Photo courtesy of Virginia Museum of HIstory & Culture
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture recently held events spotlighting Virginia wines.
A dozen Virginia wineries entered their Norton wines — made with Virginia’s native grape — in the recent Judgement of Richmond competition, with two wines taking home top honors.
The event was held at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) in Richmond during Virginia Wine Month, in conjunction with its annual Virginia Vines wine festival. Twelve wineries submitted entries for the competition, and six of those poured their wines during a public tasting at the museum.
Photo by Jane Fullerton Lemons
A Norton wine from Chrysalis Vineyards of Middleburg was chosen as the People's Choice winner during the Judgement of Richmond wine competition. Pictured are winemaker Jake Blodinger and owner Jennifer McCloud.
The awards were presented in two categories:
-- Judge’s Choice: The top prize went to Casanel Vineyards & Winery in Leesburg for its 2021 N2 Nelson’s Norton. A panel of four industry experts and an experienced consumer evaluated the 12 Norton wines that were submitted for the competition.
-- People’s Choice: Those in attendance at the event selected the 2022 Barrel Select Norton from Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg as their favorite.
The event also featured an exhibition by the official artist of the Virginia Norton Wine Tour, Rebecca Visger of Manassas, who displayed her work that celebrates the heritage of Norton wine.
Norton, America’s oldest wine grape, was first cultivated in the 1820s by Dr. Daniel Norton, a Richmond physician, with vines native to the United States, rather than those native to Europe such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.
