Old Town Crier, August 2008 Issue
Exploring Virginia Wines by Doug FabbioliWhat Does Sunday Mean?
As our business has grown over the past few years, I worked hard to try and draw some lines in the sand in an effort to keep a balance between home and work or family and business. With having a business in the cellar of the house, it has been quite a challenge to maintain those lines and have them productive. When we opened the tasting room last year, we decided to be open Fridays and Saturdays, but closed on Sundays for our family. My wife Colleen works a regular 8-5 job and she needed time to chill as well as the rest of us. But we found that our chill time was not as relaxing because of financial stresses. Also, we realized that people were coming by to wine taste on Sundays anyway and we were passing up good and easy business. We are not the winery owners that came into this business with plenty of cash to build everything in the beginning. We are building this business as we go and that means you need to decide what to spend money on next that will bring the business to the next level. Our levels are relatively small but still take planning and cash. We have chosen not to use investors at this time as others have, because that does not fit our style. I am a pretty free spirit and I prefer to answer to my wife rather than a number of investors.
What does all this have to do with Sundays? We are now open Sundays but are planning on not working the tasting room as much. I plan on hiring a Tasting Room and Marketing Manager for next year to take more of the stuff off my desk, allowing me to be in the vineyard and the winery where I belong. We will also make time to enjoy what we have and employ good people to share in this business, dream and lifestyle. Our farm will be a little more public because that is what it should be. We are offering U pick Raspberries now as a way to bring in a little more income and a few more customers. We are going to focus on what we do well and expand that for our customers and those yet to come. This all fits in.
I have always been a little introspective about what I do and why. I have been pretty lucky to find the right life partner to do it with. Even though my family name is on the business and it is full time work for me, I rely heavily on Colleen’s counsel to keep a true course even if we do not know where we are going. We have hired some summer help from the area in the form of college students home for summer break. They have all appreciated the hard, honest work we do here and we all enjoy the enthusiasm they have for doing a good job. Fabbioli Cellars is an employer now, and that has value for the community and the people working here. I am learning to recognize the importance and responsibility of being an employer and to keep teaching and training good people. They may work for us today, but when they leave, they will take their experience and knowledge with them. Education, Economics and Environment.
Blending Update:
Did I write about the pear wine in the past? We are bottling a pear wine this month that is like a cordial. It has a higher alcohol, a little sweet and very drinkable. I have a lone pear tree that produces Asian pears with no work involved. This, along with the Black Raspberry Surprise are the new wines this year that will really surprise a few people. I am not a sweet wine fan but I like to make interesting and flavorful products along with our quality dry reds. Come by to taste and tell us that the Old Town Crier sent you.