December 2015 Newsletter

Di "Vine" Deals & Events

photo by Trish Hanson

Happy Holidays!

Wine of the Month: Sangiovese!
Try this award-winning, elegant and versatile red this month, and enjoy an additional 5% off bottles for December!

*****

Want to join our FABBulous team? We are hiring!

Do you have experience in any of the following industries?

- retail
- hospitality

- food / beverage service

- staff management
- customer service

- property / household mgmt.

- grounds keeping

Please send your resume to Join the Fabb Team

(Please put "employment" in the subject line.)

*****

All month: Holiday Trio Packs are here! Need some please-all wines for your holiday meals, or a thoughtful hostess gift? Grab this red, white and green (and purple!) trio of Something White. Padrino (Tannat blend) and our port-style Royalty. You'll be sure to make everyone happy! Normally $81 for all three, this month the Holiday Trio pack is $73.00. When combined with additional discounts you may be eligible for, this is a deal to celebrate!

*****

12/4 & 12/5 (Fri. & Sat.)
6 - 9:30 p.m.: Mervis Diamond Importers Red Carpet Trunk Show featuring Fabbioli Cellars wine!

1900 Mervis Way, Tysons Corner. Come be delighted with diamonds, fine jewelry, music, and of course, Fabbioli wines!

*****

12/5 & 12/6 (Sat. & Sun), 10 - 5 p.m: Hope Holiday Festival hosted by Holly Chapple Flowers:

40905 Stumptown Road, Leesburg.
Stop by this weekend for family-friendly holiday shopping and visit with local crafters as you enjoy Fabbioli wines.

*****

12/19 (Sat.), 1 - 5 p.m.: Fabbioli Cellars at Mom's Apple Pie in Occoquan. Join us

for tastings and try some of our most popular wines!

*****

12/24 (Thursday) Christmas Eve: We are CLOSING EARLY today at 3 p.m. Happy Holidays!

12/25 (Friday) Christmas Day: We are CLOSED. Wishing everyone a warm, safe, and very Merry Christmas!

12/31 (Thursday):
New Year's Eve: We are CLOSING EARLY at 3 p.m. See you all in the New Year!

1/1/16: New Year's Day: CLOSED. Happy New Year, everyone!

Holiday Hours

12/24 Christmas Eve: Closing at 3

12/25 Christmas Day: CLOSED

12/31 New Year's Eve: Closing at 3

1/1/15 New Year's Day: CLOSED

Tasting Room Hours

Sm Fab House

Good News!

We're open 7 days a week!

(except for holiday hours)

Daily 11 - 5

Fabbioli Cellars

15669 Limestone School Road

Leesburg, VA 20176

703-771-1197

www.fabbioliwines.com

Reservations required for groups of 8 or more. Please visit our web page for more information about group visits.

Fabbioli Cellars on TripAdvisor

About 12 years ago, I got involved in my community by joining the Rural Economic Development Council (REDC) for Loudoun County. I did this mainly because I recognized that if the county continued to build houses at an explosive rate, we would lose many farms and green space to development. Our business and many others need an agricultural community to survive. The REDC was given the task of advising the county board of supervisors on how to build the rural economy through agriculture, tourism, and other rural businesses that will feed the tax base and increase the value of the land without residential development. Even with a major recession and a number of new supervisors being elected over the years, this process and effort has been on a steady and successful course. Unfortunately, it seems we have a new challenge in our midst.

Our challenge stems around a new law allowing farm breweries to open in rural zones. Last year, the state of Virginia passed a law allowing farm breweries to be treated like farm wineries. The county had to do some additional work to define exactly how breweries would fit into our rural areas and the performance standards they needed to meet. Currently, there are three farm breweries approved in the county but the fourth one has run into a bit of a snag. A handful of very vocal neighbors have raised a fuss over a new farm brewery opening down the road from them claiming that it will disturb the "peace and quietude." These neighbors hired a lawyer to voice their concerns. The problem according to the lawyer is not just farm breweries but all alcohol licenses in the rural zones, current and future. In my opinion, I'm glad this lawyer included everyone because it invites all of the current farm wineries and farmers who supply them to oppose this effort. As I've been taught," Don't let the camel get his nose in the tent, or soon you will have to remove the whole camel."

As an industry and community leader, I hope we can find balance and not be subjected to the scare tactics that are often used in the political realm. Between the increase in the tax base from Ag businesses, the conservation easements used to protect the land from residential development, the employment increases with Ag jobs and the higher value of the land due to Ag investments, we hope to have little resistance to our rural plan. Despite recent developments it has been great to not feel the constant pressure of battle to save our lands or businesses. The Virginia lawmakers are looking to Loudoun County as a model on how to navigate these citizen concerns while promoting rural development and tourism. This adds some pressure to the issue because we want a solution that won't be continually challenged or need to be fixed. I am not sure how this will all shake out, but I hope we can disagree agreeably and find common ground that will continue to make our rural lands a great place to live, work and play. More to come.

On a personal note....I wish everyone a Joyous Holiday and the time to enjoy a glass of wine with family and friends.

Tasting Room News

photo by Andrew Peters

This December we celebrate our newest release, Barbera, as well as welcome the return of some much-missed wines: Raspberry Merlot is back! As are Sangiovese and our Cabernet Sauvignon "Fratelli" (meaning "brothers" in Italian.) We haven't had some of these wines on the lineup for the last part of this year, and we are happy to bring all these wines to you now in time for your holiday celebrations!

All of our wines and the accompanying pairings are full of bright holiday flavors, aromas and colors this month. Stop by for a tasting at the main Tasting Room and then enjoy some additional, off-menu wines and special holiday treats as you shop our Holiday Wine Store in our new building!

December Lineup:

Una Pera: Apricot, goat cheese and orange cranberry marmalade on mini Saltine

Something White '14 : Goot Essa Weissa Kase cheese with Garlic Rosemary Citrus sauce on mini Saltine

Sangiovese '13: Castlevetrano olive, mozzarella pearl and garlic sprinkle

Barbera '14: Baked ham with maple champagne mustard on mini Saltine

Fratelli '12 (Cabernet Sauvignon): London Broil with Rogue River Blue sauce

Raspberry Merlot: Northern Lights truffle (dark chocolate and peppermint; by The Perfect Truffle)

Pear Port-style Wine: Ginger snap cookie (by Zaglios Bakery)

photo by Trish Hanson

Cellar Notes - by Meaghan Tardif

December brings the first bottling of the fruit from the 2015 harvest. Una Pera, our 100% Asian Pear wine, is already heat stable and currently being cold stabilized. You heat stable white wines because if the wine reaches higher temperatures for a long period of time (for example, if you keep them in the car during the summer) the proteins that were not in suspension now precipitate out and cause a haze in your wine. When you make a wine cold stable you remove excess tartaric acid so that when you chill your whites these tartaric acid crystals do not precipitate into your wine at home. After this is complete we filter the wine for future bottling.

For December we are also going into bottle is the Paco Rojo and Raspberry Merlot. Only three wines this bottling but as you all know they are very popular! Have a safe and happy holiday - with lots of Fabbioli Wine! Cheers!