Guests of the Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition cheered as top honors went to Melanie Natoli of Cana Vineyards & Winery. Natoli kicked through the wine-glass ceiling, earning two entries among the 12 gold medal wines chosen for the Governor’s Cup Case. What gained her even more attention was winning the highest overall score for her 2019 Unité Reserve among the 615 entries. Natoli is the first female winemaker to win the modern Virginia Governor’s Cup competition. We asked the Loudoun County winemaker what it feels like to win this prestigious award.
How and when did you find out you won?
The phone calls go out to the gold medal winners before they’re released to the public. When I got the call from the representative, someone who doesn’t usually call me, I knew it was about the competition. She said, “You have two golds, and they’re both in the case, and one of them won!” Then when she said it was the 2019 Unité Reserve, it became even more special because all the grapes in that winning bottle came from our little hill in Middleburg, from the fruit that I grow. It was exciting.
Experts describe your wine as elegant and full of finesse. What does that mean to you?
I think a soft edge rounds out a wine and makes it more complete. Wine can be too big. Especially red wines. I feel like elegance and finesse are pulling things together, the art and science of winemaking. Science is getting the fruit to where you have the flavor expression and alcohol piece of the recipe. But the art side is harder to describe. It’s the heart and soul of the wine.
Why choose a career in wine, and how does it feel to be at the top of your game?
I left a stable career as a physical therapist to follow a passion that put me in credit card debt when I first started in the world of wine. But I kept working hard and putting everything I could into my wine. There were articles about women in Loudoun wine that I wasn’t a part of. I felt overlooked a little bit, but I just kept thinking, ‘One day, I’ll get recognized for my work.’ Sure enough, it happened, and in a bigger way than I thought it would. When you have a panel of experts who are judging some of the best wines in the state, and then they pull my wine to the top, it definitely feels validating. For the friends and family who’ve stood by me, supported me, telling people that I’m doing something good, maybe I did something for them, too.
What’s your advice for people who feel intimidated by wine but want to learn more?
Wine is like food — it’s not a secret magic potion. We are farmers first, but we’re growing grapes to make wine instead. Like food, it’s something to enjoy. Getting started is just tasting different things. Do you like it? Did you not like it? From this, you can figure out which one to try next.
Where’s the Governor’s Cup now?
I have it here at Cana Vineyards & Winery. It’s the same cup that has passed along for the last four years, kind of like our Stanley Cup where you get your name on the plaque.
Feature image courtesy Jennifer-Jule Studios
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
