Well, when I came to Virginia, I didn't know what I wanted to plan.

I'm Aaron Scala, and this is a special episode of All Drink to That, where we get behind the

scenes and explore winemaking in Virginia.

All Drink to That, where we get behind the scenes of the Beverage Business.

I'm Levy Dalton.

I'm Erin Scala.

And here's our show today. Oh, The Virginia wine industry has gone from zero to 60 in the last 30 years or so, and you might be wondering,

what's going on with the wines in this state?

Well, the common narrative of Virginia's wine history

is that Thomas Jefferson had the first vineyards planted, but they mysteriously never flourished.

In hindsight, we know this was because of Phaloxera.

By the 1890s, Virginia became known for high-quality scupernong, which was usually made as a sweeter, aromatic wine.

scupernong was sold alongside some of the great wines of the world, with little of the bias that we see today toward non-veniferous varieties, but prohibition

killed the momentum of the entire industry and Scuper Nong's budding fame was squashed.

In the 1960s, Constantine Frank started vociferously spreading the word about Vitis

Vennifera in the United States.

Trevel Lawrence paid attention to his successes in New York State, and in 1970, Lawrence made his first

veneferra wine in Virginia. Soon after, he founded the Venefera Wine Growers Association.

If we focus in and near the monetary Farrarra Wine Growers Association.

If we focus in and near the Manicello AVA, a few pivotal people really laid the groundwork

for today's industry.

Gabrielle Rousset planted many of the state's first grapes and continues to influence the industry today.

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