Soon after English settlers established the first colony in Jamestown , Virginia in 1607, they began to attempt the production of wine, as England was anxious to establish winemaking in the colony. In 1609, they produced their first wine from native grapes, but despite this promising start, winemaking in the New World was far more of a challenge than anticipated. Even still, the industry forged ahead with official encouragement, such as the 1624 Requirement by the House which decreed that 20 vines be planted for each male colonist over the age of 20. Even though the colonists brought in French specialists as consultants, they failed to successfully transplant European viticulture to the New World .

On the eve of the American Revolution, in 1769, the Virginia Assembly appointed French vineyardist Andrew Estave as winemaker and viticulturist for the colony. Like all before him Estave failed, yet he made a monumental conclusion that was widely accepted by the turn of the century. Estave found that the problem was in the grapes; the European vitus vinifera grapes were too fragile for the American climate. Instead, he believed that Native American grapes would flourish in Virginia's cold winters and hot, humid summers as well as stand up to disease and pests.

Enter Thomas Jefferson, who is considered the grandfather of the American wine industry. He wanted wine to thrive in America both for its pleasing qualities and as an alternative to tobacco, the number one cash crop in Virginia . To further that aim, in 1773 he gave 2,000 acres to Philip Mazzei, an Italian agriculturalist and wine merchant, who also espoused that native grapes must be the foundation of successful winemaking.

Though Mazzei's efforts were interrupted by the Revolutionary War and never resumed, Jefferson continued his study of and love for wines. He became a wine advisor to several American presidents and, at George Washington's request, selected the first wines to be stocked in the White House. Perhaps most importantly, as Ambassador to France , he visited and closely studied the winemaking areas of Europe and returned home an even more enthusiastic wine lover. In an era when hard liquor was the beverage of choice, Jefferson firmly believed wines were the healthier beverage, a conclusion also reached by numerous modern studies. In fact, he was such a fervent consumer, that his wine bill upon leaving the presidency exceeded $10,000!

Between 1800 and the outbreak of the Civil War, a strong winemaking industry blossomed in Virginia due to the development of hybrids of American and European varieties. Unfortunately, with so many fierce battles taking place on Virginia soil, vineyards were destroyed along with the rest of the economy. In the latter 1800s, Prohibition sentiment gained in Virginia stunting the revival of winemaking, and by the time Virginia voted dry in 1914, few vineyards were left in the state. In 1950 only 15 acres of grapes were being grown, mostly for table consumption.

After half a century of dormancy the Virginia grape industry began a renaissance in the 1960s. This resurgence was due to a number of factors, including an increasing national appetite for wine, a built-in market in metropolitan areas, and the receptivity of farmers to alternative crops. Virginia also offered an immense opportunity for growth due to vast amounts of undeveloped land between vineyards, unlike much of the New World . Combined with favorable growing conditions, these factors led to a new era of winemaking in the Old Dominion.

Crucial encouragement came during the 1980s when both the state and USDA initiated successful programs through Virginia Tech to help improve the growing of wine grapes and the palatability of Virginia wines. In addition to substantial support from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Winegrowers Advisory Board works closely with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to expand and promote the wine industry.