Photo courtesy of Barboursville Vineyards.
Winemaker Luca Paschina, center, will become CEO and president. Associate Winemaker Daniele Tessaro, left, and Viticulturist Fernando Franco, right, will continue in their roles. They are shown here at the 2023 Governor's Gup Gala.
Barboursville Vineyards has been sold to an undisclosed investor group that will assume ownership of the iconic Virginia winery this month, with plans underway to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.
Winemaker and General Manager Luca Paschina confirmed the ownership change Tuesday. The sale also was announced in a press release that emphasized he will continue in a leadership role and “will remain at the helm as CEO and president.”
“It is a special day for our team here in Barboursville,” Paschina said. “Hard work, passion, and determination to produce the best wine we could for decades did not go unnoticed. It is what made this ideal change of ownership possible, with the perfect investors that will treasure this gem, Barboursville Vineyards.”
Photo courtesy of Barboursville Vineyards
Barboursville Vineyards, an iconic Virginia winery located along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia near Charlottesville, has been sold to an investor group.
Neither the sale price nor the identity of the investors was disclosed. Rumors of a potential sale have swirled for months. Along with Paschina, Viticulturist Fernando Franco and Associate Winemaker Daniele Tessaro will continue in their roles.
“Our investor group, with no other wine industry interests, fully supports Barboursville’s mission — to craft world-class wines and provide outstanding hospitality, while preserving the grounds of the historic vineyard estate and elevating the prestige of Virginia wines nationally and internationally,” Paschina said in the press release.
Continuity for Virginia Wine
Photo courtesy of Virginia Wine Marketing Board
Winemaker Luca Paschina holds the 2025 Governor's Cup, won by Barboursville Vineyards.
Located along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia near Charlottesville, about a two-hour drive southwest from Alexandria, Barboursville Vineyards has been producing wines since it was established in 1976.
The historic ruins of the mansion of former Virginia Governor James Barbour, which was designed by his friend President Thomas Jefferson, are located on the property, which includes more than 170 acres of vineyards, plus an additional 650 acres of sustainably managed forests, meadows, and wetlands.
“We remain wholly committed to the heritage of the land and to making exceptional wine,” Paschina said in the press release. “This ownership transition underscores a belief in the future of this great vineyard and ensures that this historic farm will remain vibrant for years to come.”
That sentiment appears to bode well for Virginia wine as a whole, an industry that generates an estimated $8.37 billion in total economic activity, including such factors as jobs created, supply chain impact, and wine-related tourism, according to a 2025 economic impact study.
“For Virginia wine, the message here seems to be continuity — and that's a good thing,” said Dave McIntyre, former Washington Post wine columnist and author of Dave McIntyre's WineLine on Substack, who first reported the sale.
Photo courtesy of Barboursville Vineyards
Founded in 1976, Barboursville will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.
McIntyre is a longtime observer of Virginia’s wine industry and often judges wine competitions, including the Virginia Governor’s Cup. He sounded an optimistic note about what the sale means for Virginia wine and its growing reputation.
“We don’t know who the buyers are, but apparently it’s not a billionaire picking up a trophy, or a venture capital group that might pillage the brand and sell off the pieces,” he said. “Keeping Luca on board and empowering him to continue building the hospitality program and improving the wines can only help build the image and reputation of Virginia wine for the foreseeable future.”
Another longtime Virginia wine writer and industry observer, Frank Morgan, who oversees the annual Governor’s Cup competition, agreed that having the team of Paschina, Tessaro and Franco remain is an encouraging sign.
“Their experience and stewardship have been central to the estate’s success and will help ensure continuity as Barboursville begins its next chapter,” he said.
A Historic Viticultural Ethos
Barboursville was founded in 1976 by Gianni Zonin, a leading wine producer in Italy, who considered other options in California’s Napa Valley and New York’s Finger Lakes before settling on central Virginia’s Piedmont region.
In 1990, the Zonin family recruited Paschina, a third-generation winemaker from northwest Italy’s Piedmont region, to take over the winery. Since then, Paschina has done what Jefferson dreamed of — producing world-class wine in Virginia, paving the way for other winemakers and the successful industry that has taken root in the Commonwealth.
The resulting wines have garnered numerous accolades. Barboursville has won the Governor’s Cup six times, including last year for its 2023 Vermentino, a white wine. It had previously won for its Paxxito dessert wine, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc Reserve, and its flagship Bordeaux-style blend known as Octagon.
In the first round of the 2026 Governor’s Cup competition, it was announced earlier this week that Barboursville had won three gold medals — for its 2019 and 2020 Octagon and its 2024 Vermentino — with the top 12 winners to be revealed March 12.
Earlier this year, Barboursville’s Octagon 2017 received two significant accolades from Decanter, a leading British wine publication. It was the first Virginia wine to be selected among the top 50 U.S. wines, and it was also chosen among the top 20 Merlot wines worldwide.
With that history in mind, the new owners made a wise decision to retain Paschina and his team, especially since the award-winning Octagon was created under his leadership, said Richard Leahy, a longtime Virginia wine writer and consultant who authored a comprehensive book on Virginia wine, Beyond Jefferson’s Vines.
“Under Luca as general manager since 1990,” Leahy said, “the estate has established itself in the forefront of Virginia wine.”
As Barboursville prepares to celebrate its first 50 years, added Morgan, this transition in ownership signifies the beginning of a new and exciting chapter of the Virginia wine story.
“Barboursville Vineyards occupies a singular place in the history of Virginia wine that many consider the marker for the beginning of the modern Virginia wine industry and is considered one of the Commonwealth’s most important wineries,” Morgan said. “Many winemakers look to Barboursville as a benchmark for quality, ambition, and credibility.”
Photo courtesy of author
Jane Fullerton Lemons
Jane Fullerton Lemons is a Virginia-based writer and recovering Washington journalist focused on wine and travel. A 2026 fellow at the Wine Writers Symposium in Napa Valley, she shares stories of the people and places behind the bottles, while also helping American consumers understand agriculture and how it impacts their lives. You can follow her work here.
