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Virginia Wines on the International Stage
I first became acquainted with Virginia Wines at Wine Paris in January 2025. When my friend, Frank Morgan, invited me to attend “Old World, New Roots: A Panel Wine Tasting: Virginia vs France” scheduled for the end of June, I was intrigued enough to make my way to Paris. I’m so glad I did, as the best Virginia Wines showed they stand shoulder to shoulder with wines from the loftiest appellations anywhere in the world.

Compétition Amicale between Top Virginia Wines and French Counterparts
The competition was organized by Frank and Thomas McCune. Thomas is a retired physician who is enrolled in a high level wine certification at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. The idea was to match wines of the four most successful varieties in Virginia with their counterparts from France. The grape varieties in the tasting included Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc and Merlot based blends. The competition was organized as a blind tasting, held at the esteemed Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Disclosure: I attended the event as a media representative. No compensation was involved, I paid all my expenses.

(click on the video to see the event highlights. Click on any photo below to see full size)

The Judging
Contrary to the 1976 Napa vs France competition where wines were tasted individually, the wines from Virginia and France were tasted in flights, the same as most wine competitions around the world. There were a total of 4 flights, each flight consisting of six wines, evaluated blind.

Results
The following are the results as reported the day of the competition.

Chardonnay
* 3rd place: Maison Shaps Bourgogne Côte-D’Or 2023
* 2nd place: Pollak Vineyards Virginia Chardonnay Reserve 2023
* 1st place: Michael Shaps Virginia Wild Mountain Vineyard 2023

Petit Manseng
* 3rd place: Camin Larredya Jurançon Sec Costa Blanca 2023
* 2nd place: Michael Shaps Virginia Petit Manseng Monticello Honah Lee Vineyard 2023
* 1st place: Domaine Coustarret Jurançon Sec “Renaissance” 2022

Cabernet Franc
* 3rd place: Château de Minière Bourgeuil Rouge “Ceci n’est pas que Équilibre” 2022
* 2nd place: Château Daugay Cuvée Piou Saint-Émilion
* 1st place: Valley Road Vineyards Virginia Estate Reserve 2023

Merlot Dominant Blend
* 3rd place: Château La Rose Figeac Pomerol 2018
* 2nd place: Pollak Vineyards Virginia Meritage 2021
* 1st place: King Family Vineyards Monticello Meritage 2019

Finding Virginia Wines Outside Virginia
Virginia Wineries cover a relatively small area, less than 5,000 acres total. If you are located outside the greater Virginia/Washington DC area, you may not see Virginia wines in your local shop. If you are curious, there are retailers in Virginia Beach and Washington DC who ship to many states. One possible example is Yianni’s Wine Shop in Virginia Beach. Happy hunting!