Virginia Vineyards Association Announces Grape Grower Of The Year

The Virginia Vineyards Association (VVA) Grape Grower of the Year award was presented to John H. “Rock” Stephens of the Vineyard of Point Breeze, located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Since 2006, the VVA has presented the award to growers deemed to be innovators and leaders in the industry. Rock Stephens and his wife Kris own the 12-acre Vineyard at Point Breeze. A graduate of Purdue University, Rock also has a Masters in Business Administration from Michigan State University, and is a graduate of the Executive Program, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, at the University of Virginia.

He has been an active member of the VVA since 1997 and completed his second two-year term as president in December 2008. In 2005 he was appointed as a member of the Wine Board and was elected as vice chairman in 2007. He is a member of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Vineyards Association, and the Virginia Farm Bureau. Stephens has been making wine for more than 10 years and has won numerous winemaking awards.

For more information, go to www.virginiavineyardsassociation.com.