On December 12, 2011, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced significant changes to the Governor’s Cup Virginia Wine Competition. Following the announcement, I posted an interview with Jay Youmans, new head judge of the Virginia Governor’s Cup to get his thoughts on the revamped competition.
The Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Competition “will become the benchmark with which all other wine shows will be measured, not simply because of the quality of the judges, or the rigorous selection process, but because of the critical feedback given to each participating winery. The competition will serve notice to the industry that Virginia is serious about producing high quality wines.” ~ Jay Youmans, Head Judge, Virginia Governor’s Cup
The 2012 Virginia Governor’s Cup winner is…
Glen Manor 2009 Hodder Hill – Congratulations Jeff White!
Jeff White accepting the 2012 Governor's Cup from Governor McDonnell
There are 11 other Governor’s Cup winners this year — the ’12 top’ scoring wines — that comprise the 2012 Virginia Governor’s Case. This case of Virginia wines will be sent to wine publications, wine journalists and other wine competitions to showcase Virginia wine and expand the Virginia wine brand.
- Glen Manor, 2009 Hodder Hill
- Jefferson Vineyards, 2010 Cabernet Franc
- Bluestone Vineyards, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Delfosse Vineyards & Winery, 2007 Meritage Blend
- King Family Vineyards, 2008 Meritage Blend
- Veritas Vineyard & Winery, 2010 Vintner’s Reserve
- Tarara Winery, 2010 Honah Lee
- Potomac Point, 2009 Heritage Reserve
- Trump Winery, 2008 Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc
- Keswick Vineyards, 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Keswick Vineyards, 2010 Merlot
- White hall Vineyards, 2010 Gewürztraminer
For this year’s Cup, judges tasted and evaluated over 400 Virginia wines, 13 of which were awarded Gold Medals. Judges this year included: Washington Post wine critic Dave McIntyre, Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Master Sommelier Kathy Morgan, and a number of other notable wine professionals.
Each wine was evaluated based on appearance, aroma, flavor, overall quality, and commercial suitability and scored as follows:
Medals were awarded based on the following average of scores:
- Gold Medal – Outstanding/Classic, 90-100 points
- Silver Medal – Very Good, 85-89 points
- Bronze Medal – Good, 80-84 points
With the number of notable wineries entering this year vice past years, it’s clear that the format changes were viewed as the beginning of a new era of credibility for the Governor’s Cup.
And, I’m going to award the blogger Governor’s Case Honorable Mention to Breaux Vineyards Viogner, which earned one of the coveted spots on Oz Clarke’s ‘Top 250 Wines of 2012‘ list (#87 on the list!).
Congratulations to each of the 2012 Governor’s Cup medalists!
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it is about time Virginia found out about what so many of us already know. Jeff White is one of our best vignerons. Beautiful vineyard site, precise management, dedication to details in production produces a winner. Guess what? The Virginia wine cult is growing.
Hello Bruce — I absolutely agree, “Jeff White is one of our best vignerons.” No doubt. I’ve been a big fan of Jeff’s wines since I first tasted them three years ago. I’m glad the revised format of the Governor’s Cup brought him back to the competition (as he hasn’t entered in a while). Cheers!