Autumn Reflections: The Beauty, Harvest, and Heart of Veritas Winery
December 10, 2024
Autumn 2024 Newsletter
I love Autumn, and every year, I try to figure out what makes me like it so much. I often start with my favorite line from John Keats’ poem “To Autumn”:
“Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run.”
I never tire of reading that poem this time of year.
In past Fall blog posts, I have elaborated on the dazzling colors of the leaves, the smells of sweet decay, and the thrill of feeling the early morning coolness as summer transitions into Autumn.
It is the very change of one state of being into another, from the unbounded optimism of summer to the reality that nothing lasts forever and change is inevitable. That brief moment of realization is over before you have had time to appreciate the difference. Autumn tugs at the heartstrings, making us all realize the frailty of our existence. And who amongst us does not love the line “I miss you most of all my darling when autumn leaves start to fall.”
What’s New?
Harvest is in, and it was a good season all around. The vines are now shutting down into dormancy, the Christmas lights are up, and we are gearing up for the holiday season. In the following lines, I will relay the last phase of the 25th-anniversary journey and talk about the status of the Virginia Wine industry before rounding up the vineyard and cellar news.
The Ongoing Tale of Our 25th Anniversary
In previous newsletter editions, I covered how we got the idea to move to Virginia, how we started the vineyard, and how we learned to make wine. This final section is about how we sell our wines and keep customers returning. Just as we learned to plant grape vines and make wine, we learned how to sell wines by doing it.
There were several distinct phases in the process. The first was to get established—i.e., to let people know we existed. The second was how best to sell our wines: directly to customers or by distribution and setting up our longstanding wine club. The third—and totally unexpected and definitely not in our original plan to open a vineyard—was hosting weddings and events like Starry Nights, Supper Series, and Illuminated.
Our first foray into the world of wine retail was in 2002, with our first 2001 vintage at the Virginia Wine Festival at the Great Meadow in the Plains in Fauquier County. Patricia and I took a cash box along with our wines, and that was all. We had no idea of how to even process a credit card. Luckily, we had made a few friends, one of them being the lovely folks at nearby Hilltop Berry Farm. They immediately realized our sorry state of unpreparedness and very graciously lent us a couple of tablecloths and the old-fashioned “knuckle duster” credit card machine. We went home, elated with over $3,000.00 in sales, our first income in almost three years.
The next step was to understand the laws governing alcohol sales in Virginia. Because of prohibition, wineries are prohibited from selling wine directly to retailers. To distribute wine, we had to sell it first to a distributor, who then sold it to the retailer.
This is why our wine club is so important to our sales: We can bypass the middleman. Most of you reading this know that by joining the Veritas wine club, you can buy wine at a 20% discounted price but also reap the multiple benefits of being a wine club member: a glass of wine for you and a friend when you visit the winery, special pricing on winery events, and exclusive Wine Club member-only events.
At one point, we had almost 4,000 wine club members, and during 2020, the year that shall not be named, our wine club members kept us afloat. So, for us, Wine Club comes first, and in the future, that’s how it will continue to be. It is heartwarming to know that whatever form of alcohol is available, you choose our wines to enjoy. You may be new to the wine club or a veteran member, but it does not matter; what matters to us is that you feel like part of our family. Thank you for being a continuous part of our journey here!
The third significant factor in Veritas’s growth has been our ability to host weddings and hold events. We had yet to learn how much the events business would impact sales. It’s less about the revenue streams than the fact that we can attract so many people to the winery with universal acclaim, and everyone has a great time. (The whole idea of wineries becoming event centers is of concern to all of us in the industry.)
We’ve seen countless events over the years since we started, from weddings to birthday parties to a well-timed British Invasion Festival on July 3rd once. I’ve even officiated a wedding here for one lucky Veritas couple!
Events, no matter the size or the reason, leant an experience to Veritas that we never knew we needed until it happened. Now our curated signature events are here for your enjoyment and ours and to enhance the wines we produce.
Charlottesville, Wine Region of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Awards
The Virginia Wine Industry is at an interesting point in its history. On the one hand, there has been a lot of media hype over the summer. Wine Enthusiast voted Central Virginia one of the most promising wine growth areas in the world. Château Montrose in Bordeaux just bought out RDV vineyards in Northern Virginia, and even the Wine and Spirits Education Trust has tasked Diploma candidates with writing a treatise on the future of the Virginia Wine Industry, so we are getting noticed.
Counter that with wine sales being down both here and abroad. The French Government is subsidizing wine growers to pull out more than 25,000 hectares of vines because of oversupply and decreasing demand. There has been so much negative press about alcohol recently. Remember when it was widely believed that one or two glasses of wine daily was associated with better health outcomes than drinking no wine? I am of the opinion that there is so much more to wine. It is a social phenomenon that brings people together to enhance their quality of life like no other, and I hope that it continues to do so.
News from the Winery
In the Vineyard, this is a quiet time for the vines: time to hunker down and wait for spring. The vines might be resting, but the vineyard crew is working to prepare for winter pruning in December. The nets must be rolled up and secured on the cordon, posts have to be replaced, and wires need to be fixed. Unlike everyone else, we pray for a cold winter, at least a week, with temperatures below freezing. The main reason is insects of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Although we have witnessed the invasion of the Spotted Winged Lantern fly over the last few months, they have not yet been able to wreak havoc on the vines; we are hoping for a cold, cold winter to knock most of them out. As I’ve said time and time again, wine is made in the vineyard thanks to the hard work and expertise of Bill Tonkins and his great team, led by Alvino.
We processed almost 300 tons of grapes in total, a good yield with high-quality fruit, making 2024 an excellent year. Emily will tell you when the quality of the fruit is good, she lets the wines make themselves. The less intervention, the better. The harvest is in and the winemaking is in full swing; yeast fermentation is now complete, and most reds are going through malolactic fermentation before settling down in the barrel for the winter. Emily and Elliott run a lean and highly effective team that ensures the quality of Veritas, which, as you all know, is the core value of the Veritas name.
Employee of the Season
Dean Hughes, a local to Afton, graduated from Nelson County High School in 1999. The first half of his career was spent working as a mechanic at local automotive shops. He transitioned into facilities management at Blue Mountain Brewery, where he worked for 7 years before joining Veritas in 2022.
Dean’s vast knowledge and experience in plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry have greatly benefited us; he is a genuine “Jack of All Trades.” When he’s not “saving the day” at Veritas, you will likely find him at a ball field, fishing, hunting, or at the beach with his family. Dean resides in Afton with his wife, Crystal, and their four boys, Trevor, Mason, Levi, and Easton.
Family Updates
Patricia and I just returned from a cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Prague hosted by Christine Vrooman of Ankida Ridge Winery. We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, and all the girls are thriving!
Thank you for reading the newsletter, which has not changed in format for all the years I’ve written it. So many of you tell me how much they enjoy reading it. Veritas has lasted for 25 years, and we look forward to ringing out our celebration of our Silver Jubilee at the New Year’s Eve Masked Ball! Patricia and I hope to see you there and toast to the next 25!
From all of the Veritas family, we wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
Andrew Hodson
Raconteur and Dilettante Bottle Washer
Thanks again, Andrew, for a lovely and informative newsletter! I’m still wondering what it is like to be a Dilettante Bottle Washer though.
Good stuff as always, old friend! I think in Florida, autumn is winter, so we’re just getting to feel what you felt when you wrote the newsletter. Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a very cold week or two, and warm feet through it all.