Winemaker jobs in Virginia have become about as rare as finding the perfect spot to grow Cab Sauv. (Read: really rare.) Not only are the state's marquee makers not leaving the cellar, they're now cloning themselves, taking on new winery clients and hoovering up all those young gun opportunities. Michael Shaps alone lists seventeen winery clients for his contract winemaking business.
So if you're forty-ish or younger, making wine in Virginia, AND standing on stage at the Governor's Cup competition, you're a rare talent, indeed. Like these three.