BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 3, 2004 – Virginia Tech has entered into an agreement with Chateau Morrisette, the award-winning winery located in Floyd County, Va., to license "Hokie Bird" wines as the official wine of the university.
Hokie Bird Red and Hokie Bird White will be introduced on Thursday, September 9 at 11 a.m. at Chateau Morrisette (directions below). On hand for the event will be Chateau Morrisette President David Morrisette; Nora Kuper, the winery’s marketing director; and Seth Tuttle, its sales director. Locke White, director of licensing and trademark administration at Virginia Tech will represent the university.
The wines will be offered for sale at retail outlets across Virginia this fall. A portion of all Hokie Bird wine sale proceeds will be contributed to the general scholarship fund at Virginia Tech.
"Chateau Morrisette is one of the largest and most respected wineries in Virginia and has been producing award-winning wines for almost 25 years," White said. "Because of their close proximity to our campus, we believe this partnership to be a natural fit."
"Chateau Morrisette is proud to offer these signature wines to Virginia Tech alumni, supporters and friends as a way to increase the general scholarship fund," Morrisette said. "Hokie Bird White is a distinctive semi-dry white wine combining luxurious fruit with a refreshing bouquet and crisp citrus accent. Hokie Bird Red is a smooth, semi-dry red wine with an appealing spicy character. These wines will enhance fine foods and any Hokie occasion."
Directions from Chateau Morrisette from Blacksburg: Take 460 East into Christiansburg. In the center of town turn right onto Route 8 South, follow Route 8 South for approximately 24 miles into the town of Floyd; at the traffic light turn right onto Rt. 221 South and follow it for approximately four miles; take a left onto Canning Factory Road and an immediate right onto Black Ridge Road. Follow Black Ridge Road for seven miles and before it crosses over the Parkway take a right onto Winery Road.
For more information on the winery, please visit their website, http://www.blackdogwine.com/.
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become among the largest universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.