King Family Vineyards Takes Top Honors at 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup

Governor Glenn Youngkin awarded the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup® to King Family Vineyards for the 2019 Meritage – a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. This year’s prestigious award was announced during the annual Virginia Governor’s Cup® Gala held at Richmond’s Main Street Station on March 7. In its 42nd year, the competition received 752 entries from over 135 Virginia wineries, cideries, and meaderies.

“It is an honor to present this year’s Virginia Governor’s Cup® to the team at King Family Vineyards,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “They’re a well respected example of the quality of wines being produced in the Commonwealth and I look forward to seeing the ongoing success and growth of this family-owned winery in the future.”

“Every year, I witness the rising quality of wines and ciders in this competition, said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. With another record-breaking year, 138 Virginia wines, ciders, and meads received a score of 90 points or higher. As this industry flourishes, it plays a pivotal role in supporting and enhancing both the agricultural community and Virginia’s economy.”

Located in Crozet, King Family Vineyards has produced Virginia wines for over two decades. Winemaker Matthieu Finot joined the team in 2007 and has been focused on producing quality wines expressive of the Monticello AVA, which was recently named the Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. This year marks the fourth time the award has been given to King Family Vineyards, claiming the top honor in 2004, 2010, and 2018.

To receive the Cup, the 2019 Meritage earned the highest average score from a panel of esteemed judges who evaluated the wines based on appearance, aroma, flavor, commercial suitability, and overall quality. The wine will be featured alongside 11 other wines in the Virginia Governor’s Cup® Case, a collection of the competition’s 12 highest-scoring wines.

The full case includes:

• King Family Vineyards, 2019 Meritage
• Afton Mountain Vineyards, 2019 T
• Barboursville Vineyards, 2019 Paxxito
• Bluestone Vineyard, 2017 Petit Verdot
• Breaux Vineyards, 2019 The Fog Nebbiolo Reserve
• Cave Ridge Vineyard, 2019 Fossil Hill Reserve
• CrossKeys Vineyards, Blanc De Noir
• Hark Vineyards, 2019 Spark
• Michael Shaps Wineworks, 2020 L.Scott
• Mountain and Vine Vineyards and Winery, 2022 Chardonnay
• October One Vineyard, 2022 Albariño
• Paradise Springs Winery, 2022 Petit Manseng

The Virginia Governor’s Cup® Case includes a wide variety of wines and represents three leading wine regions across the Commonwealth, including Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, and Shenandoah Valley. Seven of the case wines feature enticing red wines, each delivering rich and complex flavors. Five white wines are complemented, with one sparkling wine to complete the case.

For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia cider was judged in its own category, with the highest-scoring cider awarded as Best in Show. Earning a gold medal in this year’s competition, Buskey Cider received the Best in Show Cider recognition for its 2022 Ruby Red Crab Apple Cider.

About the Virginia Governor’s Cup® Competition 

The Virginia Wineries Association’s Governor’s Cup® is in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board.

All entries must be made from 100% Virginia-grown fruit to be eligible. Each wine is ranked based on a unified scoring system. For more information about the Virginia Governor’s Cup® Competition and a complete list of winners, visit https://www.virginiawine.org/governors-cup/awards.