Maybe we can change that with a bit of oenological history: Virginia is still in the developing stages as a viticultural state compared to most European countries, with the first vineyards planted in the Monticello AVA (American Viticultural Area) by Thomas Jefferson in the 1770s. He hired and financially supported an Italian winemaker by the name of Phillip Mazzei to assist in harvesting the grapes around his Monticello home and making wine without much success. Those vineyards were eventually torn up and destroyed along with Jefferson’s winemaking dreams, which have, fortunately, become a reality today.

The modern-day “Father of the modern Virginia wine industry” is an Italian man by a different name. He is the ever charming Gabriele Rausse, who also holds the title of Assistant Director of Gardens and Grounds at Monticello. He is responsible for assisting in planning and planting the vineyards for the first commercial winery in the Commonwealth, Barboursville Vineyards. He has made a significant impact working with vineyards since those were planted in 1976 and the Virginia wine region began to grow with the aid of his knowledge through consulting and teaching. He and his two sons, Tim and Peter, have their own winery and are currently in the thick of harvest themselves. (For an illuminating interview with Gabriele Rausse, see the upcoming October 2011 issue of Virginia Living.)

Harvest is the first step of wine production, and begins simply, with picking the ripened grapes from the vine. The start of the harvest is up to the winemaker to decide, as grapes are tested for the appropriate level of sugar (or brix) and acid (TA or titratable acid) which factor into this initial step. In general, the grapes used in sparkling wine (chardonnay and pinot noir) are the first to be harvested, followed by white wine grapes, and then red. The grapes are harvested by a group of people trained to select clusters without rot, excess leaves, and have optimal ripeness.