Meet Loudoun's Winemakers
Learn about the owners and winemakers of Loudoun's 28 wineries and tasting rooms and how they came to DC's Wine Country. Check back throughout the year as we rotate our featured winemakers.
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Doug Fabbioli, Fabbioli CellarsIt is said that the passion that Doug Fabbioli has for making quality wines has been passed down from his paternal grandfather, Leone Fabbioli. When Leone made his wine in the basement of his Elmira home in the 1940s and 50s he would take special care to sort the fruit, keep the lots of wine separate, and get to know the growers of the fruit before deciding to buy. Doug employs these time honored traditions of constant care and evaluation of quality along with the modern scientific techniques to both grow the grapes and make the wine at his winery. Doug was employed in the wine cellar at Buena Vista Winery in the Carneros district of California. Over the ten years of his employment, Doug had a chance to work with many fine winemakers including the legendary Andre Tchelicheff. He continued his education in both enology and viticulture at U.C. Davis and Santa Rosa Junior College. Doug was becoming an accomplished home winemaker while he continued to work and learn as a professional. He had been the assistant winemaker for 3 years when he heard the calling to return to the East Coast. After serving as winemaker for Loudoun's Tarara and Windham (now Doukenie) wineries, Doug’s passion for wine brought him to his latest endeavor of owning his own winery, Fabbioli Cellars, with his wife Colleen. They own a 6 acre vineyard and are growing and building their business everyday. They are well known for their red wines and have received numerous awards. They continue to put forth their love and passion for wine into their own business as well as the Virginia Wine industry as a whole. |
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Alan Kinne, Chrysalis VineyardsAlan Kinne, a Michigan native, graduated from the University of Michigan double majoring in Literature and Philosophy. While contemplating returning to school to get his Ph.D. he took a job at Tabor Hill Vineyards. The former farm boy was thoroughly intrigued by winemaking and its combination of art and science. He decided to forego graduate school and become a winemaker. Over the next 20 years Alan was a winemaker for vineyards from coast to coast including Pindar Vineyards in New York; Martin & Weyrich and its sister winery, York Mountain, in Paso Robles, California; and the Northwest Wine Company in Oregon. He helped establish the Shenandoah Valley and North Fork of Long Island appellations. For nearly ten years he was the most successful winemaking consultant on the East Coast. Wines that he helped make won more awards than any other winemaker in the East. Alan traveled numerous times to Europe, specifically Spain and Portugal, and brought back cuttings of vines that have now established Albariño, Tempranillo and Graciano as prominent grape varieties on both coasts. Recently, Alan was asked to return to Virginia to work with Chrysalis Vineyards—one of the most famous wineries on the East Coast. Alan was instrumental in the origin of Chrysalis as the winemaking consultant during the late 1990s and agreed to help guide the winery on its goal of producing the finest Norton in the world. In addition to his duties at Chrysalis, Alan has returned to consulting wineries and vineyards. During the time Alan has worked for other wineries, he has been busy establishing his own label with longtime associate Michael Young. The fruit of their labor is Bodegas M, soon be recognized at the premiere Iberian varietal wine producer in the United States. Stay tuned for more! |
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Lew Parker, Willowcroft Farm VineyardsLew Parker is the owner of Willowcroft Farm Vineyards. Willowcroft was Loudoun’s first winery, but it’s far from Lew’s first business. You could call him a serial entrepreneur. Lew has been the catalyst behind several medical enterprises including K2M Corporation, Pro Science, and American Osteomedix. He has been active as a board member for publicly traded companies including DJO, Inc. and Interpore International. He also served as President of the North American Laboratory division of Hazelton Laboratories. Lew has launched all of his business ventures from Loudoun and he’s convinced that Loudoun has the right stuff for more: “If you have an idea and the passion and energy, Loudoun will help you make it happen.” So it was with that philosophy that Lew removed the tie and jacket and got into the business of making wine. He began growing grapes in 1981 and, almost immediately, became a passionate advocate of Loudoun’s rural economy. “Loudoun County’s rural economy is a very important part of the county. What would New York be without Central Park? Loudoun County’s rural aspects attract people to the county. That helps my business. That helps all of the businesses here.” |
