By Matthew Fitzsimmons Middleburg’s Greenhill Vineyards holds a unique place in Virginia wine lore. Not only is Greenhill breaking new ground in showcasing Virginia wine to a national audience, it continues a legacy which forever changed the wine business in the United States. Prior to David Greenhill purchasing the property in 2013, this historic farm was known as Swedenburg Estate Vineyard. Founded in 1988, Swedenburg was one of Virginia’s first wineries. Not only did these Virginia wine pioneers demonstrate vinifera could find a home in the state, they created the blueprint for today’s ‘agro-tourism’ model whereby wineries focused on selling directly to visiting customers. But these customers discovered a problem. While they could stock up in person, those who wanted to order from out of state were out of luck. That’s because the 21st Amendment allows states to regulate alcohol, leading many to ban shipments from out of state wineries. Owner Juanita Swedenburg argued this amounted to a violation of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause and took her case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2005 it issued a 5-4 decision that such laws amounted to protectionism, leading to the direct-shipping model the beverage industry use today. After his purchase David rebranded the property as Greenhill Vineyards; no doubt his surname foreshadowed his future role as a farmer. Yet his attraction to the estate is easy to understand. The farm includes 128-acres of landscaped property, a natural pond, and an 18th century manor house that for a time was Greenhill’s member club house. Many Virginia wineries like to brag about their fancy tasting building. Step aside; Greenhill has bragging rights of likely being the country’s only winery with a tasting room that literally pre-dates the country’s founding. With this background it’s not surprising Greenhill aims at providing a more … Continue reading Greenhill Vineyards & Winery – Raising The Bar for Virginia Wine