With experience that spans from time at a James Beard award-winning restaurant in Chicago to heading up Brasserie Saison’s wine program in Charlottesville, Will Curley knows a thing or two about wine. We caught up with him to chat about Virginia’s vino.
Tell us about your background in regard to wine.
I was a mid-20’s career changer who moved to Chicago to work in restaurants. I met Priscilla and worked for the Boka Group and the Purple Pig. We moved to Charlottesville in 2016 where I was GM and Wine Director of Brasserie Saison until buying the Guild in 2017.
What are some of your favorite grapes/wines in Virginia?
I share everyone’s love of Virginia Cab Franc. I think our varied terroir and openness to different styles of production allows for a lot of different, delicious ways to show off the grape, and I think as vines get older and as producers are able to continue to increase the aging on stuff before they release it from the winery, we'll see more (continued) deserved praise for our prestigious grape.
What is your opinion on what makes wine from this region special?
Our varied terroir, our innovative winemakers, [and] the fact that we probably, likely, still haven’t found our best vineyard sites -- we’ve only been doing it seriously for 40 years or so.
Are there any trends that you’ve noticed in Virginia wine-making?
Hybrid grapes are coming on strong, more and more every year - vidal, traminette and chambourcin are becoming more understood from a winemaking perspective, and [winemakers are] making better wine because of it.
Any recommendations for Virginia wines to drink as the weather gets cooler (or to pair with heartier fall foods)?
Yes -- for the first autumn day when you’d reach for a burgundy, Bluestone Vineyards’ The Steep Face [is] my pick for best chambourcin in Virginia.
For more information on sipping and shopping at The Wine Guild, or to become a member, visit their website at wineguildcville.com or stop by their location at 600 Concord Ave Suite 2 in Charlottesville.
I share everyone’s love of Virginia Cab Franc. I think our varied terroir and openness to different styles of production allows for a lot of different, delicious ways to show off the grape, and I think... we'll see more deserved praise for our prestigious grape.