Fabbioli Cellars

Dear Friends,

For those of you who are interested, I went to Richmond last week to speak with our state lawmakers about the wineries' rights to self-distribute. The following is an overview of what took place, followed by some information about upcoming events for Fabbioli Cellars.

Status Report: The trip was quite interesting and inspiring. Most of the lawmakers were aware of our situation and looking to find a compromise between the distributors and the wineries which would allow the smaller wineries to self-distribute but keep the distributors protected on the larger scale. I wrote a follow up letter to each of the lawmakers focusing carefully on the one that seemed on the fence with the issue. I was pleased that he had received no funds from the distributors lobby leaving him free to listen to the wineries' concerns.

Your letters to the lawmakers have been making a difference. The climate shows that the wineries are united and looking for progress. There are still major concerns about the Assembly sub committee that will review this bill. They have been heavily influenced by the distributors’ lobbying efforts and may not let the bill out. Personally, I am banking on the Senate bill. There is opportunity to be involved. The sub committee met today, and there are more meetings to come. Send a letter if you have not. I have contact info, sample letters and all that. If you are interested in getting into this, please Email me or Willis Logan at Wlogan@vawineclub.com. He is our grass roots leader.

Events: