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1 0 2 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a r - A p r 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m known Linden Vineyards, Barbours- ville Vineyards, Thibaut-Janisson and many more. The area is reach- ing a new level of recognition and we want to be a part of champion- ing this movement. We're thrilled that our winemaker, Ben Jordan, and his team are producing beau- tiful wines on our properties that exhibit Virginia's unique terroir. [ V&WM ] Did you face any unex- pected challenges? [ JC ] One of our biggest chal- lenges as a region is to grow qual- ity fruit at the quantity needed to build our reputation as a premier wine region within the United States and abroad. This won't hap- pen overnight. Like all of our neigh- bors, we face the challenges of Mother Nature that are unique to Virginia as a wine growing region: extreme humidity, Japanese bee- [ V&WM ] You could have bought a winery anywhere. Why Virginia? [ JC ] We've been proud resi- dents of Virginia for more than 30 years, from our days building a then-unknown startup called Amer- ica Online. As we raised our fam- ily here and traveled throughout the state, we grew to appreciate Virginia as an exceptional place of history, deep-rooted culture and, most important, opportunity. One of the primary reasons we decided to purchase an existing winery and start Early Mountain is because we believe Virginia has the potential to become one of the world's leading wine regions. Many vineyards within the region are producing some truly excep- tional wines, from up-and-comers like RdV Vineyards, Ankida Ridge and Stinson Vineyards to the well- tles and the threat of hurricanes in the middle of harvest. In an effort to increase our pro- duction of quality fruit, we recently added another site, Quaker Run, just a few miles down the road from our main property in Madison County. We're very excited about the high quality of the fruit as well as the opportunity to have addition- al site-specific wines. It's exciting to see growers turn- ing to more thoughtful and consid- erate site selection. A substantial amount of recent efforts and learn- ing has gone into practices that will yield the highest-quality fruit in Vir- ginia — and that, in turn, will lead to premium wines. There's a strong demand for new, quality sites and increased support for growers who produce exceptional fruit in Virginia. [ V&WM ] At Early Mountain, you took the unusual step of offering wines from other Virginia wineries for visitors to taste or buy. Why did you do that? What was the initial reaction from the wineries? From customers? [ JC ] Excellent wine is made in all corners of the Commonwealth, so it would be difficult for consum- ers to experience all the great win- eries without significant travels. This is our way of creating a vir- tual tour of the best Virginia wines under one roof. The reception from both consumers and winemakers throughout the region has been extraordinary. They appreciate our efforts to support the entire region and shine a light on the interesting and unique products from across the state. We've been playing around with a new angle on the same idea by inviting winemakers, writers and buyers to come taste with us once a month. We pour Virginia wines alongside wines from around the world as a benchmark to put Virgin- ia wines in context. We're excited by the dialogue that occurs in these industry tastings because it teas- es out different perspectives and helps us constantly evolve. [ V&WM ] You recently published a book, "The Virginia Table," high- lighting not only the Old Dominion's wines, craft beers and spirits, but + Birthplace: Bloomington, Ill. + Current Position: CEO of the Case Foundation and Owner of Early Mountain Vineyards + Professional Background: Jean Case is an actively engaged philanthropist, investor and pioneer in the world of interactive technologies. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before she and her hus- band, Steve Case, created the Case Foundation in 1997. Jean serves on the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees, as well as on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), the White House Historical Associa- tion and BrainScope Company, Inc. She also serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, Georgetown University's Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund and the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investing Task Force (SIITF), established by the G8. + Personal interests: Hiking the many trails of Virginia, reading a good book, travel, history and exploring new and unknown wine regions. JEAN CASE'S RÉSUMÉ Advertise Now 707.577.7700 Online In Print