Frozen Vines and Gold Medal Wines: A Look Back at Winter 2025 at Veritas
March 14, 2025
A Look Back at Winter 2025 at Veritas
It’s the season to be freezin’.
What’s to Love About Winter?
Let’s face it, the best thing about winter is getting away from it.
It is hard to understand how this winter could have been so darn cold. We’ve been in Virginia for 25 years, and this was undoubtedly the longest prolonged spell of cold weather. I have been bemoaning that in the last few winter newsletters or so, we haven’t had a decently cold winter, but this one has made up for it in spades (or shovels of snow).
A High Profile Start to the Year
Veritas has kicked off the year on a high note—we achieved our best results ever in the San Francisco Chroncile Wine Competition; Emily received national recognition with the prestigious Rich Smith Award of Excellence; and for reasons that none of us can figure out, our 2022 Reserve Chardonnay was featured at the inaugural luncheon alongside Chesapeake crabcakes!
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is probably the most prestigious competition in the USA, both in terms of judging standards and the quality of the competing wineries. Two of our wines, 2023 Sauvignon Blanc and 2023 Monticello White Blend, won Best in Class, in addition to our Cabernet Franc, Claret, Veritas Reserve, and NV Scintilla, earning four gold medals.
2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup
And talking of Gold Medals, we won two in the 2025 Governor’s Cup Wine Competition: our 2023 Monticello White Blend and our 2022 Reserve Red. Not only that, but the Monticello White Blend was selected for the Governor’s case, which puts it among the top twelve highest-scoring wines in the entire competition.
We are so proud of our cellar and vineyard teams! Remember, this is the same wine that won best in class in the San Francisco Chronicle Competition! Naturally I want to make this the wine of the season, so I thought I would include a tasting note.
Andrew’s Tasting Note on 2023 Monticello White: The wine is pale lemon in color with pronounced aromas of white flowers, orange blossom, and acacia, which precede the aromas of Meyer lemon, stone fruit, and ginger. On the palate the wine has bright mouth-watering attack that is softened by the unctuous mouthfeel as notes of citrus and fresh green grass lead onto stone fruit, peach, apricot and pineapple; hints of Pina Colada and ginger add to the wonderful complexity of this wine. The finish is complex and long lasting. The wine has everything, balance, intensity, complexity, and a forever finish.
Ninth Annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence
In January, Emily was awarded the Rich Smith Award of Excellence! This esteemed award recognizes Emily’s passion, commitment, and collaboration in advancing the American grape and wine industry. Her impact is felt far beyond our vineyards, from pioneering research with Winemaker’s Research Exchange to leading the charge in grapevine innovation.
The announcement read: “Her love of science, her drive, and passion for the Virginia wine industry are at the core of what Rich did throughout his career. Emily is the perfect addition to the growing list of accomplished award winners. Congrats, Emily!”
The award was established to honor the legacy of Rich Smith, a visionary grape grower and winery owner whose passion, collaboration, and commitment helped shape the American wine industry. Since 2015, WineAmerica, the National Grape Research Alliance, and Winegrape Growers of America have presented this award annually to individuals who embody Rich’s spirit and contributions.
Photo: The Charred Cask
Emily is the second woman to receive this distinguished award; we couldn’t be more proud! Her craft, passion, and leadership continue to elevate Virginia wine, and we’re honored to celebrate her today and every day.
Winter in Vineyard
As you all know, the vines are currently in a dormant state with minimal to no metabolic activity as they patiently wait for the warmth of spring. Although it’s a quiet time in the vineyard, this is a time of great activity for our vineyard crew.
Fun Fact: “Snow is the poor man’s fertilizer.”
In addition to providing an insulating blanket that prevents the vines from experiencing deep temperature fluctuations, snow (and rain) provide an estimated 1 to 6 kilograms of nitrogen per acre. Interestingly, the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere has increased dramatically since industrialization and the advent of the automobile, remember the VW scandal about the pollutant nitric oxide released into the atmosphere?
European legend states that pruning starts after January 22—St. Vincent’s Day—roughly halfway between harvest and bud break. The legend is supposed to have originated when St. Vincent was visiting a vineyard in the spring. While he stopped and chatted with some vineyard workers, his donkey helped himself with the young shoots growing on the nearby vines. Come harvest time, the vine cut back by the donkey had the most fruit in the entire vineyard, and boom, the process of pruning was born, and St. Vincent was made a Saint.
We have learned by experience that if we limit the number of buds on a single vine, that vine will produce a specific number of bunches of grapes. So, roughly, we aim for a vine to produce so many grams of fruit per linear foot of cordon—pruning is our way of determining how much fruit each vine will bear.
It is the great paradox of wine grape growing that the less fruit a vine produces, the higher the quality of the wine made from that vine.
You can imagine, or maybe you cannot imagine, what it is like standing in a field in sub-zero temperatures, clipping vines with a pair of pruners. We do a couple of things to make it easier for the crew.
First, we go through the rows with mechanical hedgers to lop off the long canes that are pulled out of the canopy before the fine pruning is done. The workers doing the fine pruning use specialized electric-powered pruners that make it much easier to cut the canes.
Still, it is an enormous and grueling task, especially when you realize we have over seventy miles of vineyard cordons to prune. Our vineyard crew is one in a million, and we couldn’t have done it without them braving even the harshest of winters.
Starting the Year Off with Wine and Wellness
While this winter was particularly harsh, our Farmhouse Retreat leaders joked that at least the cold temperatures offered our February attendees a free cryotherapy session—and they took full advantage. With stunning hikes along the Appalachian Trail just miles from the vineyard, our ten guests braved the chilly temps and high winds for the chance to get outside, breathe in the fresh air, and take a moment just for themselves—even if it meant bundling up in a few extra layers.
Since 2016, our Farmhouse Retreats have formed into this because of the composition of wine and wellness, a beautiful balance of pleasure and relaxation. Perfect for any wine-lover looking to get away for a few days, our retreats offer relaxing yoga and meditation sessions, scenic mountain hikes, incredibly prepared farm-to-table meals, and, of course, fine wine. Our February guests were astounded at the level of culinary excellence at the Farmhouse—something we take great pride in at Veritas. Each dish is thoughtfully paired with a Veritas wine, with the menu changing bi-weekly, so the experience is never the same when you return.
Photo by Hannah Malloy.
In a fitting farewell to winter, our retreaters woke up on their last day to a bit of Virginia winter magic: a light dusting of snow to send them on their way. It’s safe to say we won’t be seeing that kind of send-off in June or July!
Veritas Events
While winter weather may have made midweek winery visits a challenge for both local and traveling wine lovers, our Ballroom has been anything but quiet! With a lineup of unforgettable evening events, we’ve kept the energy high with dazzling dance moves, flowing sparkling wine, and incredible food.
Patricia and I had the pleasure of attending both the New Year’s Eve Masked Ball and the return of our Valentine’s Day Dinner—each a night to remember. If you joined us, we loved celebrating with you! And if you couldn’t make it, we missed you and hope to see you at a future event.
New Year’s Eve Masked Ball
Valentine’s Dinner
Photos by Ben Lolli.
Employees of the Season: Tasting Room Staff
While the wine industry is experiencing a global downturn, with national and international markets down at least 10%, we have reason to celebrate. Despite one of the coldest starts of the year with multiple snow days, our tasting room activity and sales are up compared to last year!
This success is a testament to the dedication of our tasting room team, who are committed to delivering the Veritas experience to every guest. Led by George, the team starts each day with “Stand-up,” a morning meeting to review the day’s bookings, discuss the latest wines, and reaffirm our focus on exceptional hospitality. Aaron, Chavia, Trevor, Heidi, and the entire team work tirelessly to ensure each guest enjoys a personalized and memorable visit.
With the return of guided tastings, we’re thrilled to offer the experience our guests are looking for—one that brings our wines to life and allows guests to savor the very best of Veritas. Cheers to a strong start to the year and to the team that makes it all possible!
Family Updates
Thank you for reading our winter newsletter. After such a tough start to the year, let’s hope that things improve not only with the weather but also for all the people who have been dispossessed by changes in our government and the rest of the world. Remember the cure to all these woes—pop a bottle of Veritas Scintilla.
From all of us here at Veritas, have a Happy St. Patty’s Day and a healthy Spring!
Andrew Hodson
Retired Dilettante and Bottle Washer.
SEO: Frozen Vines and Gold Medal Wines: A Look Back at Winter 2025 at Veritas
What a beautiful reflection on the winter season at Veritas! The sense of community and the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the winemaking process really highlight the passion that goes into every bottle.
Andrew, what a super news letter. I’m sorry to have missed this year’s winter in the vineyard but I’m absolutely delighted to find it in good shape on my return from warmer climes.