Episode 7 featuring Jim Law owner and winemaker at Linden Vineyards

Jim Law began his quest to produce wine in Virginia when he and his family bought a long-abandoned apple orchard in the Northern part of Virginia in 1983 after several years of searching for a parcel of land that had high elevation and had eastern facing slopes.  His first vineyard experience was with a small Ohio vineyard and in 1981 he had two distinctly different opportunities to help start a winery.  One in Southern Oregon and one that would take him to Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.  He opted for the Virginia startup because as a young guy he could be involved in a ground floor operation helping discover and develop a new terroir for winegrowing.  His two  years in the Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire (Congo) teaching agriculture gave him the energy to take up this new challenge of  growing grapes and making high-quality wine in Virginia.  Jim has been making wine in Virginia at this point longer than anyone with the exception of Gabriele Rausse.  He currently produces wine from three separate and distinct vineyards; Hardscrabble Vineyard at his winery site, Avenius Vineyard which is just a mile north of Hardscrabble and Boisseau Vineyard which is located just six miles west of the winery.  It is a warmer site situated on a west facing slope overlooking the Shenandoah Valley.

Highlights of the Interview:

a). Jim shares his stories of his early life where wine was on the dinner table in their home in Ohio.
b). what his years in the Peace Corps taught him.
c). how he went from Ohio to pioneering and establishing a new vineyard in Virginia.
d). his views on the importance of elevation in winegrowing and site selection.
e).why he decided to produce vineyard designated wine.
f). his opinion on the formation of AVA's and why it is to early in Virginia to being doing it.
g). his constant experimentation and his ongoing replanting program to identify the best varietal to plant in specific sites within his vineyard.
h). his motto being one of Patience as he approaches close to 40 years of winegrowing.

Much, much more.  It is a delightful interview.  Please enjoy it.

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