Yannick Benjamin: Glen Manor Vineyards is “the most spectacular site on the East Coast”

In recent edition of Laura Maniec’s #SommsWeLove, Yannick Benjamin, a New York City-based sommelier and one of the co-founders of Wheeling Forward, gave a shout out to Glen Manor Vineyards.

Q: What is an off the radar producer, wine or region that more people need to know about?

A: In March of 2021, I explored Virginia Wine Country and I had one of the most enlightening visits of my career with Jeff White of Glen Manor Vineyards, which is located about 70 miles west of Washington DC. This family-owned vineyard in my opinion is the most spectacular site on the East Coast.

GMV Petit Manseng Selected for The Wine Advocate’s Top 100 Wine Discoveries 2020

Glen Manor Vineyard’s 2019 Dry Petit Manseng has been chosen from over 30,000 wines for The Wine Advocate’s Top 100 Wine Discoveries 2020. Earlier this year, WA reviewer Mark Squires awarded Glen Manor Vineyard’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc and 2019 Petit Manseng 92 points. Continue reading “GMV Petit Manseng Selected for The Wine Advocate’s Top 100 Wine Discoveries 2020”

GMV Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Manseng Score 92 Points from The Wine Advocate

In the June 2020 issue of The Wine Advocate, Mark Squires reviewed recent vintages of Virginia wine, and Glen Manor Vineyard’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc and 2019 Petit Manseng each scored a 92 and enthusiastic praise.

Here are some of the highlights:

“Top [Virginia] wineries and wines are making it work, however, and there are more of them, so that’s nice to see. Glen Manor, for instance, makes relatively rich and sexy reds with some stuffing.” Continue reading “GMV Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Manseng Score 92 Points from The Wine Advocate”

Area wineries win gold in Governor’s Cup

First published in The Northern Virginia Daily, February 19, 2020

Six wineries in the region scored gold at the 2020 Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition.

Presented by the Virginia Wineries Association, the Governor’s Cup is a wine-tasting competition in which judges from around the world determine the best wines in the state. Chester Gap Cellars and Glen Manor Vineyards in Front Royal, Muse Vineyards in Woodstock, Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, Crosskeys Vineyard in Mount Crawford near Harrisonburg, and Delaplane Cellars in Delaplane won gold medals during the four-week competition, according to a news release sent out by the association. Continue reading “Area wineries win gold in Governor’s Cup”

10 Virginia Wines That Will Capture Your Attention

First published in Paste Magazine, February 26,2020

Not long ago I got to sample a diverse array of Virginia wines. The marketing literature that accompanied the bottles said “Unpredictability is a gift.” And amen to that. Winemaking in Virginia predates the United States-in the 1770s, colonists were required by law to plant grapes and George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had prominent vineyard lands. But Virginia wines have been slow to reach the kind of prominence enjoyed by Napa, or Bordeaux. Luckily for all of us, Virginia winemakers seem to see this (wisely) as an advantage. Continue reading “10 Virginia Wines That Will Capture Your Attention”

Best Virginia Wineries to Visit

First published in Food & Wine, December 29, 2016

With over 250 wineries, many producing high-quality products, Virginia vies with New York for the reputation as East Coast’s finest wine-producing state. Native winemakers, plus wealthy outside investors, plus a dose of Old World expertise (from world-class European consultants) are all coming together in Virginia to produce delicious, European-weight wines from classic Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc), Viognier and Chardonnay, and from America’s often very fine native Norton grape. Continue reading “Best Virginia Wineries to Visit”