Last year, distinguished winemaker Chris Pearmund commemorated Virginia’s 400th Anniversary of Winemaking by releasing an exclusive red blend comprised of grapes from 16 Virginia wineries. The bottle, Virginia’s Heritage, symbolized centuries of dedication to preserving and advancing Virginia vines, particularly by wine pioneers such as Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Norton. This year, Pearmund uses wine to memorialize yet another milestone in our history—the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The suffrage movement made national headlines during the early 20th century and was successful in granting women the right to vote in August 1920. Pearmund believes this centennial celebration of the anniversary of the 19th Amendment holds special significance in the commonwealth due to the strong population of leading ladies that inhabited Virginia during our nation’s earliest days. The February release of Pearmund’s newest bottle, Cameo Rosé, is a subtle nod to the women of the commonwealth who seized their moments and forged paths to independence.
Like the women and history it represents, bold is at the center of this lovely Rosé table wine handcrafted with Virginia grapes. There are 12 distinct bottles in the Cameo Wine Collection, each of which share a small portion of the histories of 12 Virginia-born ladies. Some of the fearless female leaders featured on the Cameo bottles are Martha Washington, Pearl Bailey and Ella Fitzgerald.
The collection was released on Feb. 22, and bottles are currently available for purchase in the tasting rooms at Effingham Manor & Winery, Pearmund Cellars, Vint Hill Craft Winery and Philip Carter Winery. A new woman will be featured at each of the wineries every week for the 12 weeks leading up to Mother’s Day.
Share the story, pop a cork and raise a toast to Virginia’s leading ladies.
Author: Grace Silipigni