Augusta Co. winery wins gold ribbon

Augusta County’s first winery has been honored with a gold ribbon in the 2008 State Fair Wine Competition.
The State Fair of Virginia kicked off its 2008 competitions with the judging of the 17th annual State Fair Wine Competition, held on June 9 at the Montpelier Center for Arts and Education in Montpelier. Barren Ridge Vineyards was awarded a gold ribbon for one of their wines, the Viognier 2007, their first award since opening the winery last year.
“I am very pleased to have won,” said John Higgs, owner of Barren Ridge Vineyards. “It’s kind of a verification that we’re doing the right things, that we’ve got a good start and that the grapes in this part of Virginia are excellent. We’re very pleased. It’s kind of a indication of how we’re doing.”
This year, 48 Virginia wineries – a record number – entered a total 196 wines in the 2008 State Fair Wine Competition. A panel of 19 judges spent much of the day in a blind tasting, where they swirled, sniffed and tasted many flights and varieties, including petit verdot, viognier, chardonnay, cabernet franc, riesling and others.
The judges awarded gold ribbons to 40 wines. Of these, the State Fair will announce the top winning wine – “Best in Show” – on Sept. 24 at “Black Tie & Boots,” a fundraiser and VIP preview to the 2008 State Fair, benefiting the State Fair of Virginia Scholarship Program.
“We were really impressed with the wines entered this year,” says Richard Carew, a senior judge at the State Fair Wine Competition and a Richmond area wine distributor. “We tasted new flights of wine varieties this year – an un-oaked chardonnay and a traminette. Both of these varietals are extremely good food wines.”
There are approximately 130 wineries across the commonwealth, and Virginia ranks fifth in the nation for the number of wine producers.
The panel of judges, which included writers, sommeliers, producers, retailers, restaurateurs and collectors, evaluated and scored the wines according to national wine industry standards.
The State Fair Wine Competition is the first of hundreds of competitions held at the 2008 State Fair of Virginia, which returns Sept. 25 through Oct. 5 at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Youth and adult competitions range in categories including Arts and Crafts, Baked Goods, Honey, Plants, Crops and Vegetables, and Livestock. For general competition information, please contact Jennifer Ross at 1-800-LUV-FAIR (1-800-588-3247) ext. 237, or by e-mailing . A complete listing of competitions, entry forms and entry deadlines will soon be easily available online at http://www.statefairva.org
Complete ticket information and schedules can be obtained at http://www.statefairva.org or by calling 1-800-LUV-FAIR (1-800-588-3247) or (804) 569-3200. The State Fair is handicap accessible. No pets permitted.
For more information about Barren Ridge Vineyards, call 248-3300 or visit http://www.barrenridgevineyards.com.