Friday, December 6, 2013

Two Virginians Named to Vineyard & Winery Management’s “20 Most Admired People in the North American Wine Industry”

English: Selection of early Ridge wine bottles.
English: Selection of early Ridge wine bottles. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
~ Luca Paschina, Lucie Morton Recognized for Long-Time Work in Virginia and Beyond ~

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today issued the following statement regarding Luca Paschina, General Manager and Winemaker of Barboursville Vineyards, and Lucie Morton, a longtime viticulture consultant in Virginia, being named in Vineyard & Winery Management(V&WM) magazine’s “20 Most Admired People in the North American Wine Industry.”  The winemakers, grapegrowers, educators, media members, and other industry professionals on the list are featured in the November-December 2013 issue of V&WM, a bi-monthly trade publication based in California.

            Speaking about the recognition Governor McDonnell said, “I’m pleased to learn about this new significant milestone for Virginia’s wine industry and the personal recognition for Luca and Lucie.  To be ranked among the top 20 most admired people in the entire North American wine industry is quite an accomplishment, but both are very deserving of this honor.  It’s been a privilege to have worked with Luca and Lucie during the last four years, and I am grateful for all they have done to help elevate the Virginia wine industry both nationally and internationally.”

  A panel of North American winemakers, grapegrowers, wine writers, educators, buyers, sommeliers, and consultants was asked to nominate their industry heroes, from which a list of 50 finalists was compiled.  The panelists were then asked to vote for their top candidates.  It was from this list where the Top 20 nominees emerged. 

            In addition to Paschina and Morton, the V&WM Top 20 Most Admired People in the North American Wine Industry included the following listed in alphabetical order:
  • Eric Asimov, Chief Wine Critic, The New York Times
  • Ted Baseler, CEO, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
  • Andy Beckstoffer, Chairman/CEO, Beckstoffer Vineyards
  • Dan Berger, Wine Writer/Publisher, “Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences”
  • Jean-Charles Boisset, President, Boisset Family Estates
  • Cathy Corison, Founder/Winemaker, Corison Winery
  • Paul Draper, CEO/Winemaker, Ridge Vineyards
  • Merry Edwards, Founder/Winemaker, Merry Edwards Winery
  • Randall Grahm, Founder, Bonny Doon Vineyard
  • Jerry Lohr, Founder, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
  • Larry Mawby, Proprietor/Winemaker, L. Mawby Vineyards
  • Dr. Carole Meredith, Professor Emeritus, UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology/Co-owner, Lagier Meredith Vineyard
  • Joel Peterson, Head Winemaker, Ravenswood Winery
  • Johannes Reinhardt, Winemaker, Anthony Road Wine Company and Kemmeter Wines
  • Jim Trezise, President, New York Wine & Grape Foundation
  • Carolyn Wente, CEO, Wente Vineyards
  • Dr. Jim Wolpert, Viticulture Extension Specialist Emeritus, UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology
  • Kevin Zraly, Wine Educator

  •             To read the full story, including profiles of the award winners, visit: http://www.vwmmedia.com/landingpage.asp?z=F1AEC8F65584477GDCB93B0F43305.

                The recognition by Vineyard & Winery Management comes on the heels of Wine Enthusiast magazine recently awarding Gianni Zonin, owner of Barboursville Vineyards, with its 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.  The magazine also awarded Eric Trump, owner of Trump Estate Vineyards & Winery, with its 2013 Rising Star Award.  For more information on Wine Enthusiast’s 2013 Wine Star awards and nominees, please visit winemag.com.

    Virginia currently ranks fifth in the number of wineries in the nation with more than 240. Virginia is also tied with Texas as the nation's fifth largest wine grape producing states. According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry employs more than 4,700 individuals and contributes almost $750 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis. In addition, more than 1.6 million tourists, a record high, visited Virginia wineries in 2011.

                For more information about the Virginia wine industry, please visit the Virginia Wine Marketing Office’s website athttp://www.virginiawine.org/ or call 804-344-8200.
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