Nascent Sweet Briar College Farm Winery Strikes Gold (and Silver) in Virginia Governor's Cup
The award was the latest in a Phoenix-like story that began a decade ago when the directors of Sweet Briar College announced the all-women's school 10 miles from Lexington, Va., would close. The alumni, infuriated by the closure since the college had a growing endowment, revolted, raised more than $20 million in 90 days and won an order from the Virginia Supreme Court overturning the closure decision.
The outgoing administration had done everything possible to insure the school would not be able to reopen. All the admissions department records were destroyed, all employees except a couple of human resources people were dismissed and their email accounts deactivated, etc.
Nonetheless, the school did reopen with a new interim president, Philip Stone, who immediately announced he would rehire all faculty and staff, and all students were urged to return to campus.
In addition to an intensely loyal alumnae body, Sweet Briar had a 2,847-acre campus. After stabilizing the insitution, a new president established a vineyard in 2019 as part of the colleges focus on sustainability and agricultural enterprises.
Sweet Briar College Farm Winery has rapidly become a rising star in the Virginia wine industry. After bottling its first independent vintage from the 2023 harvest, the Farm entered its first-ever wine competition, achieving a remarkable three medals – one gold and two silvers – in Virginia's prestigious Governor's Cup.
The gold medal entry, Earned the Rosé, is named for the institution's motto honoring all Sweet Briar graduates, "She who earns the rose may bear it." The new variety delighted the senses of six judges who conducted single-blind tastings over three days. They knew the grape or category of each wine, but not its vintage, winery or name. A 12-judge panel subsequently assessed the highest-ranking wines, sampled all and assigned final marks. Those scoring 90 to 100 were accorded gold medals and are included in the Virginia Gold Medal Wine Trail, where wine enthusiasts flock each year to discover the Commonwealth's finest offerings.
Silver medal winners were Leading the Way Chardonnay and Meadow Merlot.
"Our wines are named to honor and celebrate Sweet Briar College's traditions, academic excellence and core curriculum dedicated to women's leadership, and to highlight our sustainability initiatives," noted Prof. Lisa Powell, Ph.D., who heads the school's agriculture and sustainability programs.
Grapes for the award winners were grown on the College's campus, overlooking a wildflower field that provides superb forage for both native pollinators and honeybees from Sweet Briar's apiary. The wines are made in collaboration with Michael Shaps Wineworks and are bottled in Charlottesville, Va.
"Students learn about viticulture and the wine industry both through courses and a variety of experiential opportunities. Several honors students have conducted research inspired by our vineyards, including work on marketing and designing traps for invasive pests. Since we planted the vines, groups of students have learned how to prune, how to estimate yields, how to sample to assess readiness for harvest, and bottled some of our wines," said Powell.
Editor's Note: We don't normally report competition results, although perhaps we should. I made an exception for Sweet Briar for two reasons (1) the story about the rescue of the college by its alumni, and (2) I suggested to its former president, Meredith Woo, that it establish a vineyard on part of its 2,847-acre campus. It also operates a 26,000-square-foot greenhouse and an apirary.