Fabbioli Cellars

Dear Friends,

End of the Year Report

We at Fabbioli Cellars are pleased to report to our family, friends and supporters that we survived and thrived in 2007, despite the lack of planning on the part of our leader and namesake, Doug… Okay, that was a little hard on me, but I always feel that there is more that I can do, especially when it comes to planning and organizing.

We opened up about 25 wholesale accounts in Virginia and now in Washington DC. We doubled our production of wine and tripled our storage space. We added one full time staff member and numerous part timers as we continue to grow our business and expand our market. These folks are more family than staff, but that is our style. We had our Raspberry Merlot presented in London with other top Virginia wines. We also were awarded numerous medals including 2 gold. We opened our cellar for regular tastings on Fridays and Saturdays, but also decided that we will have most Sundays for us, to maintain that balance between work and family. We committed to the Farmers Markets and to numerous sales venues that have and will continue to bring us customers and sales.

It is a little difficult to write in a business manor about this business that seems to come from the heart. Each person in this business is so important. Everyone who touches the vines, works the wine, pours and sells the bottles and especially those who buy it. I did not name any names this time because there are so many great people in this, I would not want to forget anyone. What I really need to say is a wholehearted, hug filled THANK YOU to all involved in this fabulous ride. Our business plan of “quality first and love what you do” continues to define and excite all around us. This is working well at this point and I hope I don’t screw it up.

Winemaker Dinner
Looking for something to break the quiet part of the season? We are putting together a fabulous dinner at a very special place with excellent people on all sides of the plate and the wineglass. Beth and Spencer have created a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Western Loudoun, Chef Aaron is putting together a fabulous eight plate dinner menu, and Cara with the help of the rest of the Fabbioli family will make sure that it all comes together. Doug will have the important role of drinking wine, dining with the guests and talking. Gee, could he have a tougher job? Take advantage of this opportunity to share some food, wine, space and time with special people that know how to make others feel special. To encourage people to sign up, Fabbioli Cellars will be covering 10% of accommodations for those attending the dinner and spending the night at Stone Manor. We will also have some special pricing on wines. The price for the dinner is $85. The dinner is January 26th at 6pm. You can see more at www.mycountryretreat.com. For reservations, call Stone Manor at 540-822-5409.

New Wine
Fabbioli Cellars is now tasting and selling North Gate Vineyard 2005 Merlot. The owners, Mark and Vicki Fedor have been clients of mine for years and quickly learned how to make great wines. The Merlot was from our vineyard and is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. The Fedors will have more wines coming out in the future along with some limited tastings at their place. Be sure to try this wine and check out their website. There is not a lot of wine available at this point, so get it quick if it fits your taste buds.

Return Program on the Rasberry Bottle
We are making it official now! In adhering to our business principles of education, environment and economics, we will now be accepting back empty Rasberry Merlot bottles for a $1 refund on your next purchase. We have done our research and have determined that this will work for you as well as for us. This is available at any venue where Fabbioli Cellars is selling wine, i.e. tasting room, festivals, farmer’s market. We are not set up for retailers to handle the program at this point.

Custom Labels
We started something else new: you can now have Fabbioli Cellars wine with your company logo or personal message to your friends. Currently, the Chambourcin is available for this and the Cabernet Franc will be available with the 2007 vintage. There is a 4 case minimum for this package, but it is a great way to share your favorite wine with your customers or friends in a personal way. Contact us for more information.

DC Efforts
We have started knocking on doors in Washington to sell a few bottles. This has been an investment of time and effort but is already starting to pan out. Mio, 1789 and Black Salt have all picked us up at this point. I have learned that positive results build confidence and quality gives positive results. So once again, the “quality” word comes up to define what we do and why. We are tasting at wine shops over the next few weeks and will give you results from those as we get them.

Other Marketing Efforts
We rented a kiosk at the Leesburg Premium Outlet Mall for the weekend before Christmas. This was a very effective place for us to sell wine. As we continue to reach to new customers for both ourselves and other wineries in the family, we will look harder at this idea for a longer term arrangement. Green Friday worked well for its first year. We had a good showing for the one day event and for the month of December at all of the various stores carrying local products. I will update you with next year's upgrades as I know more.

What is Coming Up
We are having a Mardi Gras party on February 2. This will include beads, gumbo and beingets. Should be a fun event. Groundhog Day at the Lucketts Store and Antiques plaza is always a great chance to get out of your den and look for a new shadow - February 1,2 and 3 will feature great pricing on stuff as well as wine. Stop by to taste and shop. We also have the Virginia Wine Showcase in February. This will be held at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly on February 9 and 10. An indoor wine festival in the middle of winter? COOL! Go to Vawineshowcase.org for tickets and more info.