Shenandoah Valley Battlefields and Cave Ridge Winery Partner in Battlefield Protection
Left to Right: Virginia Senator Mark Obenshain, Cave Ridge Proprietor and Vintner Randy Phillips, SVBF Executive Director Denman Zirkle, and Virginia Delegate Todd Gilbert
For immediate release—November 11, 2011
Contact: Denman Zirkle/SVBF (o: 540-740-4545 x202, m: 540-335-9322)
Mount Jackson, Va. Nov. 11, 2011 The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and Cave Ridge Winery officially launched an unusual joint venture this evening to help the Foundation raise funds for battlefield preservation. Two of Cave Ridge’s best wines—a lovely Viognier and an aromatic Chambourcin—are being bottled exclusively under a label bearing the Foundation’s new logo of a soldier guarding the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.
A portion of the sale of each bottle of these two special wines will go directly to the Foundation. It is a novel way to raise funds to protect Civil War battlefields but the current economy has forced many non-profits, such as the Foundation, to search out new sources of funding. The Foundation has already protected 5,000 acres within the Valley but is still faced with the challenge to preserve another 15,000 acres.
Denman Zirkle, executive director of the Foundation, sees the new venture as benefiting the local economy as well as the Foundation and the winery. “We know of the strong ties between preserving historic landscapes and agricultural use of these lands,” Zirkle said. “By appreciating both, we support both.”
Wines from Cave Ridge have won 20 awards since the winery opened in 2006. The Viognier bottling is a blend of oak barrel aged and steel vat fermented 2009 wine, producing an outstanding rendering of Virginia’s signature grape.
Cave Ridge Winery, considered one of the best of the Shenandoah Valley vineyards, grows its own grapes to make its own wine. The proprietor and vintner is Randy Phillips who said he is pleased with the new joint effort.
“We are pleased to associate Cave Ridge with Shenandoah Valley Battlefields. It gives an extra edge to our wine offerings while helping preserve land in the Valley.”
At tonight’s reception, Delegate Todd Gilbert said, “It’s a great way to showcase two fine entities we have here in the Valley.”
Virginia Senator Mark Obenshain’s remarks were poignant, “I love the Shenandoah Valley. The historic assets in the Valley are hard to match anywhere in one country. . . . It is wonderful we can blend agriculture and history – the vineyards and the battlefields.”
The wines will be jointly marketed by the two organizations, initially available in stores and restaurants in the Shenandoah Valley. The wines are also available from Cave Ridge directly. www.caveridge.com
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As authorized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation serves as the non-profit manager of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, partnering with local, regional, and national organizations and governments to preserve the Valley’s battlefields and interpret and promote the region’s Civil War story.
Created by Congress in 1996, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District encompasses Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in Virginia and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester. The legislation authorizes federal funding for the protection of ten battlefields in the District: Second Winchester, Third Winchester, Second Kernstown, Cedar Creek, Fisher’s Hill, Tom’s Brook, New Market, Cross Keys, Port Republic, and McDowell.
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