Fabbioli Cellars

Dear Friends,

As the spring sun begins to warm the soils, it is amazing to me how much deeper the heat and light penetrates to give us all a little more warmth, making each day a little brighter. I am very lucky that if I do things right and I don’t screw up, I will never have to look for another job or home. The potential of this land, the market for products we make, and the people around us are incredible. We all just try to put good wines in the bottle, grow good stuff in the vineyard and treat the guests like we like to be treated. It seems like it is working. It is a pretty good feeling… as long as I don’t screw up.

Blend With Friends
I know I do not give much lead time but we are scheduling up the Blend with Friends on March 29th at 2pm. I have spaces for 16 people to participate in this event. This is a chance to try your hand at being the winemaker, blending different wines to create some stylistic, flavorful and sellable wines with all of the pieces we have. This is a very popular, educational and enjoyable event that we talk about all year long. Last year this event created our 2 gold medal winning wines. I hope you can make it. This event is $40 per person, will last about 2 hours and includes some light fare and fun.

Wine Release Event
Please join us at Fabbioli Cellars on Saturday April 19, 2008 for the release of 4 wines:

Winery	Wine	Winemaker
8 Chains North	Lo.Co. Vino	Ben Renshaw
North Gate Vineyard	Merlot	Mark and Vicki Fedor
Fabbioli Cellars	Cabernet Sauvignon	Doug Fabbioli
Fabbioli Cellars	Black Raspberry Port	Doug Fabbioli

At 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 we will pair each of these wines with food prepared by Chef Aaron Daniels. The winemakers will present each of their wines and talk about them. The cost will be $10.00 per person. Please RSVP as seating will be limited.

Throughout the day the winemakers will be available to answer questions and sign bottles for you.
In the tasting room, we will provide light fare. Plus, we will be selling slices of pie from our good neighbor Mom’s Apple Pies.
Friday April 11, 2008 is Arbor Day. So, in keeping with our mission to be green we will give a free tree to every customer buying 3+ bottles of wine.

There’s a new kid in town, Notaviva!
Shannon and Steve Mackey have been clients of mine for a number of years. When I first met them, their enthusiasm was infectious. I usually discourage clients from venturing into this business, but judging from their past experiences and how clear the vision was, I knew there was no holding this project back. Four years later, the vines are fruitful, the tasting room/house is built, they have 2 beautiful kids and the wine tasting is open. They are currently offering Fabbioli wines along with their Viognier. The tasting room is open Noon – 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The house is incredible, the people are great and then there are the wines. Visit the website at www.notavivavineyards.com. It has been my pleasure to help Shannon and Steve realize their dream, as difficult as it can be. Give them a visit and welcome them into the Loudoun Wine family.

Farm Update
The grass is starting to turn green, we have planted the early veggies in the garden and most of the pruning is finished. We will be planting more raspberries this spring along with ½ acre of Cabernet Sauvignon and ½ acre of Tannat. Many have asked me about a labeled Tannat wine and the short answer is I am not sure at this point. I am very pleased when I taste this wine from our vineyard but I want to see what it is like in the future. Tannat seems less refined than the Bordeaux varieties. As it ages, it seems to soften up and come around well. I need to keep my patience with this wine if it will ever be more than a blender. I have more projects to take on but I am waiting for the spring cash flow to catch up with the winter expense reports. Wish me more flow, luck and patience.

Farmer’s Markets for the Year
There will be a few markets in the area carrying wines from Fabbioli and other related wineries. If you are a regular at one of these markets and there is a particular wine you like, ask us for it. We can bring any of the wines from the Syndicate wineries to you. Here is a rough schedule starting in May:

Thursdays
- Purcellville Farmers Market 4-7pm: Vicki Fedor - Fabbioli Cellars and North Gate Vineyard
- Reston Town Center 4-7pm: Ben Renshaw - 8 Chains North and Fabbioli Cellars
Saturdays
- Great Falls Farmer’s Market: Clyde Housel - Hiddencroft Vineyards
- Falls Church Farmer’s Market: Mark Fedor - North Gate Vineyard
Sundays
- Cascades Market: Vicki Fedor - North Gate Vineyard

Wine Festivals
We're taking Fabbioli Cellars on the road trip to few local and not-so-local wine festivals. Grab some friends, check out our schedule, and plan to experience what Virginia and Virginia wineries have to offer.