Virginia's modern wine industry began taking root in the late 1970s and has grown from a small group of wineries to nearly 300. Viognier and Chardonnay are important white grapes. Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Bordeaux-style blends are central to its reds, while Norton offers a distinctly American grape. The strongest wines combine earthy character with lightness, moderate alcohol, high acidity and drying tannins. Humidity, pests, heavy rain, rot and disease make growing grapes demanding.
Elsewhere in Virginia & Southeast
Continue through the region
- GeorgiaNo producers listed yetMuscadine is central to Georgia's wines, bringing a fruit-oriented style. European bunch grapes have also become more successful with modern fungicides.
- North CarolinaNo producers listed yetNorth Carolina includes high-elevation vineyards, Yadkin Valley, the state's first AVA, and Crest of the Blue Ridge, where warm days and cool nights suit vinifera and French-American hybrids.
- TennesseeNo producers listed yetTennessee combines European grapes, muscadine and Chambourcin in dry reds, crisp whites and fruit-forward blends. The newly recognized Nine Lakes of East Tennessee AVA adds a mountain-lake identity.