Andrew Fialdini at The Barns at Hamilton Station

Each year Virginia celebrates its large and growing wine industry by selecting  the Governor’s Cup award winning wines. Recently announced were the 2017 Virginia’s Governors’s Cup Awards. The top award went to The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards for their 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon.

The judging panel consists of 45 judges. As would normally be expected, in the blind tasting the wines were judged according to their appearance, aroma and flavor. In addition each wine was judged for the overall quality and commercial suitability. The judging consisted of two rounds. The preliminary round took place over 10 days. Six judges tasted each wine. The final round took place over three days and 15 judges chose the wines that were selected from the preliminaries.

According to the Virginia Wine website, “The 12 wines with the highest average score are identified as the ‘Governor’s Cup Case.’ The wine with the highest overall score is the Governor’s Cup Winner.” The 2017 winner was the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from The Barns at Hamilton Station.

Visit The Barns at Hamilton Station, VA

According to a recent press release, at a special VWA’s Governor’s Cup Gala, Andrew Fialdini owner of The Barns at Hamilton Station said, “We are honored to be among the Virginia wineries who have won the Governor’s Cup in previous years. After years in government service, my wife and I were looking to start a second career where we could work the land. This experience has surpassed all our expectations. We are very proud of this Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2014 vintage was a special one and we knew we wanted to develop a wine that was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with the fruit from this vintage.”

Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded. For 2017 the Gold Medal winners were: Breaux Vineyards, Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery, CrossKeys Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, Ingleside Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, King Family Vineyard, Michael Shaps Wineworks, Pollak Vineyards, Sunset Hills Vineyard, The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, Upper Shirley Vineyards, Valley Road Vineyards and Veritas Winery.

We visited The Barns at Hamilton Station and wrote an extensive article with photos about the delightful story behind the winery. With a history and a story along with winning this top wine award, the winery will undoubtedly be in the news more.

Congratulations to all of the Virginia wineries who participated in the 2017 competition!

Cheers!
Kathy