Fabbioli Cellars

Dear Friends,

No appointment required... I guess we are in business now!

It has been pretty wild, busy, good, great around here over the past couple of weeks. I will do my best to break it down into nuggets that make sense and keep you interested.

People Updates: I had 2 interns start with me over the last 2 weeks. Most people can only handle one at a time but you know “Mr. Fill your mouth and take another big bite...” Ryan is a network guy looking for a change. He had worked at both Meredyth and Willowcroft a number of years ago. He is giving the industry another go, this time with a little more seasoning and vision. Chris had found me a number of months ago through some friends and was able to commit after his computer project was done. He moved down from New Jersey this week and is starting full time. The interns do two things for me: one is force me to do things right as to not teach bad habits, and the second is to give me the confidence that I can get more done in a day and continue doing things for the long term. I am hoping to find the balance of work, home, community and me. I feel a little closer with this help. Please introduce yourself and welcome Ryan and Chris into the wine family when you see them. It means so much to me to help those with the passion that I have.

Sales Updates: With Ryan, Chris and others available, Fabbioli Cellars will be open on Saturdays with no appointment through December starting June 9. This gives all of you the opportunity to come by on your schedule, not just mine. Take advantage of this opportunity as next year will probably be different. We are at the Farmers Market in Purcellville on Thursdays and periodically will trade with other wineries at other markets. Also, we will be offering Sunset Hills Chardonnay.

Wines: Our 2006 Cabernet Franc has received very warm receptions wherever we introduced it. Officially, it is being released at Vintage Virginia this weekend. You can try it there or come see us on the 9th. The Chambourcin will be released after the Fratelli has run out. That should be in a month or two. The wine itself is very flavorful without the hard tannins of other red wines.

Storage Space: We are starting a little construction project here on the farm. As the demand for our wines has increased and the walls of the cellar feel like they are closing in, we came up with a plan to create a cave. The plan is to use two shipping containers tucked into the hillside as barrel and case good storage. Barrels will still be stored in the cellar but this will give us much more capacity without making a big structure. Also it is environmentally friendly by using the earth to regulate the temperature and by using the containers rather than buying something new.

Focus of the Business: One of my little phrases has been “Get the train going down the track and decorate it while it is moving.” With that is mind, we have started to define the decisions we make in business. Of course good quality, of course sound business practices, and building great relationships, but we are determined that this business will continually strive to do a little more for the community, the youth and the Earth. So this brings me to the three “Es”, education, environment and economics. You can read more about this in the Old Town Crier, but we want to support efforts that focus on these 3 points. Some may question the economics point but I want to make it clear that that is what makes things function. A strong rural economy will slow down land sales to developers and maintain our green community. Some of the latest ideas and efforts have hit 2 or 3 of these points.

Open House: So when is the next event at Fabbioli Cellars? How about July 21 from 5 until dark. Bring a picnic, or a dish to share. We will have sausages, roasted corn and hot dogs. We will also have some music and fireworks at dusk. There will be vineyard tours and I am sure that some of the raspberries will be ripe.