Hob’s Fíon Milis Earraigh

Hob’s Fíon Milis Earraigh, shortened to Hob Mil, is an entirely elf run winery in Co. Cork, Ireland. Hob is an older name for house elf, in Scots Gaelic, while Fíon Milis Earraigh means "Sweet Spring Wine" in Gaeilge, so named for a natural spring on the property.

Origin

The O'Doherty Family once employed multiple house elves who were cruel, exploitative masters over the generations. In 2013 spurned scion Casey O'Doherty cut ties with the family by not only freeing the elves but exposing lingering corruption the clan had influenced in the Office for House-Elf Relocation. An unusually progressive ruling awarded the elves the assets from the Donegal wine label owned by the Irish clan, to allow the elves to support themselves in finding new work.

Joining with some other unemployed elves, Hob’s Fíon Milis Earraigh was founded on a 'fairy fort' (old ruin) in Co. Cork, Ireland, as far removed from the O'Doherty estates as possible. The new building is modeled after Kilcrea Friary as it would have looked in its prime, only at one-third the scale. Superstition and magic avoid interference from the muggles in nearby parts of Ireland's wine country.

Business

Job duties are rotated between the elves (such as planting and harvesting) but each has distinct primary responsibilities. For example, Dinghee spends half his time away from the winery recommending wines to clients as the resident sommelier. The business is cooperatively run, as each member of staff has a say in decisions, along with elf sized accommodations on the winery's second level. The only human-sized architectural element is the showroom on the southwest wing of the building. The remaining areas appear cramped from a wix perspective.

Hob Mil has an impressive collection of rare international wines in the cellar, including obscure vintages of Dragon's Wine, Whine, & Winterbrew. It is also an operating winery specializing in traditional Irish wines such as honey wine (mead) and berry wine. A fraction of every batch is left non-alcoholic specifically for elf clients and non-drinkers. Indeed, the elven winemakers rely on their sense of smell to monitor the fermentation process. Trace amounts of the wine are sampled, if at all, as otherwise the strongest 'alcohol' on the property for elf drinking is Butterbeer. The grounds include the natural spring, apiary, berry & vegetable plots, along with a narrow vineyard.

After four years of aging, the first vintage of wine made from grapes accidentally turned out amber-orange [1]. Hob Mil also experiments with unusual wine flavors such as nettle, turnip, elderflower, and celery & beetroot.

Staff

Dollop and Dimple are two of the founders that helped apprentice the other elves, before their nurse assistant jobs at Hogwarts. Tipper is considered a 'not-so-secret' investor, as some of his relatives work at the winery.

• Tannin: an older elf very knowledgeable on winemaking
• Dingleheimer: sommelier
• Posey: bottling and marketing
• Throp: cellar manager
• Bunghole: janitorial (one of the few things he doesn't screw up)