Fun times with new and old friends at Tarrara!
I have a friend who endeavors to hit each winery in Virginia at least once. And, from time to time, I have been blessed to join her on her conquests. It is a tough job, but somebody has to do it! For our most recent sojourn, she chose the far reaches of Loundon County, hitting Tarrara Vineyard on the banks of the Potomac River; followed by Fabbioli Cellars, both in the Harmony Cluster of Loundon County wine trails. I had been to both of them before, but never for a tasting at Tarrara…..and was glad to revisit Fabbioli because it was a stand out establishment from the first trek Mickey and I had taken to the area, back in 2012.
We started the day at Tarrara, and I started to recognize the area from a couple miles away, because I had run a half marathon back in the fall, which started and finished from Tarrara. I far preferred being in the car on this journey, as opposed to running the rolling hills as I had done in the past! That half marathon does not occupy a good memory in my mind….but through no fault of Tarrara…and anyway, I digress…
We were visiting on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon, one of the nicest days we have been given this spring. And note to all, if you want to beat the crowds, and experience very personalized service, play hookey and plan your tastings for Thursday afternoons. Except for a few ‘wine club members’ who came through to pick up their treasures, we had the place to ourselves. And, we had a wonderful pourer, whose name I neglected to get; but whom made our visit that much nicer with her warm disposition and engaging nature.
The ‘cave’ entrance to Tarrara Vineyard’s tasting room
Tarrara Vineyard is located on what was a very large farm. The tasting room is actually a cave like structure, built under the actual house of the owner. It is a wonderfully unique site. In addition to a few tasting areas, there is also an observation window that looks down into the wine production area. The grounds are massive…with a section across the lake that holds concerts and special events during warmer months. Tarrara grows a large portion of their grapes onsite, but also contract out through Virginia for grapes as well. At one point, I believe I saw them listed as the third biggest producer of wine in the state, behind Williamsburg Winery and Chateau Morisette. If they are not third, they are high on that list.
A glimpse into Tarrara’s tasting room. It has a very ‘hip’ vibe!
There is the old saying, ‘less is more’; and Tarrara employs that concept quite well in their tastings. They have a huge wine list, including their regular label; and then one bottled under the name Boneyard (a shout out to an actual ‘graveyard’ of old farm machinery onsite). For the tastings, we sampled seven out of their repertoire of more than double that number: Three white, three red, and the ever delightful D9, which was a port-style wine that was distilled at nearby establishment, Catocin Creek. I have been at vineyards where you taste their whole list….be it 5 to 15 wines, and maybe even more. But, at some point, along about 5-7, it is hard to distinguish the wines from each other. So, despite not getting as much ‘bang for your buck’, I like the idea of limiting the tastings. And, at Tarrara, they frequently rotate their tastings, which is a great marketing ploy to bring wine tasters back.
While I had never done a tasting at Tarrara, I am very familiar with their Chardonnay, from it being a Virginia Wine of the Month selection from last summer. It is done in a California style; nice and ‘buttery’, which is too my preference. As a side note, it seems more Virginia winemakers opt for the European style Chardonnay in stainless steel. So, I am always glad to find one aged in oak. The Tarrara Chardonnay stood out so much to us in the wine of the month selection, that we went ahead and ordered a half case for our ‘cellar’ last year. And, I am pleased to report, it is just as I remembered it: lovely. All of the wines at Tarrara were good, but the D9 Port, and the Chardonnay were my favorites. And despite being self-proclaimed ‘red wine drinkers’ , my friends agreed on the Chardonnay, and that is what we picked to enjoy on the Tarrara porch with our picnic.
Mountains are very spiritual to me, and thus I love it when vineyards have a mountain view. Being that that occurrence is much more prevalent in central Virginia vineyards, I have always felt that gave our area a leg up on Loundon County vineyards. So, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this view from Tarrara’s porch. That is the Potomac river in the forefront. I doubt the mountain can be seen in the summer months, but I sure enjoyed on my visit.
My vineyard conquering friend brought another friend along for the ride, and it was not long before I felt like she was an old friend of mine as well. An added bonus to my day. We sat on the porch, with a beautiful view of the Potomac River in the foreground, with a mountain vista beyond; and discussed life and love and death and faith. Pretty heavy topics that just naturally flowed with the conversation. You just cannot beat a lovely spring day, with great conversation among friends sharing a bottle of wine. And Tarrara vineyard provided a lovely backdrop for stop one on our day.
Fabbioli Cellars
From there, we were off to Fabbioli Cellars. As I mentioned in the intro, Mickey and I had done a tasting there a few years back, and it really stood out. The wine was great, and we had a wonderful pourer whose knowledge of wine matched anyone I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Further, for their tastings, Fabbioli offers small bites of gourmet food and chocolates with the wine. Our visit in 2012 was the first time I had encountered such a practice. And, it so adds to the experience. Because for me, one thing I love about wine is the way it interacts with, and is affected by food. Since that initial visit, we have been to a handful of vineyards who also add food parings to tastings, but Fabbioli does it the best. And, this visit confirmed that statement for me.
Our delightful 7
When you arrive at Fabbioli, they make ‘reservations’ for a 20 minute personal tasting with you group. The cost runs $15, which is a bit pricey. But, the going rate for wine tastings in the Northern part of the state is typically $10, so considering the food parings, it is not an exorbitant charge. Since we visited on a Thursday, they were not busy, and we were taken right back to our tasting station. We had an enjoyable experience with two friendly and knowledgeable ‘wine educators’ (as the pourers are so called). Fabioli also rotates their wine list for tastings, which means they also change their food pairings; offering up 7 different ones of each every month. All of the food offerings are sourced local. Learning about the food was almost as much fun as the wine; and I actually learned the proper way to pronounce two words that I have been butchering for some time: ‘Acai’ and ‘Quinoa’.
Fabbiolli does a neat pear wine. It is a trick to get that pear in the bottle. I will not ruin the surprise! Visit for yourself to see how it is done.
My favorite course of the day was the ‘Una Pera’ wine which is an Asian Pear wine, served with the ‘roving Italian’s Fig & Ricotta w/ Pancetta & Honey small bite. Although it is hard not to also favor the two dessert selections, with the chocolates being made local in the town of Leesburg by Abby Rose Confections.
I am reading a book about Virgnina Wines entitled, Beyond Jefferson by Richard Leahy. It is an interesting read for anyone who has a fondness for Virginia wines…..a nice blend of history and anecdote. He mentions that a critique of some Virginia Vineyards is that people with large amounts of money come into the industry and create a business, with wine being the secondary focus. You can tell that is not the case with Fabbioli Cellars. The tasting room is housed in the basement of a house, smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. From our first visit there, I remember hearing the background of the owner, having worked in the wine industry for a number of years both in California and here for other winemakers and owners. Then around about 2000, he decided to strike out on his own. And, I believe along the way made a wonderful niche for his vision. Having visited the second time now with about two years in between visits, I see the growth of the tasting room and patio areas. It is not as flashy and fancy as some establishments. But, it is welcoming and comfortable, full of personality and very authentic.
A content wine cat at Fabbioli Cellars!
One more unique aspect I would be remiss if I did not mention, since I often extol the virtues of the wine dogs I encounter. Fabiolli, in all its uniqueness, opts instead for wine cats. Very sweet and friendly ones.
The pretty picnic area on the grounds of Fabiolli Cellars. We chose the Tre Sorelle blend to enjoy on the porch. That translates to ‘three sisters’ to honor the owners wife and her sisters.
After our tasting, we were faced with the option: do we head to one more vineyard for a tasting, or do we purchase a bottle and enjoy the nice patio at Fabiolli, picking up on our conversation from Tarrara. Although both had their merits, we chose the later…..quite content with having had a successful day in Loundon Wine Country.
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