author grew up in. 

Sometimes coming up with a name isn't the issue as much as being able to use one you already have. The aforementioned "Founded 1734" is a great example. A "claret" style wine it was originally expected to be named simply "claret". With all label information subject to the review and approval of the TTB a mock label was submitted with the name "claret". It was promptly rejected with an explanation that the word "claret" was now a regulated term and would no longer be permitted on any new labels. Manufacturers currently using the term were grandfathered and can continue to use it, but no new approvals would be made. So a new name, "1734" was decided upon, a new mock label produced and sent to TTB for approval. Another rejection quickly followed, this one accompanied by the mind numbing explanation that "1734" may be mistaken for the vintage year! TTB requested we add a "clarifying" phrase. Finally, "Founded 1734" was decided upon, yet another mock label produced and sent to TTB. Fortunately this one was accepted, and the rest is history.

So there you have it. The next time you visit a winery and there is a wine name you don't understand be sure to ask your server about it. Chances are you will hear a great story. And isn't that half the fun?

There are few institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia that are as beloved as its wine industry. With a backbone of small, family-owned wineries, it offers a one-on-one charm that few other business environments can present. But, many see a trend emerging that could change that.

The dawn of the modern Virginia wine industry is widely regarded as Gabrielle Rousse's first planting of vinifera grape vines at Barboursville in 1976. If that indeed was the seed, then the fertilizer was the Virginia Farm Winery Act implemented in 1980 and amended in 2007. Passed in large part through the hard work and persistence of David King, the Virginia Farm Winery Act offered a streamlined path to success for farmers, wine makers, and enological entrepreneurs.

Prior to the passing of the act, Virginia barely had 100 wineries and vineyards. Today, that number has swollen to more than 330 wineries, cideries, and meaderies in the Commonwealth. Originally not considered a viable economic investment by many legitimate investors, this explosive growth was fueled by a seemingly endless parade of mom-and-pop operations that featured converted barns, garages, and sometimes the dining room tables from their homes as makeshift tasting rooms. With each being so different and having their own particular quirkiness, these mismatched enterprises formed a wonderful mosaic of personalities, recycled architecture, and, of course, wine. There was a charm to wine tasting in Virginia that went far beyond the linear tasting of wine samples. Unlike Napa, where almost every driveway leads to a winery, tasting in the Commonwealth offered a pleasant journey between each destination. The scenery, relaxing conversation, and palate recovery time between stops all added to the overall quality of one's wine tour.

As Virginia's wine industry expanded, so did the quality of its product. Having seen California benefit greatly in its formative years from information sharing and cooperation, Virginia's vintners took a similar path. Both vineyard and production techniques were shared and refined as well as marketing cooperatives like wine trails. Tasting room operators quickly realized the benefit of sharing customers. The majority of these consumers were looking to visit three or four wineries per outing and always appreciated any recommendations on where to go next. And, by recommending fellow wineries the vintners understood they were both providing a service to their departing customers and helping their fellow wineries. Help that they knew would be reciprocated.

By the early 2000s, demand finally caught up with supply as an incredibly loyal fan base had grown from a small group of traveling wine fanatics to a diversified assembly of sophisticated consumers and full blown wine tourism. Suddenly some of the wineries were becoming profitable. Purpose built tasting rooms started to pop up and expansion was the order of the day. Investors started to take notice and large, Napa-style tasting room projects were suddenly finding the financial support they needed to become a reality. Featuring huge square footage, stunning architecture, great views, and desirable amenities these large operations were dependent on customer retention. Soon in-house restaurants, live music, and in some cases, breweries became the calling cards of this new breed. It was all about keeping the customer onsite.

For some, this was a welcome change. Ed, a retired electrical supervisor, enjoys dining at wineries with his wife, Charlotte. "We enjoy taking a picnic to the small places, but it's nice to just show up at a larger winery that has a full service food establishment and enjoy a meal". They understand that quite often one-on-one time with the vintner or wine maker is the price to be paid for that convenience, but minimizing driving time and enjoying high-end dining are the values that make it worthwhile.

Others see the flip side of the coin. Rob and Wendi have been ardent Virginia wine lovers for many years, visiting both the large, very commercial wineries as well as the small mom-and-pop places. "We visit them all," Rob says, adding "but we prefer the small ones". Their main attraction to the more grassroots establishments is the ability to talk directly with the owners and winemakers. And, because their goal isn't necessarily to visit every winery, they revisit their favorites on a regular basis and have become friends with many Virginia vintners. For them, it's the best part of the experience.

Even in the most friendly and cooperative environments the will to survive is always present. Feeling the growing market share of the large, commercial wineries and unable to simply add full-service restaurants, lodging or amenities, the small wineries increasingly offer visits from popular food trucks, live music, and on-site RV parking. And, the wine consuming public responded positively as the health and viability of most small Virginia wineries have remained high. Despite the concern of some that "mega wineries" would squeeze out smaller ones, all evidence now points towards a Virginia wine industry that is well-balanced between large and small — making it one of the nation’s most eclectic.

Just as any successful enterprise has its stars, the people who made it all happen, the Virginia wine industry has a galaxy's worth of personalities that are as interesting and diverse as any wine region in the world. In the 200 year runup to the beginning of the modern Virginia wine industry people such as Thomas Jefferson, Philip Mazzei, and Daniel Norton laid a foundation of enological goals. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, visionaries like Gabrielle Rouse, Dennis Horton, and Jennifer McCloud, tryting to achieve those goals, steered a path for Virginia wine towards a vision that most could not see at the time. Their persistence, financial investment, and undying faith in what they were doing paid off. As the new century unfolded, incredibly talented vintners such as Jim Law, Luca Paschina, and Michael Shaps developed production techniques specifically designed to deal with Virginia’s unique challenges, raising wine quality exponentially. Following in their footsteps, but using their own ideas and refinements are the new top guns of Virginia wine, Mathew Finot, Ben Jordan, Jake Busching, Melanie Natoli, Stephen Bernard, Chelsea Blevins and Jake Blodinger just to name a few. And, with the contributions of all the aforementioned, and many more, Virginia has become a world-class wine producing region.

In the end, with more wineries coming online every year, and an increasing percentage of them being of the large, full-service variety, consumer choices have never been better. Whether you want commercial and glitzy, a mom-and-pop shop in a barn or anything in between, Virginia is the place for you. Drink up Virginia, and have it your way!