Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winning Red Wines

The Virginia Wine Governor's Cup® Winning Red Wines

As noted in a previous blog, a qualified team of judges sampled over 620 of the best Virginia wines, ciders and meads from across the Virginia Commonwealth. 

The Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition is one of the most stringent and thorough wine competitions in the United States. The contest is a result of a partnership between the Virginia Wineries Association, which owns and manages the competition and the gubernatorial-appointed Virginia Wine Board.

The highest 12 ranking red and white wines make up the 2025 Governor's Cup Case.  

Here’s the first of the winning reds included in the Governor's Cup Case:

Trump Winery Sparkling Rosé ($44.99)

Trump Winery (formerly Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard) is a winery on Trump Vineyard Estates in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the county of Albemarle. It is within both the Virginia and Monticello viticultural areas and is among the 23 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail.

The winery and vineyard were established by Patricia Kluge in 1999, and later purchased by Trump in 2011.

Jonathan Wheeler oversees their sparkling, white, and red wine programs. With extensive experience since 2006 and a background from Sonoma, Monterey, Marlborough, and the Finger Lakes, he holds a B.A. in Chemistry from SUNY Oswego and is a member of the Winemaker’s Research Exchange in Virginia.

This Trump sparkling rosé is produced from 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir. It is medium copper in color with a delicate that includes cherry and floral notes. On the palate this wine is very bubbly with flavors of strawberry, cherry and grapefruit. [ABV: 12.5%, TA: 10 g/L, pH: 3.25, Residual Sugar: 0.9%]

This is a very refreshing sparkling rosé and a Virginia Wine Governor's Cup® winning wine featured as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review.

Media Samples Provided by Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications

The Art of Wine Making: Choosing to Do Punchdowns and Pumpovers

Punchdowns and pumpovers are techniques used by wine makers in the production of red wine.

They happen during fermentation and are used to manage the “Cap” - the grape solids (skins, seeds, stems) that rise to the top of the fermentation vessel and form this “cap.”

Both processes extract color, flavor, tannins, and aroma compounds from grape skins, seeds, and stems. 

Here's a breakdown of each method and their artistic applications:

Punchdowns: Punching down the cap involves physically submerging the floating materials back into the fermenting juice. These can be performed manually or mechanically and are usually done 1–3 times daily, depending on style and rate of fermentation.

Artistic considerations:

    • Gentleness: Punchdowns are gentler than pumpovers, making them ideal for delicate grapes (like Pinot Noir)

    • Frequency and force: More punchdowns = more extraction, but too much can result in overly tannic wines

    • Timing: Early punchdowns can help a wine maker emphasize fruity flavors while later punchdowns enhance structure and mouthfeel of the final product

Pumpovers: Pumpovers involve drawing juice from the bottom of the fermentatation vessel and pumping it over the top to soak the cap. Theyh are performed using a pump and hose system every 10–30 minutes, or several times per day.

Artistic considerations:

    • Intensity: Can be gentle or aggressive depending on pump speed and how the juice is spread over the cap

    • Aeration Control: Pumpovers introduce oxygen, which can help yeast health and influence the wine’s eventual style

    • Customization: Winemakers may vary pump duration, flow rate, and temperature of the juice used in the pumpover

So there you go! Punchdowns and pumpovers are yet another set of artistic techniques that wine makers use in order to develop their own style of wines. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Marques de Caceres Cava

Marqués de Cáceres Cava ($12.99)

Marqués de Cáceres (Mar-kez Day Kass-er-rus) winery is located in Rioja Alta, Spain. It was founded in 1970 by the Forner family, an enterprising family that has been in the wine trade for five generations. The brand remains family-owned and women-run, led by CEO Cristina Forner. Marqués de Cáceres is one of the most widely distributed Spanish wines in the US.

In the 1800s, Spain began producing sparkling wines to mimic their French neighbor's Champagne and they called it Champaña.  But in the 1970s, French regulations were put into place such that only sparkling wine produce in the Champagne region of France could rightfully be called Champagne.  So, the Spanish re-named their sparkling wine for the caves or cellars where the sparkling wine was kept for aging. Hence the name Cava.

This Marqués de Cáceres Cava is produced from 50% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, 20% Parellada grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate white flower aroma. On the palate, it has flavor of crisp apple flavor with fine and persistent bubbles. This one is best served cold!

This Cava from Marqués de Cáceres is very tasty and refreshing while being affordable and attainable. A great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review.

Media Sample Provided by Marqués de Cáceres and Vineyard Brands

The Art of Wine Making: Choosing Malolactic Conversion or Not for the Wine

Malolactic conversion, sometime called Malolactic fermentation, is a bacterial transformation (not a fermentation) that can take place in the wine making process. And, wine makers must decide if they want this conversion to occur in their wine.

To get a bit technical, this process allows lactobacilli bacteria to consume malic acid present in the wine, and the by-products are lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and diacetyl. It is this diacetyl that can give a wine (i.e., Chardonnay) a buttery flavor and/or a nutty flavor. This natural process also converts sharper-tasting malic acid (found in green apples) into softer, smoother, creamier lactic acid (found in milk). The process results in the total acidity being reduced, so  the wines become softer, rounder, and more complex. Additionally, malolactic conversion stabilizes wines by preventing an undesirable fermentation in the bottle, often referred to as a secondary fermentation. 

While malolactic conversion is frequently associated with big, rich, buttery Chardonnay, malolactic conversion is not initiated and/or prevented by the wine maker when fresher, crisper styles of wine are desired.

Most red wines undergo malolactic conversion, while only some white wines, notably Chardonnay, undergo malolactic conversion. This process is most often performed shortly after the end of primary fermentation and just prior to the aging process.

So, malolactic conversion is yet another factor that a wine maker must consider as part of the art of wine making. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wines of Marques de Caceres

Marqués de Cáceres (Mar-kez Day Kass-er-rus) winery is located in Rioja Alta, Spain. It was founded in 1970 by the Forner family, an enterprising family that has been in the wine trade for five generations. The brand remains family-owned and women-run, led by CEO Cristina Forner. Marqués de Cáceres is one of the most widely distributed Spanish wines in the US.

Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo (~$19)

Verdejo is a white grape that grows almost exclusively in Spain. This wine is made by female winemaker, Carmen Blanco. Carmen also oversees the vine maintenance for 308 acres of Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is produced from 100% Verdejo grapes. They are gently pressed and fermented. The wine is kept on-lees until the time of bottling. It is pale gold in color with aromas of lime and honey with floral notes. On the palate, this light-bodied wine has good acidity with citrus flavors (grapefruit & lime) and finishes with a touch of tartness.

Marqués de Cáceres Rosé (~$19): 

This rosé is produced from 100% Tempranillo grapes. After destemming and light crushing, the red grapes undergo maceration with the skins for approximately 8 hours and is then fermented in stainless steel tanks. It is then kept on its fine lees for a month. It is a pale salmon in color with a delicate sweet cherry aroma. On the palate, this light-bodied rosé has bright acidity, soft cherry and strawberry flavors that finish soft, smooth and refreshing.

Each of these Spanish wines from Marqués de Cáceres are great tasting, affordable and widely available thus making them a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review.

Media Samples Provided by Marqués de Cáceres and Vineyard Brands