The DMV may be impatiently awaiting for the arrival of Brood X cicadas. But for a new venture in Loudoun, the buzz is all about the lightning bug.
Firefly Cellars, a new boutique winery and Airbnb, is slated to open May 29 in the town of Hamilton. The business is a family affair, owned by Pete, Patty, and Zach Pierleonardi, and Andrea Zaidi, who also happens to own PMSI, a local insect management company.
“We have been talking about our next adventure for several years now, and this property came up at just the right time for us to take that step,” Zaidi says. “This has been a huge passion project for our family, and years of vision finally coming to life.”
Reservations aren’t required for the deck and tasting room, which will be open Thursday through Sunday for self-guided tours, flights, and charcuterie boards. There will be food trucks on site on weekends, and you can bring in outside food. The tasting room is adults-only, while the backyard space is open to kids and families as well as friendly, leashed dogs. Groups of up to eight people can book the wine cellar, decked out in wood and stone, for a 30-minute private guided wine tasting. Future plans for events include a Fourth of July party, and Firefly will serve different specialty summer wine cocktails for $5 every Saturday as well as offer live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Their wine list includes varietals chardonnay, viognier, chambourcin, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon. They also produce Illumination, a Riesling-based blend; Twilight, a red blend; a Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine; and a Port-style sweet wine.
And if you want to linger after that glass of bubbly, you can book the Cottage at Firefly Cellars on Airbnb. Located on the tasting room property, the beautifully designed cottage includes one bedroom and one bathroom, a private pool, Jacuzzi on the deck, 18-foot ceilings in the great room, and a modern, open-concept, fully-equipped kitchen and eating area. Guests are invited to walk the property with a glass of wine in hand, feed the horses on the neighboring farm, taste at some of the other local wineries in the area, or just relax in the countryside.
Zaidi hopes to give guests a memorable experience from the moment they park and snap a photo in front of the one-of-a-kind firefly mural. “We want everyone to leave and say, ‘OK, that was amazing! We will be back soon!’” she says. “We want the family-business feeling to translate to our guests, where everyone feels like they’ve known us forever and Firefly Cellars can become their ‘happy place.’”
Firefly Cellars is located at 40325 Charles Town Pike in Hamilton. For more information, visit its website or Facebook page.
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