By Nicole Bayne
Virginia has such rich history involving food and wine that it’s about time someone created a drinking game about it. Not totally for drinking wine, but certainly about drinking wine, today Pearmund Cellars debuts Virginia Wine-Opoly.
Designed after Monopoly, VA Wine-Opoly incorporates 22 participating Virginia wineries with deed cards containing information on each winery. Game cards relate to specific viticulture topics, railroads become wine trails and fatal mistakes will land you in “rehab” instead of “jail.” The board game, devised by Chris Pearmund and vineyard manager DeAnna D’Attilio, arrives today at Pearmund Cellars, and over the weekend at the other participating wineries in Virginia.
Pearmund says inspiration for the game came from the history and recent escalating growth of the Virginia wine industry. Jamestown settlers saw a future in Virginia wine and even made it law that each male settler plant at least 10 grapevines. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both cultivated grapevines, but grape diseases, prohibition and competition impeded the industry’s growth.
Grape growers are constantly learning the importance of choosing land and winemakers are developing unique styles from the state’s most iconic varietals like Viognier and Cabernet Franc. In the 1970s, there were six wineries in Virginia. Today there are over 250. Pearmund and D’Attilio created Virginia Wine-opoly in celebration of this success. /Call (540) 347-3475 to order; Pearmund Cellars; 6190 Georgetown Rd, Broad Run
