5 Monticello American Viticultural Area Places in Top 10 of USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards Contest

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to announce the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA) has placed sixth in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards contest. Twenty wine regions across the country were nominated by a panel of experts, followed by a period of public voting lasting several weeks. The Monticello AVA is one of only two wine regions located on the East Coast to place in the top 10.

The history of wine in the Charlottesville area dates to the days of Founding Father and third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, who envisioned the region’s climate and soil to be ideal for grape growing. Though his experiments with growing grapevines were generally not successful, hundreds of years later the area would blossom into one of the most thriving wine regions in the country and has even been dubbed one of the “Top Wine Destinations in the World” by Wine Enthusiast.

The Charlottesville area is home to the Monticello Wine Trail, featuring nearly 40 wineries located throughout the heart of Central Virginia. Several of these wineries have received accolades at the state, national and global levels and many have unique stories to tell. Gabriele Rausse Winery is home to winemaker Gabriele Rausse, considered to be the “Father of Virginia Wines.” Blenheim Vineyards is owned and operated by world-renowned musician Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band. Glass House Winery pairs wine with handcrafted chocolates to be enjoyed in the winery’s tropical conservatory, while Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards is a culinary winery with an on-site herb and vegetable garden used to create sustainable cuisine with locally-sourced ingredients. Click here for a complete list of the wineries located along the Monticello Wine Trail.

Additional information about Charlottesville & Albemarle County can be found at www.visitcharlottesville.org.

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to the destination. The CACVB’s mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.