Top 100 red wines of West Virginia

Discover the top 100 best red wines of West Virginia as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of West Virginia and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the eastern United States, located entirely within the Appalachian mountain range. The region's rugged and varied topography offers a wide range of terroirs within the state, and a range of vinifera, native and HybridGrapes can be found in the small number of vineyards. The best wines are produced from the Riesling grape, but Seyval Blanc, Marechal Foch and various fruit wines are also produced in the state. West Virginia covers a modest 24,250 square miles (62,750 km²), bordered by Pennsylvania and Ohio to the North and Virginia and Maryland to the east.

This relatively small Size is due to the fact that the state was carved out of Virginia during the Civil War (1861-65), when 48 counties with few or no slave owners broke away and formed their own independent state. Montani semper liberi (mountain men are always free) is the state motto, and West Virginia is one of many states that have adopted the nickname "the Mountain State. " The importance of the Appalachian Mountains cannot be overstated. The state's many rivers are also an essential Part of West Virginia's geography, as they combine with the hills to create varied mesoclimates where vineyards can thrive.

News from the vineyard of West Virginia

Shirakawa 1958 single malt set for release

Shirakawa 1958 is the only official single malt bottling from the demolished distillery, and is also said to be the earliest single vintage Japanese whisky bottled to date, although part of its back story remains shrouded in mystery. The whisky was distilled at the Shirakawa distillery, located 200km north of Tokyo, in 1958, and survived an era when Shirakawa’s malt whisky was almost all used in owner Takara Shuzo’s flagship ‘King’ blend. Shirakawa was opened in Fukushima Prefecture by previous ...

Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine La Ferme St-Martin, Beaumes de Venise

Onwards, upwards. The roads get narrower, the corners get tighter. I step out of the car when I finally reach the winery and the air is so much fresher here. I go to take a sip from my water bottle and a gust of wind makes it whistle. I stand with Thomas Jullien and we look over the vineyards. It’s not yet spring, and the vines look little more than sticks. ‘It’s a lunar landscape at the moment,’ he says, as a friend’s flock of 300 sheep has just passed through to graze on every scrap of green b ...

Château Climens gets new majority owner after stake sale

Château Climens owner Lurton has sold a majority stake in the prestigious, Barsac-based estate to Jean-Hubert Moitry and his family, via the family’s Patrimonia Développement group, it was announced this week. It marks the Moitry family’s first investment in the wine sector, and represents a major deal in the Bordeaux wine world. Financial details weren’t disclosed. Nicknamed ‘Lord of Barsac’, Climens is one of the Premier Grand Cru Classé estates of Sauternes and Barsac listed in Bordeaux ...

Top wines in regions and sub-regions of West Virginia

The best wines of West Virginia in other styles