NC grad Jordan Harris is winemaker and general manager of Tarara Winery and Leesburg, Virginia.
Wine enthusiasts are raising a glass to NC grad Jordan Harris.
Harris, who graduated from NC’s Winery and Viticulture Technician program in 2004, has been named by IntoWine.com as the Top 100 Most Influential U.S. Winemakers. The winemaker and general manager of Tarara Winery and Leesburg, Virginia was named No. 79 by IntoWine.com.
“While many of Virginia’s vintners are concentrating their efforts on the sure sellers like Bordeaux-style blends and Chardonnay (which frankly don’t show well here) Harris champions varieties that are often overlooked,” stated the article on IntoWine.com. “Pushing the boundaries of his various blends, Harris is blazing trails in the state with bottlings like his blends of Tannat, Petit Verdot and Pinotage; and a white wine mix of Viognier, Roussanne, and Petit Manseng. Bucking the trend, and providing the consumer with choices is where Harris succeeds.”
In May 2013, Harris was named among the Top 40 Under 40 American Tastemakers by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. In 2008, he was also the winner of a prestigious Premier’s Award.
Harris said he was excited and shocked by being named in IntoWine’s Top 100 list.
“I look at the list of people on here and I am surrounded by winemakers I wished I could become since being a student at Niagara College,” he said. “When I moved from Canada six years ago to take a leap into a small up-and-coming wine region, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get a mention like that.”
Harris attributes much of his success to his education.
“It is just truly a testament to the craft that I learned at Niagara College,” he said. “When I showed up at Niagara College, I had no idea that I wanted to be a winemaker – I thought maybe I’d stay more on the service side of things – but the passion and skills that the Niagara College Winery and Viticulture Technician program taught me, led me to where I am today.”
