Savoring Readers’ Choice Awards for The Williamsburg Winery in 2020

We think we can all agree, it’s lovely to be recognized, and it’s an honor to receive an award for your work, for your craft.

Sometimes those awards come from judges. Sometimes those awards come from panels of experts. And sometimes, in the grandest of all circumstances, those awards come from people. Everyday, wine loving people, who take the time to vote for wines and businesses they love. 

Not only is the team at The Williamsburg Winery honored to have been nominated by Savor Virginia magazine readers for the very wines and experiences we work to present to the community, but they (YOU!) also voted for us. 

In Savor Virginia magazine’s Readers’ Choice awards, which included voting August through September 2019, The Williamsburg Winery placed in the following categories: 

• Gold for Best Winery for Petit Verdot 
• Silver for Best Winery for Chardonnay 
• Silver for Best Winery for Tours 
• Bronze for Best Winery for Rose 

A total of 13,352 votes were cast and the results will be published as a feature editorial in the Spring/Summer issue of Savor Virginia. 

In the meantime, as a thank you to all who voted, and for those who would like to experience the very wines and tours that so many rated so highly, we’ve rounded up some details about the very wines (with links to shop online!) and the tours that received accolades from the people who have been here, tasted that and gone on to tell people about it. 

Visit and Tour the Farm

Let’s start out with the tours. Seeing just how wine makes it from vine to glass is among the best ways to start your journey with The Williamsburg Winery. And it can all start right at our farm, Wessex Hundred. 

Introduction to Wine Tour and Tasting. This 80-minute tour is $14 per guest and geared to the wine novice who wants to learn more about the process of making wine from grape to glass. The tour includes a brief trip to the vineyard and crush pad and an educational tour of the cellar. It’s followed by a seated tasting of seven wines in a variety of styles specifically selected for those who are new to wine. All participants will receive a souvenir etched tasting glass as a part of this experience. Reservations are highly recommended.

Extensive Tour and Reserve Wine Seating. At $38 per guest, during this tour, sample and compare some of the reserve wines produced at the winery along with selected vintages from the library, all in the intimate setting of the winery’s private cellar. A country sampler of assorted cheese and crackers will complement this personalized tasting, and guests will take home an oversized etched reserve wine glass. Reservations required.

Tour reservations can be made online here or by calling 757-229-0999 ext. 129. 

Petit Verdot: Little Grape, Big Flavor

We love Petit Verdot. Let us count the ways! 

It ages well. It’s big and bold. It loves being single, or blended in with other varietals. 

Now, we can also add that you all love it, too, given that it received a Savor Magazine gold award. 

“It is one of the few Virginia red varietals that consistently produces a rich, full-bodied red wine here,” said The Williamsburg Winery’s Vice President of Direct Wine Sales Kenny Bumbaco. 

In February 2020, The Williamsburg Winery released its 2018 Petit Verdot to much approval.

With layers of dark berries, cocoa and vanilla, and an old-world earthiness, the Petit Verdot is flavorful yet approachable. It is best served with smoked meats, heavy sauces, and different cheeses. 

“Our Wine Club Members are fascinated by Petit Verdot,” said Bumbaco. “In our tasting rooms and wine bars, our guests frequently ask to try Petit Verdot because it is something that is not commonly made into a single varietal wine elsewhere.”

The 411 on Chardonnay

You could call Chardonnay the foundational grape of The Williamsburg Winery, especially given that it was the first varietal planted on the farm more than three decades ago. 

It owes much of its growing success to Virginia’s climate and has earned tasting accolades for its making by The Williamsburg Winery Winemaker Matthew Meyer. 

At The Williamsburg Winery, there are several Chardonnays to choose from, including the following: 

2018 Wessex Hundred Chardonnay. Grown, harvested, crushed and made at The Williamsburg Winery, it features aromas of baked apple, peach cobbler, and orange blossom. It’s balanced by some tropical fruit notes of mango and papaya. Following the fruit are hints of vanilla, cream, and pie spices. The finish is lingering and rich. 

2018 Virginia Chardonnay, Stainless Steel Fermented. The stainless-steel Chardonnay is characterized with fresh fruit notes of pear, peach and Granny Smith apples. These notes are enhanced by the bright lemon/lime character that give the wine a lovely bright affect. Just behind the fruit is a touch of coconut and almond. The wine has a clean fruit forward mid palate that carries through to the finish. 

2017 Chardonnay, Acte 12 of 1619. Visually this Chardonnay has a beautiful golden straw color and aromatically it’s rich in fruity goodness. There are notes of green apples, pears, nectarines, dried apricots and honeydew melon – and all blend seamlessly with hints of some lemon rind and creamy vanillas. The three aging types of oak, stainless steel and concrete create a lot of varying layers with a touch of minerality. This is a classic chardonnay with a bright finish. 

Hooray for Rosé!

Hot off the bottling line! The Williamsburg Winery’s 2019 Virginia Dry Rosé is colorful and bottled just this winter, to be released in early April. With bright fruit notes reminiscent of strawberry, cherry and tangerine, this Rosé is so fresh and so clean that you may be tempted to take a dozen home with you. Pick up a few for friends, too. We are biased, but it’s a crowd pleaser