Randolph and Margaret McElroy

Owners Randolph and Margaret McElroy have created a truly spectacular winery with a focus on exceptional wines and gracious hospitality. Native Virginians, they chose the Albemarle county area to fulfill their lifelong dream of owning a winery because Albemarle is already home to some of Virginia's finest wineries and has proven to have a particularly well-suited soil and climate. Pictured here with Randolph and Margaret are their two children, Elizabeth and Edmund.

Jean-Michel

Jean-Michel Jussiaume comes to First Colony Winery from the Muscadet region of the Loire Valley of France where his family has been making wine for generations. Growing up at a winery helped him decide at a rather young age to pursue his family's dream.

He received a degree in enology and viticulture from the Brevet de Technicien Superieur Agricole and worked in seven different wine regions in France to learn as many wine techniques as possible before going overseas. Over the next few years he worked in Hungary, Australia and South Africa to broaden his knowledge of growing conditions and winemaking environments in non-European settings.

All this experience has made Jean-Michel a rather well-traveled and experienced winemaker for such a young man. In his first year in the United States, he had the benefit of working with Virginia's best growing season on record, so it is no surprise that his newly released wines are outstanding. They are, as to be expected, very French in style, meaning they are very soft and elegant, rather than big and bold. This style of winemaking is very well suited to the Virginia soil and climate. Come taste for yourself the incredible 2001 vintage wines.

Our General Manager deferred her acceptance to medical school to pursue her interests in the wine business. A graduate of William and Mary College with a degree in Public Policy and Economics, Kerry is well rehearsed in organizing events and staff (she was active in student organizations, a sorority and volunteering while in school). Kerry also has the benefit of growing up overseas and learning a second language so her communication skills even cross international lines that are so helpful in the wine business. She is an enthusiastic and clever addition to the team at First Colony.

Nick Swanson

Although he started out in the engineering department at Virginia Tech, Nick soon switched his attentions to agriculture due to his fascination with wine and interest in the cultivated grape. He received his Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and continued his studies in Viticulture at Fresno State University.

Nick originally came to First Colony Winery as an intern in the summer of 2001. In 2003, he returned as vineyard manager, focusing his knowledge and talents on experimenting with different clones and rootstocks. He expects to find what works best in our soil, resulting in the solid use of estate grown grapes. This would provide the "most quality control" but he will couple this with purchasing quality fruit.

As vineyard manager, Nick's goal is to reduce the chemical usage in the fields. He hopes to achieve this by using equipment to cultivate the soil under the vines and minimizing pesticide sprays. Less chemicals result in a truer representation of the terroir and help build up beneficial microorganism populations. In addition, Nick uses no irrigation within the vines. His intention is to create stronger grapes as they go deeper into the soil in search of water.

In addition to the vineyard, Nick has been working with renowned winemaker, Gabrielle Rouse. By continuing his education, experimenting with grapes and working alongside First Colony's winemaker, Nick has brought the vineyard to award winning status.