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Thought to be the oldest branded wine in the United States (dating from circa 1835), Virginia Dare was named after the first child born of English parents in America. The white Virginia Dare was originally given the not-very-PC name Minnehaha; the red, Pocahontas. The wine was made from scuppernong, a variety of native grapes that were found growing along the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. (The grapes are named after the Scuppernong River). During Prohibition, the company that made Virginia Dare stopped making wine and instead manufactured flavorings (which depend on alcohol during extraction). In 2016, Francis Ford Coppola renamed his Geyser Peak Winery in California to Virginia Dare Winery. The Virginia Dare Extract Company is still manufacturing flavor extracts in Brooklyn, NY.

Eighteenth century French kings would accept Madiran wines as payment for taxes. What grape would the royalty have been drinking?

A. Cabernet Sauvignon

B. Malbec

C. Pinot Noir

D. Tannat

Tannat originated in the Basque region of southern France, notably in Madiran near the Pyrénées Mountains. French kings accepted Madiran wines in lieu of currency for taxes. Today, plantings in France have been steadily decreasing, but tannat is now one of the most prominent gapes in Uruguay where it is considered the “national grape.” Doubtful, though, that the president of Uruguay will take the wine instead of pesos for taxes.

“A raisin tastes like a raisin. It’s bad for the wine industry when [grapes get so ripe that] wine from all places tastes the same.”

—Randy Dunn
Owner/winemaker of Dunn Vineyards in the Napa Valley
Dunn kicked up a controversy a few years ago by vowing to never make a wine over 14% alcohol.

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