Calling all Geezers: What WERE Virginia Dare Wines (NY State?)?

[Georgie]

Here's some information that you might be interested in.

In 1587, an expedition organized by Sir Walter Raleigh established an English colony on the island of Roanoke, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. On August 18 of that year, the first English child was born on American soil. Named Virginia, her mother was Eleanor Dare, the daughter of John White, governor of the colony.

Before long, Governor White was forced to leave for England to secure much-needed supplies. When he arrived, he found the country to be at war, threatened by the Spanish Armada. In need of his expertise, Queen Elizabeth extended his stay and it was not until 1590, three years later, that he was again able to set sail for Roanoke with supplies for the little colony.

Upon his return, he found that the settlement had vanished... and it came to be known in history as Sir Walter Raleigh's "Lost Colony."

Later, Native American legend told of a beautiful young woman, Virginia Dare, who was mistaken for a white doe, and shot through the heart with a silver arrow from a hunter's bow.

The name Virginia Dare came to symbolize wholesomeness and purity, and when Garrett & Company was founded in the region in 1835, the name was adopted as a brand for its wine produced from the native Scuppernong grape.

and from another source:

The Scuppernong's unique flavor was marketed nationwide in the 20th Century by Paul Garrett & Company under the label "Virginia Dare." During the 13 years of Prohibition (1920-33), Garrett kept his wineries busy making Scuppernong cider, and when Prohibition ended his were the only wineries ready for immediate production. "Say it again....Virginia Dare" was the first singing radio commercial for an alcoholic beverage in history.



[This message has been edited by Georgie (edited 08-16-2003).]