EPISODE # 34 JENNI McCLOUD/CHRYSALIS VINEYARDS AT THE AG DISTRICT

Fine Wine Confidential Podcast

Jennifer McCloud's journey and pursuit to reclaim Norton as Virginia's native grape began in the mid-1990's when she found herself in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Eastern conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture, (A.S.E.V.) where Dennis Horton and his winemaking consultant at the time Alan Kinne were speaking about Viognier and Norton, two grape varietals that Dennis had been producing wine from. She was intrigued and when she had her first taste of Norton it just spoke to her. She would later engage Alan Kinne to consult for her when she wanted to plant her own vineyard in 1997.
Jenni claims to have the largest planting of Norton grapes in the world at 40 acres. There is no question of her commitment to Norton. However, she pioneered planting Albarino on the east coast and produces one of the finest of all Viogniers in this country. In addition, here 400+ acre farm has dairy cows from which she produces cheeses to sell at the Ag District outlet, here retail space just off of Virginia Highway 50 in Middleburg, VA.
One of the comments Jenni made during her interview resonated with me. She said: "why not plant a grape vine that wants to grow there, and not try and grow a grape vine that doesn't." I thought that was an interesting and thought-provoking comment. Think about it.
There is a lot to unpack in this Episode. Some of the Highlights are:
a). How she went from selling her Tech business to becoming a winegrower in VA.
b). The background and deep history of the Norton grape which was propagated in Richmond, Virginia by Daniel Norborne Norton, a medical doctor back in the 1820's
c). Her inspiration and motivation to reclaim Norton as Virginia's grape.
d). The challenges she has faced on this journey and the successes she has enjoyed.
e). The reasons she believes Norton was not a focus of winegrowing here in the Old Dominion after the repeal of Prohibition.
f). Her commitment to the land and how the Ag District became an entity recognized by the state.
So much more. Listen to the Episode below or read the text transcript and learn all you will ever want to know about Norton.

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