Behind the Cork™ - Rockbridge Vineyards V d'Or Dessert Wine

2019 Rockbridge Vineyards V d’Or ($32)

Rockbridge Vineyards is located in Raphine Virginia which is part of the Shenandoah Valley AVA.

Approved in 1982 as Virginia’s first American Viticultural Area, the Shenandoah Valley AVA is located in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States covering the land along the western edge of Virginia and spilling into the easternmost portion of West Virginia.

The Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail (aka the Shenandoah Valley Wine Growers Association) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 2003 to support economic growth and tourism in the Shenandoah Valley by promoting the cultivation of wine grape varieties grown in the Shenandoah Valley AVA.

Rockbridge Vineyards V d’Or dessert wine has won multiple awards including:

  • 2020 Gold Medal-Virginia Governor’s Cup & 1 of 12 in the Governor’s Case

  • 2021 Silver Medal- VA Governor's Cup Competition

  • 2021 Gold Medal - Shenandoah cup Competition

  • 2023 Third Place - Shenandoah cup Competition

This V d’Or dessert wine is made in the style of an Ice Wine where the grapes are picked at their peak of ripeness and then put into freezers to yield frozen grapes. Hydraulic pressure is then used to crush the grapes while still frozen, resulting in a very small amount of very concentrated sugary substance. Because the water is frozen solid, it is not extracted from the grape in the pressing process. This high sugar extract is then put through fermentation to produce this sweet dessert wine.

This V d’Or is a blend of 26% Vidal Blanc, 26% Traminette, 24% Vignoles, 24% Riesling. It is yellow-orange in color with delicate orange and honey aromas. On the palate it is sweet (15% RS by weight) with fruit flavors of mango, pineapple and apricot with some spice notes.


This is a unique Shenandoah Valley V ‘Or dessert wine from Rockbridge Vineyards is this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers to a sweet start to 2024!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Rockbridge Winery via the Shenandoah Valley Wine Growers Association and Donna White Communications