By Doug Fabbioli

Many years ago, when we lived in California, I would read the Herb Caen column in the San Francisco Chronicle. His column was usually paragraphs of different subjects, snippets of Bay Area life that the readers learned from, appreciated and sometimes found themselves in. I really appreciated Herb Caen and his approach, so sometimes I will copy his style rather than taking a deep dive into one subject.

The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and found a comment on a local page stating that Virginia wineries are a “joke” and not worth taking their European family members to visit. Instead of engaging on that platform, I thought this forum might be more civil.

The culture of our local wineries may not be draped in centuries of old traditions but a lot of our grapes and growing techniques are the same style and techniques currently utilized in many European wineries. Virginia wines are continuing to gain recognition and evolve and I have had European wine professors and students look to us and other local businesses for methods to improve their businesses and marketing. This “joke” comment made me realize that we still have work to do in educating our community about our agriculture-based wine industry. Having our loyal customers spreading the word and sharing their favorite local wines helps a lot.

In April, there was a hard spring freeze that hurt a number of our local farmers. The grape growers were hit in certain areas, but the tree fruit growers really took a hard hit to their 2025 crop. We lost all of the pears on our trees and many of our neighbors to the west are in the same boat. We will find fruit to make our ciders and fruit wines, but one of our signature products is the pear port in a special bottle with a pear grown inside. I put the word out to my local orchard guys and Taylor at Macintosh Orchards was able to help us out as they did not lose all of their pears.

We brought our bottles over to their farm last week and to begin the process of growing pears inside the bottles. Then we tied the bottles to the tree until we harvest in August. Thank you, Taylor and Macintosh Orchards, in Berryville for helping us out this year. We should have this vintage of Pear in the port bottle available in September. (Mackintoshfruitfarm.com)

Along with running Fabbioli Cellars with my wife, I help other wineries by consulting, training, winemaking and whatever else they may need in order to succeed. One of my clients purchased a functioning 30-acre vineyard a couple years back. The owners, the Bane family, started selling their wines last month and are continuing to sell even though they don’t have a tasting room yet. Wine festivals, farmers markets, wine shops and restaurants are all part of their marketing plan until they open up their estate for the public to enjoy. Keep an eye open for WildKind. They are in Northern Loudoun County just south of Harpers Ferry, WV.  (WildKindestate.com)

Another client recently purchased an established winery, Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont. The new owner, Michelle Spear, is an interior designer and so much more. She has been leading the charge to make this unique property her own, and learn about our

dynamic wine industry. There will be more information at the winery and on the website as historic research on the buildings and land continues. Views, character, quality and taste. This place is literally on top of the mountain. (Twinoakswinery.com)

My priority is the quality wines and experience here at Fabbioli Cellars. But sharing my knowledge with the next generation of owners, leaders and industry workers will make our community more sustainable and quality focused. And that’s no “joke”! Please continue to patronize and bring home local wines to keep this community thriving.

About the Author: Farmer, winemaker, entrepreneur, educator, and leader, Doug Fabbioli has been accelerating the growth and quality of Virginia’s wine industry since 1997. With his wife Colleen, Doug is the owner/operator of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. He is the founder and director of The New Ag School, which focuses on teaching the next generation of farmers and agriculture-related leaders. No wonder they call Doug Fabbioli the Godfather of DC’s Wine Country.