Charlottesville Food (16 page)

Native species of grapes offered more potential in terms of industrial production, yet the inferior quality of their wine made large-scale production undesirable. Jefferson had earlier praised the qualities of the southern muscadine
Vitis rotundifo
in the form of a North Carolinian scuppernog wine yet seemed reluctant to commit to using this grape or
Vitis labrusca
, the fox grape, as foundational vines for his fledgling vineyard.
¹⁰⁸
The twenty-four grape varietals that made up the 1807 planting at Jefferson's estate were an amalgamation of popular choices and table grapes, representing “the vineyard of a plant collector, an experimenter rather than a serious wine maker.”
¹⁰⁹
The story of wine at Monticello is one of trial and error, an experiment by one of the premier epicureans of early America whose winemaking dreams—and mistakes—had set the stage for future successes.

Almost two centuries later, Jefferson's dreams of melding the taste of Italian wine with American industriousness became a reality on 120 acres of central Virginian red clay. Barboursville Vineyards, established in 1976 by Italian expat Gianni Zonin, is home to many “firsts” of the Virginia wine industry. Gabriele Rausse is also a renowned local vintner, having earned the moniker “father of Virginia wine” during his tenure at Barboursville in the 1970s. Barboursville Vineyards produced the first Virginia wines to be exported to China and provided the Bordeaux-style Octagon blend at the British Embassy's reception for Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton in 2011.
¹¹⁰
The
New York Times
acknowledges that “Jefferson would have cheered” for the successes of Barboursville, finding that “the best of the Virginia wines are fresh, graceful, deeply colored and full of varietal character.”
¹¹¹

Barboursville Vineyards rests on a picturesque 870-acre plot of land stretching from Albemarle to Orange County. The “romantic” red brick ruins of James Barbour's Neo-Palladian mansion, designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1822, now belong to the vineyard.
¹¹²
The octagonal projection of the house and its architectural ties to Jeffersonian innovation have proven clear influences on both owners and managers of Barboursville. Zonin purchased the property after a vacation in Charlottesville, attracted to both the geographic layout and the historical background of Barboursville. Luca Paschina, head winemaker at Barboursville, noted, “The history of the place, the Jefferson connection, the ruins all interested him. He's an Italian.”
¹¹³

It was Paschina's journey to the vineyard in 1990 as a consultant that marked Barboursville's ascendance to a higher quality of wine production. Polite and unassuming, Paschina admits that the vineyard has not changed dramatically since his arrival at the vineyard, stating, “The owner was focused since the beginning on producing the best wine we can from this land and therefore defining a wine region which did not exist.”
¹¹⁴
Paschina confesses, “I pruned all winter long with the people here. They had no idea how to do it.” Over time, Paschina and the team at Barboursville “built up our knowledge of the conditions here. Gradually better vines became available, and we learned which ones would do best.”
¹¹⁵

Ruins of the Barboursville mansion on the property of Barboursville Vineyards.
Courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey
.

“Best,” at Barboursville, is more than a relative statement from a modest winemaker. Particular varieties such as viognier and cabernet franc have done well in the red Piedmont soil, breathing New World life into trusty European varietals that had been previously imported. One of the key elements to the success has been the championing over, or at least truce with, Virginia's clime and wildlife. Dr. Tony Wolf, professor of viticulture at Virginia Tech, has noted that modern winemakers “have more tools in our management toolbox” than did Jefferson in the 1820s or even Zonin in the 1970s. Graelyn Brashear finds that “with pesticides and fungicides, growers can pamper a crop out of the fragile
vinifera
varieties that consumers know and seek out.”
¹¹⁶

Barboursville's place at the cornerstone of the Virginia wine industry tells a story of collaboration, the melding of several visions, strengths and histories for the creation of a solid and consistent product. The dreams of Jefferson, Zonin and Paschina have seemingly coalesced into an elegant and well-marketed bottle of cabernet franc, sampled in the large stone tasting room or purchased at the local Whole Foods. The tale of Gabriele Rausse, father of Virginia wine, is, by contrast, one of fierce individuality.

B
IG AND
S
MALL
S
TORIES OF
L
OCAL
V
INTNERS

Gabriele Rausse's wines are sold under his name, papered with a simple brown label denoting the variety. His winery holds no tasting room, no area for customers to taste the wine or talk up the wine pourers. He has no website and no Facebook page hosting updates or offering space for enthusiasts to praise his vintages. His is a less accessible brand, a winemaker's wine intended for serious consumers. Underneath Rausse's warmth and easy laugh rests a distrust for mainstream food establishments, an almost utilitarian reliance on his own senses—and sensibility. “People are so willing to believe in anything somebody tells them,” Rausse admits. “I believe only what I can see with my eyes and touch with my hands. Words for me don't mean much.”
¹¹⁷

Aging in oak barrels.
Photo by Kevin Haney
.

If one is to rely solely on taste, the solidity of Rausse's wines speaks for itself. According to Margaux and Company, a wine import company that represents Rausse, his wines “bear an unmistakable European stamp,” offering a “clean structure, clear fruit flavors, judicious use of oak and realistic pricing.”
¹¹⁸
His vineyard rests on a seven-acre plot, though most of the grapes that Rausse uses come from vineyards he has planted for other growers.
¹¹⁹
With his two sons, Rausse is responsible for the entire production of his wines. Easily accessible table blends, rarities such as
vin gris
and decadent Old World selections like
nebbiolo
characterize the Gabriele Rausse Winery offerings.

Well traveled and well educated, Rausse has a degree from the University de Milan in agricultural science, a degree “which trains you to be in charge of a farm with a lot of different crops.” Part of Rausse's allure to the Barboursville founders was his experience with grape-growing in Italy, coupled with his experience in Australia with raising cattle and sheep. According to Rausse, the original thought behind Zonin's spur-of-the-moment purchase of Barboursville was that “if grapes don't work, we will do something else.” He notes, “When the farm at Barboursville started, we bought cows, we bought horses, we started to grow soybeans and corn. We had no clue which direction to go and we were discouraged by VA Tech and USDA over and over.”

Rausse worked as the general manager of Barboursville until 1981, when he left to help establish Simeon Vineyards, now named Jefferson Vineyards. In 1999, he aided the foundation of Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard and consulted on Afton Mountain Vineyard, Blenheim, First Colony, Stone Mountain and White Hall.
¹²⁰
In 1997, he left Jefferson Vineyard to come to Monticello “mainly because the offer he had was very attractive,” and so he said, “If I have to work for free, I will do it for a nonprofit organization. The plan was to do something myself.” He obtained his license under the agreement of renting Blenheim; Rausse took care of Blenheim for several years before Dave Matthews purchased the vineyard. He then planted his own vineyard in 1997, and then Kluge came on the scene. Rausse doesn't worry about planting more vines for himself because of his consulting jobs. The grapes for his wine come from all around Virginia, mainly
nebbiolo
and pinot noir varieties.

Rausse's wines, like the man himself, reveal an equal investment in restraint and pleasure. Rausse abhors commodified and over-branded food products, preferring the freshness of garden-picked figs to the fluorescent aisles of grocery stores. To Rausse, smaller is better, both as a winemaker and consumer. “They have regulations that we have in Virginia that we don't have in other states, so for me, I feel comfortable in using Virginia wines because I know what is going on in that wine,” Rausse states. “I do prefer always the small grower for the simple reason that if he's small, he's not interested in money.” A love of knowledge, distrust of large-scale production methods and constant urge for refinement and development mark Gabriele Rausse and his wines as singular in vision and refreshingly straightforward.

Rausse exists at one end of the spectrum of winemaking and wine marketing, relying on word of mouth and personal integrity to get the product to its target audience. If Barboursville, with its name recognition and international appeal, offers a glimpse at the potential market that Virginia wine may reach, Trump Winery takes its self-branding one step further. Donald Trump purchased the vineyard and facility of the defunct Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard from Patricia Kluge in April 2012. Since opening in October of that year, Trump Winery has done a quick business of entrenching itself as a reputable—and lauded—producer of Virginia wine. In March 2013,
Wine Enthusiast
gave the Trump Winery SP Reserve a 91 rating, “the highest rating the magazine has ever given to any Virginia wine, still or sparkling.”
¹²¹
Sold in three different countries, served at Chelsea Clinton's wedding and graced with the instant recognition of the Trump family name, Trump Winery offers consumers an entirely different product in a decidedly different package than Gabriele Rausse's minimalist presentation.

The tasting room at Trump Winery is almost always packed, filled with everyone from excited college students to well-dressed wine enthusiasts from Washington, D.C. A spacious outdoor patio, stone interiors and dark wood accents give the impression of an expensive mountain cabin. The wine, like the tasting room, is glamorous without ostentation. The only showy qualities on the wines' labels are the Trump name, just as the wine itself is made remarkable by its own solidity.

Kerry Woolard, general manager for the winery, finds that while “wineries in our area are after the same clients, mostly local people as well as the D.C. and Richmond crowd,” the global nature of the Trump name makes the winery's reach “a little bit broader.” Trump Winery has more success with wholesale business, as it is distributed in sixteen different states and three different countries.
¹²²
Woolard acknowledges, “Virginia wine has been spread out further than it had been because of our distribution network.”

The biggest assets to Trump Winery are its “size and global brand recognition.” Woolard relates flying to various brand meetings, doing demos for distributors, visiting other Trump properties, engaging in staff training and winemakers' dinners and serving wine at members-only events. “Other wineries in Virginia are more reliant on people buying wine at wineries,” she says. “The Trump wine is in other markets.” Woolard notes that her demonstrations begin with a two-minute description of Virginia before she talks about the wine; to her, the Trump brand provides “a great opportunity to expose people all over the world to Virginia wine that wouldn't have had it in any other context or exposure.”

Trump Winery's position in the heart of the Monticello Wine Trail attracts more serious wine consumers; Woolard finds that Charlottesville lends to that appeal. “I don't think the wine industry would have developed in the capacity it has if not for the culinary and farm-to-table aspects of Charlottesville,” she states. Woolard believes wine and food to be mutually dependent, as it's “weird to go to a wine area without a culinary scene.” Given that “the wine-interested traveler has interest in culinary experiences as well,” Trump Winery seeks to provide visitors with a memorable, seasonal menu. The restaurant serves Caromont cheeses, Surryano ham and Monastery Gouda, with pork products coming from the Rock Barn. “I've always felt there is a disconnect between wine as a farm product,” Woolard states. “Some of the best restaurants in Charlottesville have local products all over and no local wines.” She sees wine in the bottle as often removed from the farm process but attests that Trump Winery is a local farm as well.