VRV 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve WINS 2026 Virginia Governors Cup
On March 12, 2026, The Virginia Governor’s Cup® Gala took place at Main Street Station in Richmond. Hosted by the Virginia Wine Board, the sold-out event unveiled the Governor’s Cup Case featuring the twelve highest-scoring wines entered among the 677 entries. Governor Abigail Spanberger, joined on the podium by the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Katie Frazier, announced Valley Road Vineyard’s 2023 Cabernet Franc Reserve, as the highest scoring wine in the competition and the 2026 Virginia Governor’s Cup winner.
One of three Cabernet Francs in the 12-bottle Governor’s Case, this wine was crafted from grapes grown in our Grayson Vineyard. Located in Albemarle County within the Monticello AVA, Grayson Vineyards sits immediately adjacent to Valley Road’s SIP tasting room. The vineyard is named in honor of Grayson Poats, Valley Road’s longtime General Manager and a preeminent Virginia vineyard manager, who designed and co-planted the site before his retirement. Planted in the spring of 2021, Grayson Vineyard is situated at an elevation of 800 to 1,000 feet and is rooted predominantly in Chester loam soils with a clay loam subsoil. Vineyard and Farm Manager Walter Pugh has nurtured the Grayson Vineyard since inception and works closely with Winemaker Corry Craighill.
About the Winemaker:
Corry Craighill brings many years of winemaking experience from a variety of regions, including South Africa, France, Australia, New Zealand, California and Oregon in addition to her native Virginia. She has been the resident winemaker at Septenary Winery since 2020, and she started making wine for Valley Road in 2023.
