Sabin Wine Journeys

July 28, 2024.   The Barns at Hamilton Station lies almost midway between Route 7 and Route 9 on Hamilton Station Road in Loudoun County.   As we have heard from other winery owners, Hamilton Station the depot for carrying produce to the Washington DC area back when dairy farms dominated and Loudoun County was the major milk supplier to the Washington DC area.   Since those times in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, dairy farms have been taken over by the wine business.   When you arrive at the Barns, you will walk through what is almost a park with a large dairy barn and silo, their seams and metal roofs being taken over by kudzu and creeper.   The Barns’ tasting room is a restored 1910 bank barn with a high vaulted ceiling striated between the old wood ceiling beams and the chinking.   A large fireplace at one end can keep all 4,400 square feet cozy in the cooler months.   Most of the flooring is original or at least of the same vintage.   (In 2020, a m...

March 18, 2022.   Kim and I continued our drive on a warm late winter afternoon by stopping at Firefly Cellars in Hamilton, Loudoun County.   Firefly is close-by the intersection of Route 7 and Route 9 at Paeonian Springs.   It was the former Hunter’s Run Winery that was purchased and renovated by Pete and Patty Pierleonardi, owners of Pest Management Services, Inc.   It re-opened in May 2021 with daughter Andrea Zaidi and her brother Zach Pierleonardi in charge.   According to Andrea, Firefly produces between 2,000 and 3,000 cases a year.   Juice is from vineyards in the Shenandoah Valley.   Firefly uses the services of w inemaker Randy Phillips with Cave Ridge Winery in Mt. Jackson, where the wine is produced and bottled.   Firefly does not bottle on at the Hamilton location.   Sounds like a custom crush business.    Firefly has an adults-only tasting room while families and pets are welcome on the deck and in the backyard. ...

February 6, 2022. We continued our February excursion into Loudoun County with a visit to the new Three Creeks Winery in Hamilton.   Three Creeks was incorporated in February 2020 and is a fictitious name for the Harmony Creek Vineyards.   Three Creeks indeed does sit on a small rise overlooking the confluence of three creeks.   Even in the winter, the creeks were burbling along.   With these creeks, the Winery does not allow visitors under the age of 21 because there are no fences to keep children, for instance, from falling into the waters.    Outside food is allowed.   The tasting room is small and cozy. We had a nice conversation with Paula-Jean (“P.J.”). Lawrence, co-owner of the winery who told us about building the tasting room onto the original old barn and the work to bush-hog the land and plant vines.     We should not forget how much hard work vineyarding is.   We enjoyed the casual atmosphere and the very hospitable an...