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 winemaking exchange program with Canelones, Uruguay over the past few years learning about growing and making Tannat. This experience has increased our knowledge and awareness of the versatility of this grape and how to have better wines. Time is a friend to Tannat. The tannins age nicely over time, making a 10-year-old wine still fresh and youthful. The acid keeps the fruitiness bright, extending the aging time. Plus, a little Tannat in a blend of other reds can really spark up the finished wine. Part of the challenge of Tannat has been that the tannic structure of it can be too heavy for some folks. I have been learning a few techniques from our winemaking friends in Uruguay to soften the…
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 cause other diseases and problems. The other issue is that their excrement, a sweet sticky clear liquid, causes a black mold on the plant. This mold will block the photosynthesis on the leaves and restrict the energy the plant can absorb. All this adds up to a crop that is smaller and may not be ripe as well as keeping the plant from building the energy reserves needed to survive the cold temperatures and push bud for the next season. Eventually the negative flow of energy will kill off the plant. So, what can we do about it? Well, the information from other regions has shown that there is a front wave of invasion that settles down a bit after…
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 nutrients, the microbes in the soil and the plants. Through this learning we have used less chemicals, improved our biodiversity in our vineyard rows, increased our nutrient availability by using more organics and compost. In the cellar, our wines are tasting terrific! In my style as a pretty traditional winemaker, barrel aged, hearty reds is what I do, what I want our customers to enjoy. But I have learned over the years that sparkling wines, sweeter styled wines, and even wine cocktails are pretty popular with our customers. Although I have tendencies to just stay in my lane, I am willing to learn other wines in order to stay fresh, relevant, and frankly to stay selling wines. Speaking of selling wines, there are more efforts…
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 other vineyards, produce off site, but still be authentic in their agriculture operations. If the operation is farming less than 3 acres, they can still have a farm winery license, but they will be limited in production to only what they grow and will not be able to have as many businesses’ options. The goal of this law is not to exclude small operations but to keep land buyers from skirting the law and building venues that dilute the authentic wine-growing culture of our region. As our state has grown and developed, farmers have been granted a few exemptions from building and zoning regulations. Farming is hard enough without adding further restrictions, regulations, fees, and reports. Selling your farm products directly to consumers is an important part of farming success in the 21st…
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 of assorted styles, regions, grapes, sweetness levels, and winemaking techniques. No wonder we have fewer young people consuming wines, the complexity of the industry has made us harder to approach. Starting off with a few simple steps can be quite rewarding. Each of the folks in the industry must know enough of their own products to share with family and friends. A good mentor can create a safe learning environment for the mentee to ask questions, try assorted flavors, and start to connect with the wines a little bit more. There are no dumb questions and there is no pressure to perform. When a person is learning wine, they are learning about foods and flavors as well. Grape varieties, processing techniques, and regions come into play later as to…
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…
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, consider serving local wines to your guests. Picking a few wines that are special to you and telling the story of why you made your choices makes it even more special. Some folks may work at or own businesses that give gifts to clients or staff. Some wineries will help to create custom labels for a wine to enhance your gift. There may be a bonus to buying wine in quantity so ask your seller if they offer discounts. Wine is not the only local holiday item you can buy for your loved ones. Some may be food related, some are artistic, some may be very functional and some items might be just darn silly. The magic happens when you see the person you are buying for in the item that you are purchasing! Many crafters are…
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 change, invest in infrastructure and invest in the team. Have you heard about a farmer that wins that $2 million in the lottery? When asked what he will do next, he says “I’ll keep farming!” Yes, farmers are gamblers, addicted to what could come next year. They were the first entrepreneurs by growing more than they could use so they had something to trade. They established the manufacturing techniques so the food products were stabilized to last longer and to travel. We owe a lot to these men and women who committed their lives to the land, animals, crops and family so others can eat and drink. I consider myself a solar energy engineer. Energy from the sun is relatively free. We need soil, plant material, water, labor, fertilizer and more in order to…
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 and a whole host of other challenges. But, as new folks decide to enter the industry, there will always be a need for the teacher, trainer, and mentor for the next generation of vintners or owners. Some operations are smaller and the technical work of farming and winemaking will be done by the owner. Others are on a larger scale where the winemaker or farmer may be hired or contracted. One thing is for sure, the owner of an operation needs to understand and be effective at selling wine. Wine consumption has dropped over the last 5 years and we need to work harder at sales if we want our businesses and industry to survive. I will never claim that I am a skilled salesman of anything, but teaching the importance of sales and marketing is what I can do. I look at my clients and…
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 important aspect of a wine region are the hospitality partners that help make the visit of our customers more comfortable and memorable for them. The local restaurants and hotels all play a role in creating an experience that will stay with our guests long after their shoes leave our soils. The Loudoun Bed and Breakfast guild encourages its members to share information about local wineries with their guests to make their guest’s experience in wine country even better. For example, Hidden View B&B offers local wines for purchase to their guests as a way to enhance their experience and support local. There is an effort underway to encourage local restaurants to enhance their diner’s wine experience by carrying more Loudoun County wines by the glass. If the restaurants offer wines on…
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