By Doug Fabbioli

As a farmer, I have learned that my job does not end with growing grapes and selling wine. I have learned, and tried to preach, that stewardship of the land and the ecosystem is important to all of us. I try to find balance with climate change, development pressure, the rising costs of farming materials and labor, versus ensuring biodiversity and soil health, carbon sequestration and value of a crop. The balance does not make for an easy day or career. With all that stress and pressure in mind, helping the bees and other pollinators is something we can all feel good about.

Four of my clients have beehives set up at their farms. Bees are not critical to grape growing but they sure are important to the biodiversity and balance that our lands need. Here at Fabbioli Cellars, they pollinate our raspberries that we use in our Raspberry Merlot and our Ladies Man cider. Macy at 48 Fields uses the bees for her apples and honey for her cider. At Whites Ferry brewery and Winery, we are incorporating the honey into a special wine coming out next year.

Michelle at Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont just wanted to help her little corner of the world with some beehives. Little did she expect a bear to break through the fencing and attack one of her hives! With a Facebook post and a few phone calls, we were able to get the help we needed to save the bees and brood that we could and rebuild the hive. Vanessa from Beacon Hill Honey came to the rescue with boxes to harbor the homeless bees THAT DAY and transport them back to her farm.

Rescuing the bee victims and cleaning up the crime scene of the criminal bear was not in my skill set. So, I looked up Vanessa at Beaconhillhoney.com and learned about her operation a bit. It ended up that we found the ultimate queen bee who is tirelessly spreading her knowledge and passion for bees.  Beekeepers recognize that respecting and connecting with the world of bees can make liquid goodness as well as a better ecosystem!  Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your passion, mentoring and technical skills in a way that makes this a better place to be.

So, back to wine. Honey can be diluted with water to a point where the sugars will ferment creating mead. Also, it can be added to a wine or beer to sweeten and flavor that product. Honey can taste and look different depending on where the bees sourced the nectar and pollen. So please respect the bees, visit the wineries, buy local farm products and help keep the good stuff happening in our communities. None of us get rich doing what we do, but value of the process, passion and spirit is too important to put on a balance sheet!

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.