Photo courtesy of Virginia Wine Board
Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin with the top 12 award-winning wineries at the Virginia Governor's Cup Gala.
The results are in — and the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup goes to Barboursville Vineyards for its 2023 Vermentino, a white wine made with 100% Vermentino grapes grown on the vineyard’s estate in Orange County.
In addition, the 12 wines with the highest scores in the rigorous competition were revealed during the annual Virginia Governor’s Cup Gala in Richmond, including four from wineries in Northern Virginia. The event culminated with the announcement of the annual top prize for wines made exclusively from Virginia fruit.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin presented the Governor’s Cup, speaking to several hundred people gathered March 13 in Richmond’s Main Street Station, the historic downtown railroad station. What has happened over the past 43 years since the annual competition began, he said, “is nothing short of a miracle” as demonstrated by the growth of Virginia’s wine industry.
“Luca Paschina and his team at Barboursville Vineyards embody the passion and pioneering spirit of
Photo courtesy of Virginia Wine Board
Winemaker and General Manager Luca Paschina of Barboursville Vineyards holds the Governor's Cup.
Virginia wines. Their dedication to excellence is evident in every vintage they produce, showcasing an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and innovation,” said Governor Youngkin. “I am honored to recognize Barboursville’s achievements and the lasting impact they continue to make on Virginia’s world-class wine region.”
Fulfilling Jefferson’s Dream of Virginia Wine
Located in central Virginia near Charlottesville, Barboursville Vineyards has been producing wines since it was established in 1976. The historic ruin of the mansion of former Virginia Gov. James Barbour, which was designed by his friend Thomas Jefferson, are located on the property that spans more than 800 acres.
Winemaker and General Manager Luca Paschina joined the estate in 1990. Paschina, along with Vineyard Manager Fernando Franco and Assistant Winemaker Daniele Tessaro, have worked to experiment with new grape varieties suited to Virginia.
In accepting the Governor’s Cup, Paschina noted that Virginia has an ideal climate for Vermentino — a variety he first came to know in his native Italy, where it is grown. He also issued a challenge to wine lovers throughout the Commonwealth.
“Please go to every restaurant in Virginia that doesn’t have a Virginia wine on the menu and demand it,” he exhorted the crowd.
Emerging Grape Varieties Take Center Stage
After evaluating more than 625 entries in the Governor’s Cup competition, a panel of world-class judges awarded 155 gold medals — 149 for wines and six for ciders. They went to 87 wineries, cideries, and meaderies across the Commonwealth.
You can find a complete list of all the medal-winning wines on the Virginia Wine website.
The top 12 wines from among those medal winners are showcased in the Virginia Governor's Cup Case, underscoring both the quality and diversity of wines produced in the Commonwealth.
Red wines earned 61% of all gold medals this year. But in the top 12 wines, the mix was different — with six white and five red wines plus one sparkling rosé.
Gold medals went to wines made from 23 grape varieties. That included well known Virginia varietals such as Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, said Frank Morgan, director of judging for the annual competition.
In addition, Morgan highlighted that since he first become involved with the competition in 2012 as a judge, the overall quality across all grape varieties and blends has increased notably. In particular, several new grape varieties and their resulting wines are on the rise.
“Although red blends have generally dominated the competition, there are other varieties that are showing well and emerging — like Albariño, Petite Manseng, and Petite Verdot,” he said.
White Wine Earns Top Honor
This year marks the sixth time the Governor’s Cup award has been awarded to Barboursville Vineyards. Barboursville has previously won the top prize for its Paxxito dessert wine. In addition, the winery has won for its Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc Reserve, and its flagship Bordeaux-style blend known as Octagon —all of which are red wines.
But the 2025 prize went to a white wine. Barboursville’s 2023 Vermentino earned the highest average score from judges who evaluated the wines based on appearance, aroma, flavor, commercial suitability, and overall quality.
It will be featured alongside the other wines in the Virginia Governor's Cup Case, which includes these wines from four Northern Virginia wineries:
- 50 West Vineyards of Middleburg, 2021 Aldie Heights Cuvée.
- Paradise Springs Winery of Clifton, 2023 Cabernet Franc, Brown Bear Vineyard.
- Potomac Point Winery of Stafford, 2023 Albariño.
- Winery at La Grange of Haymarket, 2023 Petit Manseng.
These central Virginia wineries round out the top 12:
- Barboursville Vineyards, 2017 Octagon.
- DuCard Vineyards, 2023 Cabernet Franc Vintners Reserve.
- King Family Vineyards, 2021 Mountain Plains Red.
- Michael Shaps Wineworks, 2022 Chardonnay.
- Trump Winery, 2018 Sparkling Rosé.
- Valley Road Vineyards, 2023 Petit Manseng.
- Veritas Winery, 2023 Monticello White.
Cider of the Year
For the fifth year, Virginia ciders were judged in their own category by a separate panel of judges, and they received six gold medals.
With the highest scoring cider in this year’s competition, Daring Wine & Cider Company received the Cider of the Year recognition for its Crab Apple Blend. The woman-owned company founded in 2021 by Jocelyn Kuzelka and Megan Hereford is located in Stuart, in southern Virginia.
Photo courtesy of Virginia Wine Board
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr presents the Cider of the Year award to Jocelyn Kuzelka of Daring Wine & Cider Company.
That’s also where former Governor Gerald Baliles — who launched the inaugural Virginia Wine Month in 1998 — hailed from.
“Wine and cider are important agricultural products for our Commonwealth and an important economic driver for our state,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr, who presented the award. “I welcome the opportunity to see new wineries and our standard-bearers of Virginia’s quality continue to raise the bar for what can be achieved in Virginia as a wine region.”
Best in Show Wines
Beginning this year, standout wines in categories with the most submissions were named Best in Show. To win, at least five wines needed to be entered in the category, with the Best in Show being the highest scoring gold-medal wine.
This year’s winners are:
- Cabernet Sauvignon: Breaux Vineyards’ 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Dessert Wine: 7 Lady Vineyards’ 2017 Petit Manseng
- Merlot: Pollak Vineyards’ 2022 Merlot Reserve
- Petit Verdot: Carriage House Wineworks’ 2022 Petit Verdot Reserve
- Viognier: Jefferson Vineyards’ 2023 Viognier
The Virginia Governor's Cup, one of the most stringent competitions in the country, is hosted each year by the Virginia Wineries Association, in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association.
“What’s exciting about the Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition is that it is Virginia’s competition,” said Morgan. “It’s the only competition that is exclusively dedicated to featuring and inviting wines, ciders, and meads that are made from 100% Virginia fruit to be judged.”
For a discussion of the judging process, check out Morgan’s blog, Drink What You Like. And for more background about the history of Barboursville’s wine, go to Dave McIntyre’s WineLine, written by the former Washington Post wine columnist.
