Why The Southeast Could Become The Napa Valley Of Oysters

WUTC.ORG In 2014, Virginia shellfish farmers sold nearly 40 million oysters, generating around $17 million in revenue, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The success — and praise from the culinary world — has been so resounding that in 2015, Governor Terry McAuliffe launched the Virginia Oyster Trail, modeled after the state’s popular wine trail. The Oyster Trail tour covers seven distinct geographic regions, each producing oysters with a unique flavor, from the sweet mollusk magic of the Rappahannock River to the salty tastes of the Eastern shore.

“Just like the chardonnays of California, what you taste on the Oyster Trail is expressive of each locale,” says Ryan Croxton, who co-owns the Rappahannock River Oyster Company in Topping, Va., with his cousin Travis.

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