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 most folks would shy away from. I have had a number of potential buyers approach me about who is for sale and how the pulse of the industry feels. I want to help these people understand that the romance of being a winery owner probably won’t last forever. But if you have the means and manage your expectations regarding returns, it can be very rewarding. I often give these words of wisdom to folks that are considering buying a winery or vineyard: hire some well-seasoned help to get you on the right path. Consulting winemaker, vineyard manager, tasting room manager, all these folks had to put in time to be successful. Wine quality is judged on a regular basis and having a skilled mentor to help you learn this process will make a tremendous difference.

It’s great to see the next generation step into some of these wineries to keep the lineage of the winery alive. Many of the older wineries in Europe and California are multigenerational operations. The institutional knowledge is not passed on with a deed or a contract. Otherwise. it will take many years of working side by side with a seasoned vintner to pick up that information. But sooner or later, the baton will be passed, planned or unplanned.

Our 2025 vintage has created some stellar wines! They are much lower in volume than in most years, but the ripeness, flavor depth and intensity will show some grand wines in the bottle. I continue to learn about soil health for vineyards and how that health will aid in the sustainability if our vines and our industry. Quality and authenticity will carry on to the next generation, if they pay attention to those who can before them!

Enjoy our art from the land. We use hands, heads and hearts to bring those special flavors to your holiday tables. Galileo Galilei said that “wine is sunlight held together by water”. Share our Virginia sunlight with a friend again soon!

May you have a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous and healthy New Year from myself and my team.

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.