Go beyond the bottle and step inside the minds- and vines- of Virginia's burgeoning wine industry in this groundbreaking volume. Join grape grower and industry insider Walker Elliott Rowe as he guides you through some of the top vineyards and wineries in the Old Dominion. Rowe explores the minds of pioneering winemakers and vineyard owners, stitches together an account of the wine industry's foundation in Virginia, from Jamestown to Jefferson to Barboursville, and uncovers the fascinating missing chapter in Virginia wine history. As the Philip Carter Winery's motto explains, 'Before there was Jefferson, there was Carter.'

Rowe goes behind the scenes to interview migrant workers who toil daily in the vineyards, makes the rounds in Richmond with an industry lobbyist and talks shop with winemakers on the science and techniques that have helped put the Virginia wine industry on the map. Also included are twenty-four stunning color photographs from professional photographer Jonathan Timmes and a foreword by noted wine journalist Richard Leahy.

There is a gold rush underway in Virginia. But the treasure under pursuit is not a precious metal. Rather, it is the grape. From Leesburg in the north down to Roanoke in the south, dot-com millionaires, celebrities, retired civil servants, and apple farmers are turning fallow pastures and orchards into row after row of European fine wine grapes.

Drive beyond the dusty provincial towns and the Chilean landscape is carpeted with 1?4 million acres of grapes that ripen perfectly in bright sunlight, warm days, and cool evenings. Labor, land, and grape prices are low, so Chilean wineries can make high quality wines at a fraction of the cost of those in California, Australia or Europe. Walker Elliott Rowe weaves a narrative of the Chilean people and culture, introducing the reader to many characters both inside and outside the wine business. The towering Andes Mountains are not the only item looming over the Chilean horizon-this progressive country, where the sentiment for socialism is strong, is still dealing with the ghosts of the former military dictator. Through his narrative, Rowe illustrates the irony of Chile's strong system of capitalism that leaves most people working long hours at low wages.