Virginia
Move over Napa Valley, Northern Virginia is now wine country – WTOP News
Northern Virginia was named America’s next great wine region in The Wall Street Journal. So what makes up the success of the area’s wineries?
WTOP’s Jimmy Alexander spoke with wine expert and columnist Dave McIntyre about how Northern Virginia is becoming the country’s next big wine region.
If world-renowned winemaker Robert Mondavi was right when he said that “making good wine is a skill; making fine wine is an art,” then there must be a lot of artists in Virginia.
Northern Virginia was named America’s next great wine region by The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnist Lettie Teague.
“What’s special is that it’s here,” said wine expert Dave McIntyre. “We don’t say ‘I’m going to wine country’ and get on a plane and fly to San Francisco like we did 20 or 30 years ago when I got started into wine.”
The wine columnist for The Washington Post told WTOP that a trip to wine country used to mean heading out to Sonoma or Napa in California.
“Now it means Loudoun, Charlottesville or Front Royal,” said McIntyre. “It’s really a great experience to be able to take a day and go visit two or three wineries. You might meet the actual winemaker, you’ll learn something, taste something that you’ve never tried before and you’ll probably have a great time.”
The reason Virginia wines are getting better, according to McIntyre, comes from the fact the winemakers now have more experience.
“They’re finding a site to grow wine, rather than having land and (saying) ‘What should we do with it? Let’s grow grapes,’” explained McIntyre. “So they’re growing them in better places.”
McIntyre also believes the area’s winemakers now have a better idea of which grapes perform better and ripen better in Virginia’s climate.
Two other factors that add to why area wine is getting better, McIntyre said, is the support it’s received from the state of Virginia and marketing.
“It’s gotten notoriety around in food magazines and wine magazines. Some very influential writers from London have come and visited Virginia and written about the wines,” said McIntyre. “I think all of that has helped.”
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By 10 p.m. on election night, just three hours after polls closed, Democrats had flipped nearly one dozen seats from Republican incumbents.
Want more election coverage?
Cardinal covered races across Southwest and Southside. For more election stories, click here.
By 11:30 p.m., they had picked up two more.
The party picked up seats from the city of Roanoke to Petersburg to Spotsylvania County and Northern Virginia and others, after they knocked out incumbents in 13 districts.
House of Delegates District 41 was among those that flipped from red to blue. Democratic challenger Lily Franklin had a 2.46 percentage point lead over incumbent Republican Del. Chris Obenshain, of Montgomery County, by 10:45 p.m.
This year’s race for the 41st District was a rematch between Obenshain and Franklin after the latter lost by 183 votes in 2023 once provisional ballots were counted. That race was not called until nearly one week after Election Day.
“Lily Franklin ran a spirited campaign. She earned a lot of votes, and she has earned my respect,” Obenshain said in his concession statement. “Tonight was a setback not just for me, but also for the causes I have championed and the people I have sought to represent. Ultimately though, the voters have the final word and while this result is disappointing, I respect their decision tonight.”
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Franklin said, “I’m deeply honored by the trust the people of the 41st District have placed in me. Folks are ready for new leadership.”
“Virginians turned out in force to support candidates who embody the very best of who we are – champions of fairness and truth over the forces of bigotry and deceit,” state Sen. Lamont Bagby, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said in a statement.
Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger will enter office with a trifecta, with the governor’s seat, the state Senate and House of Delegates all under the same party. She will be the first Democratic governor to do so in nearly 40 years, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
“Democrats, we’re back,” said House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott during a speech in Richmond on election night. “Tonight we shocked the world.”
The Portsmouth Democrat added that Virginia sent a message of love and unity over hate and division to the country.
“We just made history tonight. … Not only did we keep the majority in the House tonight, I think we’re at 57 seats. And we’re not done counting,” he said just before 10 p.m. on election night.
Here’s how the rest of Virginia’s Southwest and Southside House of Delegates races shook out
The political makeup of Southwest and Southside Virginia remained largely unchanged.
Most incumbents held onto their seats, and new Republican candidates for open seats in districts 46 and 49 won their elections: Mitchell Cornett won Del. Jed Arnold’s seat, and Madison Whittle won Del. Danny Marshall’s seat. Arnold, of Smyth County, did not seek reelection, citing his wife’s health concerns. Marshall, of Danville, declined to seek reelection to undergo lung transplant surgery. He is currently recovering from that surgery.
District 35 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Chris Runion, Rockingham County
District 36 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Ellen Campbell, Waynesboro
District 37 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Terry Austin, Botetourt County
District 38 winner: incumbent Democratic Del. Sam Rasoul, Roanoke
District 39 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Will Davis, Franklin County
District 40 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Joe McNamara, Roanoke County
District 41 winner: Democratic challenger Lily Franklin (seat flipped)
District 42 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Jason Ballard, Giles County
District 43 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Will Morefield, Tazewell County
District 44 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Israel O’Quinn, Washington County
District 45 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Terry Kilgore, Scott County
District 46 winner: Republican Mitchell D. Cornett
District 47 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Wren Williams, Patrick County
District 48 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Eric Phillips, Henry County
District 49 winner: Republican Madison Whittle
District 50 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Tommy Wright, Lunenburg County
District 51 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Eric Zehr, Campbell County
District 52 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Wendell Walker, Lynchburg
District 53 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Tim Griffin, Bedford County
District 56 winner: incumbent Republican Del. Tom Garrett, Louisa County
Related stories
Newsweek has rounded up what the latest polls are saying about the elections in New York, New Jersey and Virginia as Americans cast their votes.
Why It Matters
The 2025 races in the three states are drawing national attention as voters prepare to select leaders in three high-profile contests.
The results could set the tone for the 2026 midterms and provide insight into shifting political dynamics on the East Coast. The outcomes will also serve as a measure of support for the Democratic and Republican parties.
What To Know
New York City Mayor’s Race
Democrat Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is favored to win the mayoral contest against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
According to the latest Marist Poll (conducted October 24-28), Mamdani leads Cuomo by 16 points among likely voters, 48 percent to 32 percent, with Sliwa at 16 percent. The poll sampled 792 likely voters and has a margin of error of =/-4.2 percent.
A separate AtlasIntel poll places Mamdani’s lead at 4.5 points over Cuomo (43.9 percent to Cuomo’s 39.4 percent). Some 2,404 people were surveyed between October 31 and November 2. The poll has a margin of error of =/- 2 percentage points.
In a Fox News poll, Mamdani has a 16-point lead with 47 percent on Cuomo (31 percent). These results are based on 971 likely voters questioned between October 24 and October 28—there is a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
New Jersey Governor’s Race
The New Jersey gubernatorial race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli is one of the closest in recent history.
Virginia
Virginia is about to make history! Earle-Sears, Spanberger make final push as Election Day approaches.
RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger made their final appeals to Virginia voters across the Commonwealth on Monday, as each hopes to make history as the state’s first female governor.
Earle-Sears began her day at Shorty’s Diner in Henrico County, flipping pancakes and serving coffee alongside the Republican statewide ticket and Governor Glenn Youngkin.
“We’re going to keep it moving. Our Governor has begun it. We’re going to finish it,” Earle-Sears told supporters gathered at the restaurant. “Do you like what we’ve been doing in Virginia? Well, Abigail Spanberger was never a part of it. She hasn’t been a part of creating any of these jobs, she hasn’t been a part of helping Virginia to remain safe and secure.”
WTVR
Shakile Ali, an Earle-Sears supporter, said he backs her positions on school choice and policies regarding transgender students in sports and bathrooms.
What Virginia voters are telling CBS 6 about the Virginia economy and their vote
“I believe that the love of her country, the love of Virginia is what makes me support her the most. From her guidance, her family values, the Christian values make me support her,” Ali said.
Just blocks away on West Broad Street, Spanberger’s campaign bus arrived at a field office to energize volunteers before a day of door-knocking.
“We are giving people not just hope, but a plan and a path towards utilizing that hope,” Spanberger said. “Virginians, tomorrow, will make clear that we want a governor who’s focused on lowering costs, strengthening our communities, strengthening our public schools and growing our economy despite all the challenges we see coming out of D.C.”
WTVR
Patty Heidelmark, who has volunteered for Spanberger since 2018, said she supports the candidate’s positions on public education, women’s rights, and healthcare.
“I’m a Type 1 diabetic. I’m on a pump. Insulin saves my life. She has supported healthcare and the need for healthcare for people. Especially people of my age, who are in our 60s,” Heidelmark said.
A recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey showed Spanberger leading Earle-Sears by double digits in the historic race.
What’s on the mind of Virginia voters in Chesterfield?
More than 1.4 million Virginia voters have already cast ballots during the early voting period, which has now closed. Polls will open at 6 a.m. on Election Day and remain open until 7 p.m.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
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