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Here at BOW, we sometimes like to write about what we're up to. This Blog page is our chance to report from the front line of wine making and we hope you like our silly little thoughts!
Our story...Part I
Posted on: 31st July, 2009
Sharon and I moved to the property on August 1st, 2006 from Arlington, VA. I grew up in Santa Cruz California, and Sharon in and around the town of Souderton, PA. We met at Georgetown in 1995 in a graduate program in international affairs. While it wasn't love at first sight because I'm a bit slow on the uptake, it was love at about 15th sight. A month after our engagement in 1999, we brought home our first beloved golden retriever, Bauregard S'notworth the Trouble (Bogart, who we lost to lyme last year). We were married in 2000 and Sharon worked as a government affairs consultant while I worked in international high school exchange programs and in construction. Neither one of us really used our master's degrees, but we have always been grateful to have met in school and we still have many good friends working in far flung places around the world.
In late March 2005, Sharon and I were in Key West. She had helped organize an annual congressional delegation to educate hill staffers on the need for federal funding for a comprehensive sewer treatment plant to save the reef. I asked her what, if she could imagine doing anything else, would it be? Her answer, and I remember it so well, "I have dreamt of checking the vines in the morning with my dog and cup of coffee and the mist over the hills. I don't know what I'm checking for, but that's my dream". I was floored. She had never shared this with me and it was the beginning of our shared dream to open a vineyard and winery.
Fast forward to early winter 2006, six months after moving. After searching up and down the Eastern flank of the Piedmont, we had settled on this beautiful property. It had sat vacant for over a year because of its price and proximity to I-66. We actually felt that it was a perfect place for a winery; close to the interstate on a fairly large road with good visibility and neighbors over a half mile away. We wouldn't inconvenience anyone with traffic or noise. We spent that winter learning about and planning for the business. One of the most important decisions that we discussed was what our goal was in having a winery. Through many discussions, we arrived at one core value. We wanted to create a special place where a sense of community could be created and found. We wanted friendships to be made at BOW and we wanted to serve our neighbors through local charitable activities even as we built our business.
Sharon had never made wine so she was working almost every day at neighboring wineries and in particular at Pearmund Cellars assisting their wine maker, Rick Tagg. At the same time we were travelling to wineries throughout the state; asking questions and trying to learn best practices and best design features. We hired several consultants to guide us away from mistakes and I began the work of designing the building. We visited the county's planning and zoning folks several times and told them what we were doing; asking if our plans were acceptable. As we designed the winery, we adjusted budgets and decided to build a green winery with geothermal heat and cooling in order to save utility costs and energy.
In April 2007, we planted the first 6000 vines on the property and we broke ground on the winery in June...
We'll tell you the rest of the story next week or the following. We constantly hear from folks how much they like reading our story and we really appreciate that. We have tried to create a special place and to share the joy that we have gathered from our effort and this wonderful community. We have gathered great joy from you.
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Other Blog Links
- One Journey at a Time. My brother Ben and his wife Kathy travelled around the country this summer with their two kids, Genevieve and Sebastian. Kathy wrote a storyu of the trip and she has posted her photos and story of their visit to us. Enjoy!
- Portuguese Water Dogs (not named Bo) shine in the spotlight
- A lovely online article about BOW in Tasting and Touring Magazine.
- A visitor's blog and photos about BOW from late May, 2009
- A story about BOW's grand opening from the May 8, 2008 Fauquier Times Democrat.
- Editorial in the Fauquier Times Democrat regarding Green Business as Good Business. The editorialist, Joe Gumino, a good friend of BOW, died unexpectedly soon after this editorial was published and we miss him dearly.
- Check out a great article on Barrel Oak Winery's successes in the first year. Thank you Bill Walsh at the Fauquier Times Democrat!
- Read about our green building in the Piedmont Virginian.
- Read about BOW in the Wall Street Journal Online!
- The Unemployed Mom. See what a mom thinks about BOW as the child friendly winery of Virginia!
- BOWHaus Joy: The other other Red wine! Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Virginia is for Lovers with a bottle of our very special limited release. Have you seen it? Our beloved Bogart is racing up the label!
- Winery Info for: Barrel Oak Winery
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- Wine tasting in Virginia...
- Barrel Oak Winery: Visiting VA Vineyards
- If You Could Imagine Doing Anything Else, What Would It Be?
- Barrel Oak Winery:"Green" Wine is Good Business
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