Virginia love was in the air at Richmond’s Main Street Station on Thursday, March 13th. The annual Virginia Governor’s Cup Gala was underway and displaying the best of Virginia 2025’s Gold Medaling wines. This year a panel of professional judges awarded a record breaking 155 gold medals across 88 different wineries. Filling the venue, 85 wineries were present, pouring their gold-winning wines for guests and colleagues while local food vendors set up cooking stations to accompany the delicious wines.
The 2025 Governor’s Cup Gala
The Virginia Governor’s Cup has a rich history. It began in 1982 as a statewide competition to promote and encourage quality winemaking in our budding young wine industry. From that very first year, which was little more than 50 people celebrating in a field after a wine festival, the competition has grown exponentially. In 2012 they reformatted it as a professionally judged competition and gala event. The 2025 competition was a great showing, with over 620 Virginia-grown and -made wines submitted by wineries around the Commonwealth.
After a visit with Owner and General Manager Shannon Horton of Horton Vineyards, pioneers in Virginia Wine Country since 1989, we enjoyed their gold medal 2017 Stonecastle, a well-balanced, full bodied, dry red blend of Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Tannat, and Pinotage. We then tried their well-known Suil sparkling Viognier that is created using the Méthode Champenoise. It was great to see one of our newest wineries, Southwest Mountains Vineyards in Keswick, with a double gold as well—one for their 2023 Petit Manseng and another for their 2021 Petit Verdot Reserve.
We stopped to chat with Titus Green, one of the 35 judges for the prestigious competition. Green was excited about the industry and pleased to see the quality direction it is heading in. “I’m so enthusiastic about wines, especially our very own Virginia-grown ones,” he said. “As a sommelier in D.C. I’m pleased to be able to offer more and more Virginia wines to my clients. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry.”
It was a joy to see and catch up with the Hodson family of Veritas Winery in Afton. The Hodsons started the winery in 1999 and it is now headed up by the eldest son George, who also serves on a number of both local and state wine industry boards. His sister Emily is head winemaker alongside their brother-in-law Elliot Watkins. Creating outstanding wines that often are included in the prestigious Governor’s Cup Case, this year was no exception for their 2023 Monticello White. Poured above at right was their second gold medaling wine, their amazing 2022 Veritas Reserve.
A number of Gold Medals were awarded to wineries in the up-and-coming Shenandoah Valley, including Brix & Columns Vineyards for their 2020 McGahey, CrossKeys Vineyards for their 2020 Petit Verdot and their 2023 Chardonnay, all of which were outstanding!
Pictured above, we ran into Hanna and her father, notable winemaker Michael Shaps. Hanna was on the U.S. wine tasting tour for Maison Shaps, their winery based in Burgundy, France which she runs for her father. We had a fun time revisiting our time together in Burgundy while photographing for our Wine & Country Life feature story in 2023. Shaps is one of Virginia’s most gold winning winemakers, adding 3 more golds to his stack for his 2017 L. Scott, 2022 Chardonnay and his 2021 L. Scott.
Winemaking is not slowing down to the north or east of the Blue Ridge Mountains either. The Williamsburg Winery, long respected since its first Chardonnay planting in 1985 and located in Virginia’s newest AVA, was awarded two golds this year—one for their 2019 Trianon and one for their 2021 Gabriel Archer Reserve. 8 Chains North Winery in Waterford took home a gold this year for their 2023 Sauvignon Blanc. Back again this year for more gold was Eastwood Winery, headed up by Athena Eastwood who is inspiring more women to join the industry.
Pictured above, we enjoyed chatting with the owners of one of our many wonderful small production wineries, winemaker Bruce and his wife, tasting manager Debby at Cunningham Creek Winery. They brought home two golds for their excellent 2023 Viognier and their 2021 Meritage. And, if by now, you’re thinking what a nice bunch of people make Virginia wines, you’re right!
2025 Virginia Cider of the Year
Daring Wine & Cider Co. took home their first Cider of the Year award for their Crab Apple Blend, made of 75% Hewes Crab Apple and 25 % Ruby Red Crab Apple. The cider has a complex apple aroma with notes of strawberry and white blossoms. Daring Wine & Cider Co, founded in 2021 as the fruition of a 20-year dream of two best friends, is a small-batch, women-owned and -run cider company in Southwest Virginia. Co-founder and cidermaker Jocelyn Kuzelka, pictured below, accepted the award on behalf of the winery.
And the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup Winner is…
Yes! Barboursville Vineyards! Founded and run by Italy’s largest privately held wine family, Barboursville Vineyards was founded in 1976 by Gianni Zonin and is now under the direction of his son Francesco Zonin and the long time Estate Director and Head Winemaker since 1990 Luca Paschina. The “OG” of Virginia’s modern winemaking industry, Barboursville Vineyards continues to pursue excellence in production, experimentation for new varieties that will prosper in Virginia and inspire Virginia Wine Country to grow into its own as a world class wine region. This year the winery took home a commanding haul of 6 gold medals, 2 Governor’s Cup Case placements and 1 Governor’s Cup trophy for their only medaling white wine, their 2023 Vermentino. The other gold medals went to their 2017 Nebbiolo, 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2017 Octagon, 2021, Nebbiolo, and their 2021 Octagon.
Above right, Head Winemaker Emily Hodson of Veritas Vineyards and Winery greets and congratulates Barboursville Vineyards Head Winemaker Luca Paschina on his awards. As Virginia Wine Country’s greatest inspiration for excellence, over the last 20 years Paschina has worked tirelessly to see Virginia become a wine industry that prospers and excels.
Virginia Wine Excellence in 2025
The Governor’s Cup and Cider of the Year are not the only awards presented at the Gala, however. In addition to the Cup winner, 11 wines were selected to form the prestigious Governor’s Cup Case. Over the next year, these winning wines will serve as ambassadors for Virginia wine. The Governor emphasized his commitment to supporting local wineries, stating that only Virginia-made wine is served at his table. He proudly offers it to guests and gifts bottles to visiting dignitaries. Reserved cases of the selected wines will be used to showcase Virginia Wine Country as both a historic and thriving industry. The gold-winning wineries will continue refining their craft, aided in part by proceeds from the night’s silent auction, as they strive for excellence. Each year, the quality of submitted wines improves, and Virginia wineries earn more gold medals—both at the Governor’s Cup and on the international stage. We eagerly anticipate what the next year will bring.
Find the full list of the 2025 Governor’s Cup gold winners here. To see who won the Cup in recent years, read more on the Virginia Governor’s Cup 2024 Awards, the Virginia Governor’s Cup 2023 Awards, Virginia Governor’s Cup 2022 Awards, the Virginia Governor’s Cup 2021 Awards, Virginia Governor’s Cup 2020 Awards, the 2019 Virginia Governor’s Cup Winners and the 2018 Gold Winners of the Virginia Governor’s Cup. ~
R. L. JOHNSON is our co-publisher and creative director, Robin Johnson Bethke, who began her career as a professional photographer in Los Angeles before moving into graphic design and art direction when she relocated to Charlottesville in 1994. As our company’s co-founder and visionary, she enjoys all aspects of the publishing process from story conception to graphic design to photography. Her work is often seen in many of our publications.
