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Business & Tech

'Factory' Brings Wine Trail to Brambleton

"Permanent Remote Site" offers Ashburn wide selection of vino, with a focus on Virginia.

At first, I thought there might have been a mistake. Ashburn Patch editor Dusty Smith had sent me to the Brambleton Town Center to write a story on the Virginia Wine Factory, but clearly it wasn’t open for business yet. Except that it was.

“We’re open,” said Michael Matthews, one of the proprietors. “We are still doing some work and getting set up, but we’re open.”

The Virginia Wine Factory is a “permanent remote site” established by Vino Curioso? – question mark included – a farm winery based in Winchester. Being somewhat off the established wine trail, Matthews and his partner decided to open a location in Brambleton to give more Virginians a chance to sample Virginia wines.

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While the location remains under construction – the owners expect to be fully operational in early July – they have a selection of more than 50 wines for sale now, with plans for more. If you don’t mind a little wet paint, it’s the place to be.

“The other night we had 15 to 20 people sampling wine out front while we were in here painting,” said Matthews. “I guess if you’re sitting outside and the wine is good, who really cares if we’re in here working?”

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The plan is to feature the best wines from around the state of Virginia – including Vino Curioso? – to let people sample them alongside French and California wines of the same type. Patrons can then draw their own conclusions and try to guess which wine is which.

“You can cheat,” Matthews added, “but that would kind of take the sport out of it.”

The store focuses on the highest-quality wines and a fresh inventory.

“Every 60 days or so we’ll shuffle through another eight to ten Virginia wineries and bring the best of the bunch here,” Matthews said. “We want to make it so people don’t have to hit the wine trail if they don’t want. We want to bring it to them.”

One of the great advantages of a community like Brambleton is that many residents live within walking distance of the shop. Visiting a Virginia winery typically requires a drive on a winding country road to a place that will then serve alcohol. While the scenery is beautiful, a responsible person simply will not drink and drive. Therefore, having the wineries brought to you (or at least to your neighborhood) makes it much easier to sample responsibly.

It’s also a great way to relax.

“When we’re finished, we’re going to have a library set up in front, so we’re going to be kind of a coffee shop meets wine bar,” Matthews said. “We’ll have real books with covers and everything. People in the community can walk up, sample some wine and chill out.”

The wine factory is located at 22855 Brambleton Plaza, Suite 104. Call them at 703-542-5659.

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