Rockbridge Vineyard announces the release of the first screwcap bottling in Virginia

As the industry responds to major issues surrounding the use of cork closures - quality, consistency, image, etc -- Shep and Jane Rouse have been carefully evaluating the possibility of bottling Rockbridge wines with screwcap closures.

With a recent tasting of wines from around the world, they became convinced, and with Rockbridge's commitment, the mobile bottling service we use has invested in the equipment which makes it possible.

Rockbridge can now announce the release of the first screwcap bottling in Virginia--Jeremiah's Rose. The 2004 cuvee will be available for release December 7th.

While we weighed marketing issues attached to screwcaps, quality benefits are too significant to ignore--not only eliminating cork-taint problems, but preserving the bright, fresh character of Shep's wines. Additional wines will be released in screwcap over 2005/06 with the intention of segregating the winery's products as follows:

• Wines intended for enjoyment within 1-2 years of release will be bottled in screwcap
• Wines with longer-term aging potential will be bottled with the highest quality natural cork

Please communicate any concerns, questions, endorsements or other feedback you may have about this so that we can work with you to ensure a smooth transition. We are excited about leading the way in the Virginia Wine Industry on this newer technology.

For more information, phone: 888-511-WINE.