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#exploring-va-wines
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I Want to do What You Do!
By Doug Fabbioli I have heard this statement a few times over my 45 years in the industry. Sometimes the comment comes from a 50-year-old who has spent their career behind a desk yearning for a job where they can see the physical progress of their efforts. My standard response,
by oldtowncrier1 viewexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
Recovering from the Freeze
By Doug Fabbioli On April 21st, a large mass of frigid air settled on the Mid-Atlantic region after the warmest April on record in Virginia. This caused a lot of rapidly growing shoots on our vines (and other plants) to be exposed to many hours of temperatures in the 20s.
by oldtowncrier0 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
Let’s Talk Tannat
By Doug Fabbioli As a winemaker, I am often asked about my favorite wine or grape. I love Zinfandel but it is difficult to consistently grow Zinfandel in Virginia. Lately I have been focusing on learning more ways to work with Tannat, so that is my current answer and read on to find out why. In the past, it has been hard to make a full bodied, high tannin intense red wine in Virginia. Tannat has consistently been my solution with its thick skins, deep color and a firm tannin structure. Years ago, I made a conscious decision to lean into Tannat as a grape and wine so I could learn more and share what I’ve learned with customers and other winemakers. Tannat has its home in the Pyrenees foothills, the mountains between France and Spain. It is mostly a blending grape, usually 30-60% in a wine blend. Uruguay has adopted Tannat as its national grape. Rosé, light reds, full bodied reds and port wines are all made from this grape in Uruguay. Loudoun County has been running a cultural winemakin
by oldtowncrier3 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
They’re Baaaccckkk!
By Doug Fabbioli I thought I would take this space to update you on the status of the spotted lantern fly (SLF), how they are affecting the vines and what we are doing to address them. We (Fabbioli Cellars) have been dealing with the spotted lantern fly since 2025. Many other vineyards in Loudoun County have been fighting them for 3-5 seasons. A brief rundown on the SLF: They arrived here from China, most likely hitchhiking on wooden pallets of cargo. They have a one-year cycle meaning eggs are laid in the fall, hatch in the spring as nymphs and as the season goes on, they grow larger and sprout wings. They are starting to feed on other trees and plants now, but one of their favorite plants is still our grapevines! There are a few ways that these bugs damage our vines. By feeding on the vascular system of the plant, the SLF is sucking out vital nutrients and moisture needed for the productivity of the plant. In addition, they can introduce pathogens into the plants system that can caus
by oldtowncrier3 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
I Feel the Shift
By Doug Fabbioli As the snow piles are melting down and we are seeing the ground again, I feel like we are hitting a fresh season with better luck happening ahead. Maybe it’s just spring, maybe it’s that Luck O’ the Irish thing or just that we’ve been down so long that it all looks up from here. For whatever reason, the Virginia Wine industry has a lot of positive things happening in 2026 and we want all you folks to visit, imbibe, enjoy, and bring home the tastes that we grow for you! From the vineyard side, as cold as it was in January and February, the reports from our state entomologists, or bug specialists, is that this extended period of cold will kill off a significant amount of the eggs for the spotted lantern flies. Also, although many vineyard sites are still in a drought situation, growers have developed ways to manage their vines better through soil improvements, irrigation and pruning techniques. We have learned more about the symbiotic relationship between the soil nutrie
by oldtowncrier3 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
New Regulations Coming!
By Doug Fabbioli New state representatives are coming to Richmond, and discussions have started about the laws regulating restrictions on farm wineries here in Virginia. The law was actually crafted with major input and approval from the Virginia Wineries Association to protect the integrity of the wine industry. The changes have a 5-year period to get wineries in compliance and there is no grandfather rule. We are 3 years into this transition period so changes are beginning to happen. The goal is to keep farming in the Virginia farm wine industry. Over the past decade or so, several farm winery licenses have been approved for venues and businesses that are not actually farming. These venues end up being businesses in the countryside with no connection between the land and the products that they serve. The main regulation that will affect some operations is the requirement to have 3 acres of crops that go into your products. This level is where most businesses will land. They can lease
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
New Year, New Mentoring!
By Doug Fabbioli As 2026 begins, it is important to recognize things that can be improved from the previous year or years. Some adjustments may be easy while others more challenging. For both, a well-thought-out and vetted plan for improvement would be a promising idea. It sure would stink if in the efforts to improve the situation, you end up behind where you started. The improvements I am looking for are the stability and improvement of wine sales for our business and others in the industry. What is my solution? More mentoring of the next generation to develop more wine aficionados like us! As I have mentioned in previous columns, I have 3 younger folks I am working with in three different operations who are the perfect age for our target audience. If these folks can develop their wine knowledge and their mentoring skills, we can hopefully increase our wine consumers. Let us admit it, wine can be a stuffy and intimidating beverage arena to enter and comfortably enjoy. There are lots
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
Another Year in the Vat
By Doug Fabbioli The juice has been pressed from the fruit, fermentation is complete and now the wine is resting in vats or barrels. The skins and seeds from the grapes are in the compost pile transforming into the black gold that will be returned to the field. The leaves are off the vines and have blown into the surrounding fields. The crew has been winterizing equipment, cleaning up the landscape and generally catching up on some of the jobs that were not as critical to address during the growing season. We have plenty of work ahead of us and spring will be here before we know it, but naturally the end of the year is a fitting time for reflection. There seems to be some significant interest in buying and selling local wineries lately. Maybe it’s the age of the industry, or the businesses, or the owners, but I certainly see some shifts coming soon. This business is not for the faint of heart. High capital investment, slow returns and agriculture in general adds up to challenges that m
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
Holiday time is Wine Time!
By Doug Fabbioli As the leaves are turning colors and the outdoor temperatures are dipping downward, many people start thinking about the ever-growing holiday season. Seasonal decorations are appearing in the stores and economic talking heads are discussing the latest predictions of how people will spend their hard-earned money this season. I want to promote the idea of gifting and sharing locally grown and crafted wines with your family and friends. Our industry continues to work, learn and grow to create high quality wines for you and your loved ones to enjoy. A full-bodied red wine may be appropriate for your Uncle, while a bright and fruity sparkling wine may be appropriate for a family care giver. In addition to those wines, many wineries are making fruit wines, port style wines, ciders and dynamic white wines as well. Local wineries and wine shops are looking forward to helping you make your selections for the season celebrations and gifts. If you are having a celebration, consid
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
A Few Repeatable Thoughts
By Doug Fabbioli I recently received a substantial honor when the Loudoun Laurels Foundations named me a Loudoun Laureate. This organization recognizes leaders in the community that have given of themselves to improve the local culture and its people. In addition to recognizing leaders the Laurels give substantial scholarships to first generation students to help build our next generation of giving leaders. I am extremely honored to receive this acknowledgement and look forward to continuing my work in the education and mentoring of agriculture, trades and small business. So, I wanted to use this forum to spread a few of the thoughts I shared in my speech. There’s an old saying “you can make bad wine from good grapes, but you can’t make good wine from bad grapes”. Also known as “garbage in, garbage out” which is a term used in the business world. In the farming world we need to continually focus on quality agriculture practices all the time by improving technology, respond to climate c
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
What’s the Next Job?
Pictured above: The author mentoring Cana Vineyards winemaker, Melanie Natoli, many years ago. By Doug Fabbioli There has been a pretty significant shift in the job market. It’s getting harder for many people to find jobs and many are facing RIF’s. So, may I suggest an alternative to corporate or government employment? Perhaps in the field of agriculture and or winemaking? As a coach for hire, or consultant, with 45 years of experience in the wine industry, my best successes are teaching the next generation the macro and micro lessons of how to build, maintain and sustain a wine business. I say sustain rather than thrive because we all know how challenging this industry can be due to a host of issues including weather, labor, plant diseases, sanitation, social media, consumer trends, zoning issues, taxes, packaging materials, climate change, tariffs, micro bacterial issues, equipment breakdown, refrigeration, customer preference, high capital needs, building maintenance, landscaping an
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining - news
“Buy” the Glass
By Doug Fabbioli Forty-one years ago, the first Loudoun County harvest of wine grapes were brought to a crusher machine to be processed into wine. Over the past 4 decades, many more locally grown grapes and other fruits have been picked, crushed, fermented, aged and bottled for our residents and visitors to enjoy. Because wine grapes and other crops have a limited shelf life after picking, the processing of this fruit is often done on the same property where the grapes are grown. Because timing is crucial the grower needs to work closely with the winemaker to ensure a successful harvest. Often this is solved because the grower and the winemaker are the same person. The requirements for a successful vineyard are very specific so we tend to have vineyards clustered together where the conditions are best. All of these pieces together add up to a wine region, where grapes are grown, processed and offered to our customers for tasting and purchase all in the same geographical place. Another
by oldtowncrier2 viewsexploring-va-wineswining-dining