Old Town Crier, September 2008 Issue
Exploring Virginia Wines by Doug FabbioliIs it Harvest Yet?
This time of year makes me think of a boat captain preparing to go to sea. Preparation is the key. It is a good thing I work with the Boy Scouts the way I do. We are preparing a new concrete pad to put the crusher on along with some new set ups for cleaning. The grapes are a couple weeks away and we just finished our latest bottling. Larger wineries have enough space that bottling and harvest do not affect each other. Or, even though they have space, it is full so it does affect each other. At our peak production at Buena Vista Winery in California, we were bottling every day to empty tanks, so we had space to bring in the next days grapes. It was a tight program that was needed because of the lack of planning. Things are even tighter here at Fabbioli in that our tasting room is also the wine cellar. Our tanks and barrels are empty, the case goods cave is full but every Thursday evening, we will be cleaning up the cellar to turn the space into the tasting room. Will it work? Sure, why not. Will it be exciting and fun? I sure hope so. This industry is so fluid and creative, I am always happy to show the inside story of how we get things done.
Weather report… cautiously optimistic: Things have dried up a bit here over the last few weeks. You will here no complaints from the wine people. The grapes are getting sweeter and darker as the ground is getting dustier and the grass is turning more golden. Climate change is something to deal with but in my own little world, I am not hating the weather at this point. I certainly will change my song if one of those monster hurricanes parks over my vineyard for a couple days. That certainly stinks for all. Good luck folks.
Future of the Industry in VA: There is no question that we in the wine business are keeping busy. More people are drinking wine than ever before. The number people tell us that people are drinking less beer and drinking more wine. Along with this is the appreciation for crafted wines, the kind of wines that VA is making all ready. There is some big money being spent on winery construction, equipment and vineyard plantings along with bringing winemakers from all over the world to make wine here. So with all of this positive movement, why was there an ad for an auction of Oasis Winery the other day? And what about the other wineries that have been on the market for years and have not sold? Well, as I have found my comfort and peace working my own projects here, I do not have my pulse on the industry as in the past. But I do know the business pretty well and there certainly are few factors. Some wineries are built to survive for generations and others have a limited life. When a winery is put on the market, it is evaluated for not only the value of the assets, but the value of the name and reputation. Will the costs to retool an existing vineyard and winery be worth it or is it better to start fresh. Remember that many owners in these ventures are doing this as their 2nd career and would much prefer to start fresh as they have enough money to do so. There will always be some change over but we will have lots of new wineries and vineyards popping up for years to come. Taste, visit, share and enjoy what you have in your own back yard because we can do it pretty well. Thanks for enjoying what we do.