Grape growing in Virginia stretches all the way back to the unsuccessful efforts of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. The modern history, though, began with the acquisition of the old Barbour Estate by the Italian wine family Zonin in the 1970s and the transformation of that property into today’s Barboursville Vineyard. The Virginia wine industry has grown steadily from that point on and some of its best wines can stand shoulder to shoulder with peers from other regions around the world. Frank sheds light on that early history through today’s efforts, the physical environment, the varieties of choice, the major players, and the wines.
