Virginia cup: huge field
The Virginia Governor’s Cup got historic—677 entries from 155 wineries, cideries and meaderies, the largest field in the contest’s 44‑year history. (pilotonline.com) Judges awarded a record 224 gold medals, signaling broad quality and plenty of new medalists to feature on a regional American list. (pilotonline.com)
The Governor’s Cup Gala took place March 12, 2026, at Richmond’s Main Street Station, where organizers unveiled the annual Governor’s Cup Case and announced the competition’s top honors. (wineindustryadvisor.com) Valley Road Vineyards of Afton took the Governor’s Cup with its 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve, the competition’s highest‑scoring wine this year. (blog.virginiawine.org) The winery’s 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve was made from fruit grown at the Grayson Vineyard in the Monticello AVA and was highlighted in the governor’s office release celebrating the win. (governor.virginia.gov) The 2026 Governor’s Cup Case—Virginia’s collection of the twelve highest‑scoring wines—included entries from 7 Lady Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, Cross Keys Vineyards, Fifty‑Third Winery, Glen Manor Vineyards, Granite Heights Winery, Michael Shaps Wineworks, Pollak Vineyards, Trump Winery, Valley Road Vineyards, The Winery at La Grange and Woodbrook Farm Vineyard. (pjrnews.com) Frank Morgan served as Director of Judging for the third consecutive year, overseeing panels made up of sommeliers, wine writers and nationally recognized industry professionals. (prnewswire.com) Judges evaluated entries blind across preliminary and final rounds using a 100‑point system, with the lowest score dropped before averaging. (blog.virginiawine.org) Varietal trends in this year’s medals skewed toward blends and Cabernet Franc: Meritage blends claimed the largest share of top awards and Cabernet Franc was the leading single‑varietal gold medalist. (virginia.org) Regionally, Central Virginia and Northern Virginia together supplied the bulk of this year’s gold‑medal producers. (richardleahy.com) Blue Bee Cider’s 2024 Hewe’s Crab was named Cider of the Year after ciders were judged in a separate category for the sixth consecutive year. (publicnow.com)
