The Shenandoah Shines at Governor's Cup Gala

Last week, Virginia celebrated the wines and winemakers that are making this region what it is. This year marked the 42nd year of the Virginia Governor’s Cup, where nearly 80 wineries earned gold medals and judges tasted more than 750 samples. The event culminated in the Governor’s Cup Gala where the top producers and wines got to find out who would take home even bigger honors.

The bulk of the top wineries in the state are usually in the Monticello AVA surrounding Charlottesville and the Middleburg AVA in Northern Virginia. But, noticeably, the Shenandoah Valley had a big presence this year, and had a chance to take the top honors.

The Virginia Governor’s Cup

The Virginia Governor’s Cup is run in a collaboration between the Virginia Wineries Association , the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association . It’s one of the most stringent competitions in the U.S. with two rounds of judging of hundreds of wine samples. The judging panel includes world-class wine professionals across the region.

All wines are scored by the judges using a 100-point scale, similar to scoring systems from publications like Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and many others. Wines are scored on appearance, aroma, flavor, overall quality and commercial suitability. Bronze medal winners earn a score between 80 and 84. Silver medal wines score between 85 and 89. Gold medal wines score between 90-100.

The judges all brought a different viewpoint and approach to judging, which made for a diverse set of perspectives.

“ I went in understanding that there was a beautiful gravitas to the work we were doing; the work of being able to see and honor the hard work that so many amazing people across our state had put in to bring us these wines ,” said Reggie Leonard, founder of wine club Oenoverse . “ I deliberately considered the rubric, the weight of stewarding the story of someone else's hard work, and the responsibility of being honest and seeking to represent our state well .”

The passion and respect each judge had for the wines, and each other was inspiring.

“ Throughout the process I wanted to be respectful of this amazing craft of winemaking that I respect and adore so deeply, by ensuring that I was being methodical in the process from the first wine to the very last ,” said Sujata Mehta, WSET Diploma Candidate and member of Women of Wine DC. “ When walking into the room of judges, it was most surprising and refreshing to walk into a room of incredible diversity. There was a gender, age, and color spectrum that was very exciting to see .”

The 12 wines that have the highest average score become a part of the Virginia Governor’s Cup Case, with one overall winner.

Before the big event, the Virginia Wine Board announced the medal winning contenders.

Shenandoah Valley Shines Among Medal Winners

In particular, the Shenandoah Valley received more recognition this year. This area is little-known across the country but well regarded in the state. Think of it like Virginia’s “spine”. The region is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Valley and extends along the western part of the state. The mountainous terrain allows for great acidity and purity of fruit in well draining soils.

Crosskeys Vineyards , a notable producer in the region, won three gold medals for their Blanc de Noir, Chardonnay and Viognier and five silver medals for their Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Touriga, rosé blend Fiore and their Ice Wine Ali d’Oro.

“ We were thrilled to win the three gold medals in the 2024 Governors Cup. It's a great competition for a number of reasons ,” said Andrew Bilenkij, head winemaker of Crosskeys. Bilenkij was the winemaker for Delfosse Vineyards in 2023, which was the overall winner in the Governor’s Cup that year. “ The gold medal trail brings some good attention to the business as a whole, we get new customers and our regulars want to taste the Golds. It's obviously good for sales too .”

Since Crosskeys earned gold medals, they were in the running for the Governor’s Cup Case, which highlights the top 12 wines from the competition.

The Governor’s Case

Three of the 12 wines this year came from the Shenandoah Valley, up from last year’s total where only one wine made the case. Of those wines, Crosskeys made the list with their Blanc de Noir.

“ I think getting a gold medal is a great achievement. To be judged as being in the top 20% of the competition is a fantastic endorsement. The next level of attention that’s been given to the case winners, and eventual winner adds legitimacy to the achievement ,” said Bilenkij.

The remaining Shenandoah wines included Bluestone Vineyards’ Petit Verdot and Cave Ridge Fossil Hill Reserve red blend.

“ For me it's an absolute testament to what many of us on this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains have known for years: there might be more potential as a growing region in the Shenandoah Valley than anywhere else on the East Coast ,” said Lee Hartman, winemaker at Bluestone Vineyards. Hartman is also the president of the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail. “ I don't know how else to encourage people to see what they've been missing. The quality is there, the prices are an absolute bargain, it's beautiful and there are fewer crowds .”

The rest of the case included six wines from Central Virginia and three from Northern Virginia. Ultimately, the overall winner was Central Virginia’s King Family in the Monticello AVA for their 2019 Meritage Blend.

Consumers in the Virginia area can now taste the gold medal wines via the Virginia Gold Medal Wine Trail . Visit virginiawine.org for more information.