Greetings from a very busy Villa Appalaccia. Harvest is underway and we anxiously looking at the Tropical Weather maps to see what our fortunes will be. This is a crucial time of year for Primitivo grapes as they are almost ready to pick and they often swell and burst if a big rain/hurricane appears. We have a short break right now and decided to fire up the brick oven this Labor Day weekend, so Saturday and Sunday we will have the oven on and making pizza by the slice available. If you are planning to be in the area, drop by for a glass and a slice and relax!
Many of you have started to express an interest in travelling next year to Italy and renting our home there. If you are thinking about it, please let us know soon. Seems like the past year without travel has stimulated a lot of interest. All the details about the house and area are posted on the web-site. www.villaappalaccia.com
Fall Wine Specials. September: Pinot Grigio Reserve and Cabernet Franc, 20% discount on cases. October: all case purchases 15% off mix or match.
Virginia ABC stores still have a supply of our great 2005 vintage, TOSCANELLO. It won't last long so if you enjoyed this one in the past, don't wait to purchase some.

Pinot Grigio in it's various colors. While it produces a white wine, the skins are usually copper colored, but this year with the unusual wet spring and cool temperatures, we have a lot of yellow grapes; sometimes entire vines, but often partial clusters or even partial berries that are both copper and yellow. All are equally ripe however.
This past Monday, we crushed and pressed the Pinot Grigio. This is always the earliest variety to be harvested and thankfully avoided any hurricanes this year so the crop is great quality. In the photo, we are dumping a half-ton bin of fruit into the crusher which is above the big press. The crushed grapes and juice run down the trough into the press where it is submitted to cycles of increasing pressure to release juice that is pumped into the chilled tanks.
EVENTS THIS FALL
September 12/13. Dogtown Pizza
Last year they served up over a 100 pizzas from our brick oven. Plan to come, play some bocce and enjoy our great wine with your favorite pizza. NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Oct. 10/11. Cheeses of the Mediterranean.
Sample 15 cheeses paired with various wines and learn about cheese production and what makes cheeses taste so different from each other. We will have just returned from Italy with some wonderful farmstead cheeses. This was a big hit last season, so plan to attend. Cost: tastings and lunch $15. 12-4:00 PM. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO COME.
November 7/8. Comparative Chianti Tasting.
 Learn about the wonderful Sangiovese wines from Tuscany. Tasting is paired with typical foods of the region. This is an event ONLY for serious wine lovers! $20 per person; only 8 people per setting per hr. By reservation only.