Lost Creek Purchased for $2.3 million

The new owners hope to expand the vineyards wine selections and will retain the current wine consultant.

Hampton Roads Holdings Inc. just bought Lost Creek Winery and Vineyards from Bob and Carol Hauck for $2.3 million, according to the Loudoun Department of Economic Development. Northern Virginia Magazine chose the licensed, Tuscan-style winery, located off Spinks Ferry Road north of Leesburg, among the “Best of Northern Virginia 2012.” New owners Aimee and Todd Henkle retained the services of wine consultant Sebastien Marquet and plan to expand the winery’s offerings, adding cabernet franc and syrah and petit verdot to the its traditional Burgundy and Bordeaux winemaking styles, according to the DED. Have you liked Ashburn Patch on Facebook? Do you follow us on Twitter? The 50-acre vineyard has 21 acres of grape vines, the capacity to …

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Travel Blog: Loudoun is Top Unknown Wine Region

Budget Travel puts the county at the top of the '10 Best Wine Regions You've Never Heard Of' list.

The blog Budget Travel recently placed Loudoun at the top of its list of the "10 Best Wine Regions You've Never Heard Of." Loudoun beat out Mendocino, CA. Tarara Vineyard and Winery earned a mention because it has been named the Loudoun's best winery for eight years running.

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Sean Farrell

6:33 pm on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Mmmmm, Tarara wines, delicious. Tarara has their last summer concert this Saturday starting a 6pm, check it out... http://www.tarara.com/October   more ›

Getting Out in Leesburg

Casanel Vineyards

One of Leesburg's newest wineries, Casanel makes me wish for springtime.

Located deep in the woods, Casanel Vineyards is a pleasant surprise. Owned by Casey and Nelson DeSouza (Caanel is a combination of their names), the vineyard is truly a family affair. The couple runs it with their children, and various members of the DeSouza family and their significant others are often seen around the farm. As with any winery, the centerpiece is the tasting room. At Casanel, it is housed in a stone barn that was built in the 1800s. There's another barn on the property that is currently being renovated (Nelson is a carpenter by trade), and will serve as a larger tasting room/ event building. As lovely as the tasting room is, I spend very little time in there when I visit Casanel. The winery is a warm-weather gathering …

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Virginia Wine Profile

Fabbioli Cellars A Short Trip From Ashburn

Loudoun vineyard puts reds ahead of the whites, and everything else

Live music and special events are not an essential part of the Fabbioli Cellars calendar, but that's because the the owners put the focus squarely on the wine—red wine at that. "If you have good quality wine, people will continue to come," said Doug Fabbioli, co-owner and principle winemaker for Fabbioli Cellars, describing his aversion to typical winery concerts and events. Fabbioli said he doesn't object entirely to regular events, but "we want our primary focus here to be on the wine, not tourism. We can get into trouble if all we do is have music and pour wine in our tasting room; we don't want to turn into bars in the country." Fabbioli's journey began after college, when he ventured to Sonoma Valley to learn the winemaking craft at …

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Tam Willenbrock

9:57 am on Friday, December 31, 2010

I thoroughly enjoyed the bottle of Raspberry Merlot that I purchased earlier this year at the Ashburn Farmer's Market. It was an excellent complement for dark chocolate and some "me" time. Wishing Fabbioli Cellars a wonderful, prosperous New Year with hopes to visit your tasting room soon!   more ›

Virginia Wine Profile

Paradise Springs Winery—Fairfax's One and Only

Keeping agriculture alive, the Wiles family sets up shop in Clifton

Imagine for a second that you are in possession of 350 acres of land passed down from generation to generation through an original land grant issued by Lord Fairfax in 1716. Imagine, as well, that on this property you have a log cabin built in the early 1800s that nobody is using. Additionally, take a moment to think what you might do knowing that the land surrounding the cabin is zoned as "agricultural" by Fairfax County.  What would you do? The Wiles family decided to open a winery. "We were kind of brainstorming, what can we do with this place?" Kirk Wiles said during a recent chat. "It's in an agricultural and forestal district—so agriculture is allowed on the property. We were trying to figure out how to make this place work for us. …

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