Visiting EVERY Winery in Virginia

"We should visit every Virginia winery."

My friend Brittany and I lazily swirled our wine while pondering over my words, half-statement and half-challenge.  It was a perfect spring day, and having just visited two Virginia wineries that morning and acquired a map of all 252+ wineries in the Commonwealth, the idea was appealing.

"We should do it before you turn 30 - just to make it interesting," I said to my friend.  "That gives us five years."

"What if we have kids?  That's at least nine months each of not being able to drink, which means visiting a winery is pointless," Brittany countered.  "Let's shoot for when you turn 35."  With a nod and a clink of our glasses, the challenge was finalized, and #252by2022 began.*

***

Barboursville Vineyards

Over the last decade, Virginia has seen a veritable explosion in viticulture.  From a mere six wineries in the 1970s, the industry grew slowly, numbering only 46 by 1995 and then 107 by 2005.  Ten years later, however, the official count stands at 252.**  With numbers like these, there's obviously something very exciting happening with Virginia wines - only California, New York, Oregon, and Washington can boast more within the United States.

Quantity does not always mean quality, but Virginia wines excel in both categories, already establishing a reputation on the world market.  The state is being hailed as the future "East Coast Napa Valley" with especial attention paid to the Shenandoah regions.

It was there in the Shenandoah viticulture region that Brittany and I settled upon our epic challenge.  Now instead of being dirt fishing widows, we'll spend our time racing the clock - making our way to and through every winery in the Commonwealth.

Wish our livers luck!

No better way to spend a Saturday. #vawinetrail

A photo posted by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsy87) on Apr 11, 2015 at 10:08am PDT

Read more about the history of Virginia wines here.
*Every visit will be written about and links to every winery will be found on my Virginia Vineyards page or can be seen on Twitter / Instagram with the #252by2022 hash tag.
**As of this article's publication.  If the number rises, we will still attempt to visit before 2022!

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