2017 Virginia Wine Summit

Neal Wavra presents and writes about wine and food.  He is recognized as one of the leading experts on the burgeoning Virginia wine industry. Wavra also is the host and sommelier at The Riverstead, a twelve seat restaurant located in Chilhowie, Virginia run by renowned chefs John Shields and Karen... Read More →

Julie Dalton discovered her passion for wine while waiting tables during her undergrad days at Texas A&M University.  Although her education is in the life sciences, wine was something that grabbed hold and would not let go.  She studied wine on her own for twelve years while h... Read More →

Dave McIntyre has been The Washington Post’s wine columnist since October 2008. His writings have appeared in several other publications, including Wine Enthusiast magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as his award-winning blog, Dave McIntyre’s WineLine, created i... Read More →

Jay Youmans – Master of Wine | | Jay Youmans has been tasting wine professionally for nearly three decades. He is owner of Rock Creek Wine Merchants; a marketing consultancy; and the owner and Educational Director for The Capital Wine School in Washington, DC, www.capitalwineschool.com. Jay has served as a wine judge for numerous wine competitions including: Starwine International Wine Competition, the Mid-Atlantic Competition, The Dallas Morning News, and the California State Fair. For the past six years he has been the Competition Director for the Virginia... Read More →

Michael began his winemaking career working as a Winemaking Intern for the 2012 harvest at Knob Hall Winery in Maryland. This experience exposed him to the potential of the East Coast as a winemaking region. After this, he worked as an Assistant Brewer for Three Stars Brewing Com... Read More →

Emily Pelton graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, and a focus in Infectious Diseases. She happily moved to Virginia from Atlanta in 1999 to take a year off, and work alongside her parents in the development of Veritas Vineyard and Wi... Read More →

Stephen started working in the wine industry at Groot Constantia Winery, the oldest winery in South Africa, as a pourer and tour guide. Through various courses of events he managed to find a position in the cellar as a cellar worker and then eventually became the assistant winema... Read More →

Corry Craighill has worked at wineries and vineyards in Oregon, New Zealand, France, South Africa, and Central Virginia. She now resides in Loudoun County as the winemaker for Sunset Hills and 50 West Vineyards

Born in the Netherlands, Kirsty has spent a majority of her life in Charlottesville. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1998 with a degree in biology, Kirsty developed an appreciation for wine through a job that allowed her to apprentice with famed Virginia winem... Read More →

Jason Tesauro is a devotee to chilled pink and spilt ink. Chief Sommelier for Barboursville Vineyards since 2002, he's also co-author of The MODERN GENTLEMAN and a two-time national award–winning booze/food/culture journalist for The New York Times, Travel+Leisure, Details, Decan... Read More →

Adam is a Brand Manager for The Winebow Group in the Mid-Atlantic region representing a cadre of international suppliers, importers and wineries. He also manages the growing Virginia winery portfolio for Winebow / The Country Vintner in the region. As a former chef with stints at... Read More →

Diane Flynt founded Foggy Ridge Cider in1997by planting a cider apple orchard in the Virginia Mountains. The first cidery in the south, Foggy Ridge Cider has garnered national attention including a 2015 James Beard nomination for Outstanding Beverage Professional.Foggy Ridge... Read More →

Pamela Margaux, a native of Silver Springs MD, moved to Los Angeles in 1982.  Thru her experience as a waitress, bartender, and eventually restaurant manager, she developed a successful career in restaurant-ownership. Her love affair with wine began in the late 80s, when she was first introduced to the small boutique wineries of Sonoma and Napa. It was a wonderful time in California, with the coming of age of the great wines of the region. Many of these estates are now world-renowned. She had the opportunity to see firsthand the trials and tribulations of these small wineries and vineyards, as they attempted to market their then-unknown wines. Now captivated by the wine business, she started to learn about and enjoy the wines from the rest of the world as well. One afternoon in a local Jazz Club, Pamela ordered a glass of... Read More →

Lucinda Smith currently holds the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) titles from the Society of Wine Educators. She is a certificate holder from the Sommelier Society of Washington, DC, and has served as a judge in prestigious wine competitions, such as the Virginia... Read More →