FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 28, 2013
Media Contact: Lisa Stites, 434-984-7529
Charlottesville, VA.—The fourth annual Wine Festival at Monticello celebrates Thomas Jefferson’s lasting influence on the Virginia wine industry—and kicks off Saturday, May 11, 2013, 6-9 p.m., on the West Lawn of Monticello.
Jefferson has been called “America’s first distinguished viticulturist” and the “greatest patron of wine and winegrowing that this country has yet had.” It was at Monticello where Jefferson stored his favorite wines from European vineyards in his wine cellar and grew grapes in hopes of producing his own wine.
During the Wine Festival at Monticello, visitors can enjoy the splendor of spring, taste Virginia’s best selection of wines and stroll through the restored vineyards at Monticello by twilight. The event also includes tours of Jefferson’s home, live music on the West Lawn and wine tastings from local Virginia vineyards. Virginia winemaker and Monticello’s Assistant Director of Gardens and Grounds Gabriele Rausse—often referred to as the “Father of Virginia Wine”—will be on hand to answer questions about our region’s finest wines and how they compare to the vintages that Jefferson enjoyed.
Participating wineries include: Barboursville Vineyards, Cardinal Point Vineyard and Winery, Flying Fox Vineyards, Gabriele Rausse Winery, Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard, Stinson Vineyards, Trump Winery, Virginia Wineworks, Wisdom Oak Winery, and White Hall Vineyards.
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About Monticello
Thomas Jefferson Foundation was incorporated in 1923 to preserve Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia. Monticello is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a United Nations World Heritage Site. As a private, nonprofit organization, the Foundation receives no regular federal or state budget support for its twofold mission of preservation and education. About 450,000 people visit Monticello each year. For information, visit www.monticello.org.