Sabin Wine Journeys

February 28, 2025.   Nate Walsh is devoted to the production side of winemaking.   Nate is the owner of Walsh Family Wine near Hillsboro in western Loudoun County and more than many winery owners, has applied his experience, starting as a cellar rat up to being a full-fledged winemaker, to improve winemaking in the region.   With Nate approaching business from the production end and wife Sarah applying her background in wine wholesale, they founded their winery in 2014, a year after they married.     According to Nate, back then, there were few places in Loudoun where new owners could get started without making huge investments in land and equipment.   The Walsh’s started with equipment loaned by a vineyard in Waterford.   Remembering this beginning, Walsh Family Wine has established a winemaker’s incubator program to encourage three or four new winemakers every year to use Walsh equipment and guidance to produce their own brands.   Nate loves...

February 28, 2025.   Looking for places we have not written about that are open in this bleak mid-winter, we came across Kalero Vineyard in the Loudoun Heights cluster of wineries near Hillsboro.   Owner Ann Fortin purchased 130 acres on Short Hill Mountain west of Hillsboro in 2015 with the goal to start a vineyard.   The focus of the property is the Heartstone Barn, whose cornerstone is etched 1834.     Restored with wood that glows in the sunlight and offset with the rustic stone wall, this is a nice large interior vaulted space in which to host the weddings and private events that are their primary business.      Seating in the barn is at new wood tables that can be configured in many designs depending on the party.   There is no fireplace.   Without the sun, the barn may seem dark except for the two-storey windows facing the West Virginia line just a couple of miles away.   Wedding receptions may flow out from the huge windo...

July 27, 2024.   Just west of the Route 9/Berlin Turnpike intersection in Loudoun County, you will come to the unassuming driveway for Crushed Cellars.   Try to drive slowly or you could easily pass it.   My advice is to try to arrive earlier in the day because parking is limited and this is not a vibe you want to miss.   We were greeted at the door of the winery by owner, Robert “Bob” Kalok, who began this winery in 2010 on his family farm.   To start our conversation, Bob asked me about my security clearance and whether I worked for a “three-letter agency.”   He delivered this with a wink and a squint from under tousled blond hair.   And that was how our visit went, being treated as if Kim and Bob and I shared some national secret.   Bob returned to this theme a couple of times.   There is a tangible hippie vibe at Crushed Cellars.   My Sharona played on speakers.   People come and go like Grand Central Station: tasting wine, ...

July 26, 2024.   Proceeding along Route 9 – Charles Town Pike - you will find Bozzo Family Vineyards just minutes from the West Virginia line. Even though the mailing address is Purcellville, they are much closer to the Town of Hillsboro.                                                                                                    Steve Bozzo Steve and Maureen Bozzo founded the vineyards in 2013 and had their first significant harvest in 2018, the same year that they opened the tasting room....