On Saturday, October 24, Capital Wine School celebrated Virginia Wine Month with a tasting we called Virginia Versus the World. Fourteen guests tasted six Virginia wines blind, each paired with a benchmark from the Old World made from the same principal grape. The group included three WSET Diploma graduates, one Diploma student and one Level 3 student.
For each pair, tasters first tried to identify the common grape. Then they voted for the wine they preferred.
The event was organized and executed by Jay Youmans MW, who did not vote since he knew what the wines were.
The results
| Flight | Grape | Virginia wine | Old World wine | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Albariño | 2025 Ingleside Albariño ($25) | 2024 Do Ferreiro Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain ($35) | Virginia 57%–43% |
| B | Viognier | 2024 Keswick Vineyards Viognier ($43) | 2022 E. Guigal Condrieu, Northern Rhône, France ($65–70) | Virginia 57%–43% |
| C | Chardonnay | 2023 Michael Shaps Chardonnay ($40) | 2023 Marc Colin Saint-Aubin, Burgundy, France ($60–70) | Virginia 71%–29% |
| D | Cabernet Franc | 2023 Veritas Cabernet Franc Reserve ($45–50) | 2023 Bernard Baudry Chinon “Les Grézeaux,” Loire Valley, France ($45–50) | Tie 50%–50% |
| E | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2021 Linden Hardscrabble ($64) | 2021 Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France ($70–85) | Virginia 57%–43% |
| F | Nebbiolo | 2023 Barboursville Nebbiolo Reserve ($40) | 2023 Castello di Neive Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy ($48–55) | Virginia 64%–36% |
What stood out
The widest margin came in the Chardonnay flight. Ten of 14 tasters chose the Michael Shaps over a white Burgundy that costs up to $30 more.
The Virginia wine was the same price or less in every flight. In five flights it was the cheaper bottle, by roughly $6 to $30.
The Cabernet Franc flight was the closest call. Veritas and Bernard Baudry’s Chinon split the room evenly, which says a lot about how well Virginia does with this grape.
Blends for the Bordeaux-style pair: the Linden Hardscrabble is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Domaine de Chevalier is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.
Thank you to everyone who joined us. Want to sharpen your own blind-tasting skills? See our upcoming courses and events.
