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| Richard Leahy |
I am not in the habit of writing about the various Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association Presents Birchenall Award winners regularly. But the 2023 award winner, Richard Leahy, is so incredibly unique among the various prestigious folks with whom he has shared this award, compels me to write more than just a few lines.
If any one person deserves the Birchenall, and a lifetime achievement award to boot (someday), it’s Richard Leahy. No one, absolutely no one, has done more to promote east coast wine than Richard Leahy. That’s not to knock back anyone else’s contributions – not Philip Wagner, not Dr. Konstantin Frank, nor Doug Moorehead, nor Mark Miller, or Richard Olsen-Harbich. But for almost 40 years he has organized the education of thousands of east coast winemakers, allowed them to meet with each other, interact with each other, teach each other, create a dialogue with each other. He had introduced hundred and hundreds of winery owners, vineyardists, and winemakers to each other. From the university agricultural and chemistry professors from Cornell, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, and Virginia, to business consultants, to some of the most pre-eminent individuals making wine today.
Event Manager of the Eastern Winery Expo, author of Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, member of the Circle of Wine Writers – Richard Leahy has been a distinctive presence on the eastern wine scene for close to forty years.
An acknowledged expert on eastern wines, Richard was tasked with editing the Mid-Atlantic and Southern components for the ground-breaking Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America (2000). He also was tapped to be a regional editor for Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide. His own Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia, an encyclopedic compilation of the wineries of Virginia, is now in its third edition.
Based in Charlottesville, the heart of Virginia wine country, Richard travels frequently to explore both established and emerging American wine regions. His extensive contacts in the industry positioned him perfectly to act as Event Manager of the Eastern Winery Expo, of which he was one of the founders. Next year’s conference in Pennsylvania in March features such notable personalities as Lucie Morton, Tom Payette, and Joyce Rigby of Boxwood Vineyards among others.
The Birchenall Award is given to members of the wine media for providing insight into the wines of the East Coast wine industry. The late Michael Birchenall founded the trade publication Foodservice Monthly in 2002, just as the restaurant scene was beginning to take off in the Mid-Atlantic region. “The local wine industry was growing at the same time, and Birchenall’s publication helped foster a sense of community among the various parts of the food and wine industries,” according to Dave McIntyre, noted wine columnist at The Washington Post.
I have known Richard since the old days, when he ran the classes for a thousand years for the old Wineries Unlimited. And then he switched to Eastern Wineries Exposition. He has forwarded through an ever-renewing army of east coast wine experts. He has hosted round tables, panels, and literally hundreds of Q&A’s between the leading minds of east coast wines, and the small, local vintners from Maine to Virginia and out to Ohio.
Richard Leahy is a wine author and wine industry consultant specializing in regional wines east of the Rockies. He has been reporting on the wines of Virginia and other regional wine states since 1986. He works with numerous wineries, associations and state agencies, and is the Conference Manager for the largest wine industry trade show on the East Coast, the Eastern Winery Exposition.
His comprehensive book on Virginia wine, Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, in a second edition of 2014, is now available on Amazon and Kindle. He became well-known in the Eastern wine industry as East Coast Editor for Vineyard & Winery Management, and is the Mid-Atlantic and Southern Editor for the ground-breaking Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America (2000), a regional editor for Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide and assisted Steve DeLong on his recent Wine Tasting Notebook.
Richard is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, professional organization of leading wine journalists based in the U.K. Richard was the Executive Director of the Virginia Wine Experience in London in May 2007. The event was timed to coordinate with the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement and was a huge success in attracting the attention of leading British wine writers such as Steven Spurrier and Oz Clarke. Richard has consulted to a range of clients from start-up vineyards to well-established wineries, and state wine and agriculture organizations.
As a wine consultant, he’s been held in high esteem by some of the east coasts more successful wineries and wine related associations, as well as other businesses, including such clients as: Fox Run Vineyards, New Jersey State Dept. of Agriculture Conservation Services,The Virginia Board Wine Marketing Office, The Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup, William & Mary Roads Scholars, Breaux Vineyards, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Annual Drink Local Wine conferences, Sharp Rock Vineyards, Kevin Zraly, Sterling Publishing, Northern Michigan Vintners Association, The Virginia Wine Experience in London, The Williamsburg Winery, Smith & Wollensky Restaurants, and Chrysalis Vineyards.
“Richard Leahy is a true, high caliber wine industry professional. He knows wines, has an excellent palate and appreciates the business dimensions of the wine industry. He brings the correct background and expertise to consult and assist in a start-up operation of for the development of a winery that sees growth as its objective,” opined Patrick G. Duffeler the proprietor of the Williamsburg Winery.
We tasted many wines together, at wineries, at my home. At conferences. Richard is also an avid home winemaker. He has made some incredible wines that he has shared with me, and countless others, over the years. From Petite Mansengs to deep, dark purple Bordeaux-styled blends, to Chardonnay and back again. I remember a remarkable Viognier Port as well as a delicate dry Viognier. Many were made from the Mount Juliet Vineyard at Monticello.
“Richard G. Leahy grew up in a Foreign Service family and was exposed to European wine and food culture at a young age. Being a natural raconteur, he can spellbind a person with tales from his colorful life,” wrote Virginia wine scribe John Hagarty. “One fascinating story involves a trip on the Orient Express at the age of 15 with a buddy that resulted in both being tossed off the train because of passport issues. The duo then grabbed a series of freight trains and arrived safely at the Black Sea eighteen hours later.
“I particularly remember that adventure because the next day we had dinner on the Danube. Two teenagers with access to unlimited wine soon turned the repast into a smashing good time. It was an early object lesson in moderation in all things,” he recalled smiling for Hagarty.
In a previous life to the one he has today, Leahy was a world traveler. He earned his undergraduate degree from William & Mary. He also earned a Masters Degree and held such jobs as hospital administrator, educator, wine steward & judge, wine journalist, home winemaker, and producer of winery trade shows.
Today he spends his time writing extensive wine tasting notes from wherever he travels throughout the east coast. But there’s no question, his book on Virginia wine, Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, has turned out not only to be his magnum opus but one of the best wine books on the history and current status of one of the most vibrant wine regions of the east coast. The book is now in its third edition, and is the most comprehensive, exhaustive, and definitive books on any region on the east coast.
“As Virginia’s modern wine era enters its sixth decade, its story grows ever richer. Beyond Jefferson’s Vines is the definitive guide to that, and Richard Leahy is one of the state’s premier keepers of the flame.” - Nancy Bauer, www.vawineinmypocket.com
“Beyond Jefferson’s Vines is the most comprehensive chronicle of Virginia’s emergence as one of the most exciting American wine regions. Leahy’s unique insights gained from nearly three decades covering the local wine industry and living in the heart of Virginia’s wine country provide the foundation for this expanded and revised edition….Thoughtfully researched and well written…and indespensible reference for saavy Virginia wine enthusiasts and a field guide for those planning to visit the Commonwealth’s wine country.” Frank Morgan, Drink What You Like
“Nobody had a better grip on the historic and modern Virginia wine industry than Richard Leahy, who brings a lifetime off studying and tasting wine and living in the heart of Virginia wine country to this project,” wrote Sandra Silfven.
“Through direct personal experiences, Rhichard Leahy is one of the few people who can tell the story of the modern resurgence of the history-rich Virginia wine scene from the 1970s to the flourishing and diverse industry it is today. – Dezel Quillen
Congrats to Richard Leahy on winning this award. I couldn’t happen to a better or more deserving guy.