Guide to Wine Podcast: Episode 31

Exploring Virginia Wine with Sarah & Nate of Walsh Family Wine

​Air Date: Wednesday, December 20th 2023

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Imagine your spouse calling and saying “I may have just signed a lease on a vineyard!”
​
That’s exactly the phone call Sarah received from Nate, the passionate husband and wife duo behind Walsh Family Wine in Virginia!

Sarah Walsh comes from a background of fine dining, fine wine sales, and wine education. She manages the Northern Virginia sales team for Winebow, a wine importer and distributor and holds a diploma Wine and Spirits Education Trust, an accreditation held by only 9,000 people worldwide. In both 2014 and 2016 she was awarded Winebow’s President Award, the company’s top distinction recognizing excellence, given to only one person each year company-wide. Nate is an English major turned winemaker who’s worked at wineries in Oregon and New Zealand but is proud to be farming grapes in Virginia.

Join in as Sarah and Nate share their unconventional path to starting their own winery without a business plan, the diverse geographical features of the region, the unique climate similarities to Bordeaux, and the small batch wines being produced. They also emphasize the strength of direct-to-consumer sales and the potential for Virginia to become a standout region for Cabernet Franc.

And don’t miss out on how Walsh Family Wine is committed to creating innovative ways to support and collaborate with other producers in the area.


Are you ready to explore everything from vineyard management to winemaking techniques and the unique characteristics of Virginia’s wine regions? If so, grab a glass of wine and press play!

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Sarah & Nate Walsh of Walsh Family Wine
• What inspired Sarah & Nate to open their own winery
• Starting a business without a business plan
• Diversity of Virginia wine country
• Similarities in growing grapes in Virginia and in Bordeaux
• Benefits of batching small barrels of wine
• Is the growth of Virginia wine through wholesaler or direct to the consumer
• What grapes does Virginia grow
• What regions in Virginia grows grapes
• Does the location have more influence on the grapes vs the variety itself
• Why they created the Winemaker Studio
• How Sarah & Nate support new winemakers

Connect with Sarah & Nate
https://www.walshfamilywine.com/

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