Charlottesville, Albemarle, and the Monticello American Viticultural Area have been at the epicenter of Virginia’s recent viticultural expansion, even landing Wine Enthusiast’s coveted “Wine Region of the Year” accolade at the end of 2023—a distinction that saw this relatively new wine region eclipse centuries-old winemaking destinations like Provence, France, and Lambrusco, Italy. And in an industry that has historically been male oriented, women are increasingly leading the way in the Charlottesville area’s recent wine renaissance, helping shape an innovative, collaborative, and diverse future. Learn more about this recent movement and the women who are helping propel Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Monticello AVA to even greater heights.
one [Music] two I’m Corey Craig Hill I’m the wine maker and Vineyard manager at sepiner winery in the monachello wine trail I’m Tasha durett and I’m the founder of black women who wine based here in Central Virginia hi I’m Athena Eastwood welcome to Eastwood farm and Wier in Charlottesville Virginia so sepiner is known for making red blends that age we age our Reds for about 18 months in barrel and then they sit in bottle for minimum two years before they’re released to the public I think being a woman in this industry is pretty fun cuz I think all the other women in the industry are really great more than half of the wine makers I ever worked for were women um as head wine makers because there are women in leadership roles that that helps opportunities for other women and especially that I’ve had experience all over the world I I hope that someone sees that and like man I want to learn from that person black women Hine is a membership based organization based here in Central Virginia with the mission of improving diversity and increasing diversity in Virginia wine I think that when I first started black women who wine what I wanted to to share about charville area and the wineries here is just that there’s so many great options I think that Virginia wine for so long was looked over I’ve Loved Virginia wine for a long time and I knew that there were other women like me out there who also love Virginia wine so bringing them all together has been you know a great experience our mission at Eastwood Farm in Winery has been to create great win in an environment that the whole Community can enjoy I think wine is a beverage that brings people together it breaks down barriers and that’s what’s really made us really passionate about what we’re doing everyone needs to be able to look out and see themselves doing the things they dream of doing and there’s just something about that that makes it easier to imagine that you could do it too [Music] describe my white making style as thoughtful I’ve been through several vintages now that are wildly different from another for whites I really love to drink whites with texture so I try to create that style in my whites so some of the wineries and or other organizations that have really embraced their mission I think first and foremost alal Charlottesville tourism has been a big support of a from the outset Veritas is another one and we’re here today so here Emily Hodson is a second generation wine maker and I think she’s been so well prepared to you know carry on the legacy of veritus wine we’re producing these wines that are approachable and so we are able to have people here who can find a happy medium and I think there’s really something here for everyone even if you’re not a wine lover I think you can find wine that you love you know in this region to be part of the monol wine trail especially with our the Wine Enthusiast recognition is really exciting it’s a chance for us as a community to stand on a bigger stage and really show what this area can do it’s the wild west there’s no rules here right it’s run by smart wine makers that are allowing experimentation to advance our techniques in an educated and serious way we’re choosing better sites we’re getting Farmers that have experience and that are interested in farming thoughtfully with techniques that are relevant to this area and to our climate that’s what fuels me and that’s what makes this industry really interesting and I think the monell wine has been a really open area for that not just with sight selection and clone selection and variety selection but also with labor and how important that is to our industry none of this industry would exist without good Vineyards and good labor and and good relationships with your Vineyard crew without the local support we won’t be able to keep expanding [Music] My Hope for this wine region in the future is that it retains the character it has now then this feeling of camaraderie and movement towards diversity but also that we become you know bigger I think that that’s the next Frontier like what does it look like to be more of a wine region you know I think in this region we’re now known for one of the best colleges in the South we’re known for different things um and now we’re known for wine and I think that we have a responsibility to sort of carry that through and see it so in the future I’d hope there’d be more of an emphasis on wine throughout the region not just in the Charlesville area you win something like wine region of the year and there are a lot of people who want to come here and participate but there are people here I think who also want to particip ipat I hope we’re welcoming other people who are here as [Music] well I think the reason that Charlottesville has helped put us on this stage is because of the culture that already exists here there’s a good food scene there’s a good outdoor scene there’s a growing beverage scene and that’s not just wineries that’s breweries and distilleries and they’re making a serious product that can compete nationally and [Music] internationally I guess my hope for the wine industry would be to see it just further grow along the trajectory that it’s currently on which I think is just growing towards more and more Innovation more opportunity more inclusivity I expect that we’re going to see that just continue to grow over the next few years and then on into the future and I think the the quality of the wine is just going to continue to get better and better over the years and um this is this is going to be a region that is here to stay [Music] [Music]