03/14/2026
A message from Luca Paschina.
As many have recently heard, this thriving and historic wine estate has now been sold to a new generation of owners. I and senior colleagues are remaining in place to sustain the winery’s leadership in the region. Thirty six years ago, I moved from Italy and settled here with the dream to produce a world class wine. As any farmer will attest, new to a region not even yet planted with his chosen fruit, only relentless hard work, passion, and dedication to the finest craft could succeed. And yet, as early as 1997, with the advent of Octagon, that dream found the path that would make it a reality. I am immensely thankful for the support of my wife Patricia, the whole team of Barboursville Vineyards, our founders the Zonin family, and our new custodians.
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For Immediate Release�March 2, 2026
Luca Paschina Tapped as CEO & President on Eve of 50th Anniversary
Barboursville, Virginia – Home to acclaimed wines and a premier destination for wine lovers, Barboursville Winery, Inc. announced today that award-winning winemaker, Luca Paschina, will remain at the helm as CEO and President when a new investor group assumes ownership this month. The announcement comes as Barboursville Vineyards is set to celebrate its 50th Anniversary.
Renowned as a pioneer in winemaking and one of the driving forces behind the Virginia wine industry, Mr. Paschina will take center stage in vineyard activities. “We remain wholly committed to the heritage of the land and to making exceptional wine,” said Barboursville CEO and President, Luca Paschina. “This ownership transition underscores a belief in the future of this great vineyard and ensures that this historic farm will remain vibrant for years to come.”
“Our investor group, with no other wine industry interests, fully supports Barboursville’s mission - to craft world class wines and provide outstanding hospitality, while preserving the grounds of the historic vineyard estate and elevating the prestige of Virginia wines nationally and internationally,” Paschina continued.
Barboursville Vineyards is located on the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, an area destined by history to viticulture, as imagined by the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson and his dear friend Governor James Barbour. The estate boasts more than 170 acres of vineyards, with an additional 650 acres managed as part of a thriving biodiversity and sustainability model that blends virgin forests, meadows, wetlands, lakes and streams providing watershed irrigation, natural habitats, and a honey harvesting enterprise.
In the spring of 1976, after exploring opportunities in Napa Valley and The Finger Lakes Region, one of Europe’s largest vintners, the Zonin family, settled for the ideal conditions of the Virginia Piedmont’s soil and climate as well as the irresistible beauty of this historic estate. In that moment, Barboursville assumed the hallmarks of the pastoral farming traditions of the Barbour family, dating back to the 18th century, and the agricultural viticultural passions and purpose of generations of the Zonin family dating back to 1821. In 1984, Barboursville Vineyards became part of the newly established Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA). Shortly thereafter, the Zonin family recruited Luca Paschina, a native of Alba, Italy, a third-generation winemaker who worked in Italy, Spain, Napa Valley, Finger Lakes and Switzerland to relocate to Virginia. In 2023, the prestigious Wine Enthusiast selected the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA) as ‘Wine Region of the Year’, placed Barboursville Vineyards among the ‘Best Wineries in the USA’ and placed Octagon 2019 in the TOP 100 Wines Worldwide.
Most notably, on the 30th anniversary of the vineyard, Gianni and Silvana Zonin unveiled a barrel aging room for Octagon – a nod toward the architectural ruins designed by Thomas Jefferson that reside on the property as well as the name of the vineyard’s flagship wine, ‘Octagon’. With numerous accolades and awards, Paschina’s Octagon continues to validate Virginia wine on a world stage. Under the Zonin family’s ownership and Paschina’s stewardship, Octagon was recently selected as one of the Top 20 Merlots worldwide by Decanter magazine, and jamessuckling.com recognized the flagship white blend Nascent 2020 among the TOP 100 American wines of 2025.
