Fair Value Measurements (Financial Assets And Liabilities Measured At Fair Value On Recurring Basis) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
Assets:
Money market funds	$ 86,552		$ 1,527
Trading securities associated with deferred compensation plans	20,692us-gaap_TradingSecurities		19,754us-gaap_TradingSecurities
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	5,254		2,074
Total financial assets measured and reported at fair value	112,498us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosure		23,355us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosure
Liabilities:
Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers	1,695		2,270
Interest rate swap agreements	3,050	600	936
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	579		3,973
Total financial liabilities measured and reported at fair value	5,324us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosure		7,179us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosure
Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds	0		0
Trading securities associated with deferred compensation plans	20,692		19,754
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	0		0
Total financial assets measured and reported at fair value	20,692		19,754
Liabilities:
Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers	0		0
Interest rate swap agreements	0		0
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	0		0
Total financial liabilities measured and reported at fair value	0		0
Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds	86,552		1,527
Trading securities associated with deferred compensation plans	0		0
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	5,254		2,074
Total financial assets measured and reported at fair value	91,806		3,601
Liabilities:
Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers	0		0
Interest rate swap agreements	3,050		936
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	579		3,973
Total financial liabilities measured and reported at fair value	3,629		4,909
Level 3 [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds	0		0
Trading securities associated with deferred compensation plans	0		0
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	0		0
Total financial assets measured and reported at fair value	0		0
Liabilities:
Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers	1,695		2,270
Interest rate swap agreements	0		0
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	0		0
Total financial liabilities measured and reported at fair value	$ 1,695		$ 2,270

Fair value portion of probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 820

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=36462937&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value portion of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Also includes short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6506951

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash Equivalents

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6507016

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value portion of asset contracts related to the exchange of different currencies, including, but not limited to, foreign currency options, forward contracts, and swaps.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ForeignCurrencyContractAssetFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value portion of liability contracts related to the exchange of different currencies, including, but not limited to, foreign currency options, forward (delivery or nondelivery) contracts, and swaps entered into.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ForeignCurrencyContractsLiabilityFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value as of the balance sheet date of interest rate derivative liabilities, which includes all such derivative instruments in hedging and nonhedging relationships that are recognized as liabilities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 825

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 10

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35750535&loc=d3e13433-108611

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_InterestRateDerivativeLiabilitiesAtFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of financial and nonfinancial obligations.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of investments in debt and equity securities and other forms of securities that provide ownership interests classified as trading.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26610-111562

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26626-111562

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Trading Securities

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6526789

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 210

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.4)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_TradingSecurities
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers fair value disclosure

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	uvv_GuaranteesOfBankLoansToTobaccoGrowersFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	uvv_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: