fabulous Fabbioli Cellars!

The sun is shining, but the clouds moving in from whichever direction "that way" is, as I point up at the sky, tell me it won't be for too much longer. It doesn't look or smell like rain, only fading sunshine. Rows upon even rows of grapes dot one side of the field. A paved road separates the grapes from a small house - though it's bigger than it seems. I wonder how much land is here.

There are small, rolling hills along the property. A family - mom, dad and baby boy, get situated at a picnic table on the green, green grass. The mom pulls a sippy cup of juice from a bag with more zippers and snaps than the eye can see from this distance. He giggles with glee and takes it with both hands and tips it straight up, the way little kids do. Dad pours red wine from a newly opened bottle on the table, and the parents toast with a smile.

Varying country flags hang above a wraparound porch that makes you look twice. It's striking - oddly familiar, like a house you've seen before, but new, like somewhere you want to be invited for a cup of tea, or in this instance, a glass of wine.

There's a small sign at the entrance door, a side door - no stepping up on the porch needed, for tarot card readings. We pass it by and enter the small, well-kept cellars. There are myriad tasting tables, arranged just-so - none in the way of another. It feels spacious and welcoming. Every tasting I've experienced has been at a bar; this is new, special, intimate.

We head to the checkout line, where there is no line at all, though the grounds are comfortably crowded. The friendly staff member tells us tastings are $10/person and include eight wines, as well as a savory or sweet pairing. A pairing? That's new, too. Matt and I choose savory - they had us at salami; and Zan chooses sweet, to give us a taste of each. We're escorted to Erica's tasting table, where the bottles of wine are lined up, melting from white into rose into red into dessert, a perfecting tasting pathway.

Erica warmly greets us and lays our pairings in front of us. Matt and I have tasting envy; Zan's is described to us as homemade chocolate truffles. I can feel my mouth watering. Ours are delectable, too - with various cheeses, meats and crackers decorating the plate. Zan laughs and points up above us - you can't miss large, but hardly overbearing, lego replicas of Star Wars ships (is that the word?).

The tasting is luxurious, not rushed, and Erica joins our conversation easily, allowing us, too, time as much as we crave to finish each bite and sip. We like each wine, another unprecedented occurrence. Matt immediately finds his go-to in "Something White," while Zan craves more of the Sangiovese, and I fall deliciously for the Tre Sorelle, their flagship.

We buy a baguette, goat cheese and a bottle of something white and sip, spread and savor the experience of a day in Virginia wine country at our new favorite winery, Fabbioli Cellars.

Fabbioli Cellars is located in Leesburg, VA (very near to Temple Hall Farms). Tastings are $10/person for 8 wines & a sweet or savory pairing of small bites. You can find them on facebook and twitter.