The Case of a wine cellar

Living the Good Life by Jim Bogaty owner Veramar Vineyard

The case of the wine cellar or a dozen wines for all times

It s cheaper by the dozen, for an everyday wine cellar, all you need are strong shelves, a cool spot and 12 bottles (one case) of wine. Always keep a bottle of sparkling wine and a bottle of white ready to drink in the refrig. Between that and the 10 in the rack, you ll have a case that is ready just in case .

dozen any time wines – 3 Whites and 3 Reds
Three bottles each of Cabernet Franc (Cab-er-nay Fronc) and Chardonnay (Shard-don-a) or Pinot Grigio (Pee-no-Gree-gee-oh). Great all-purpose wines for almost any occasion. These should be simple Virginia wines you’d be just as happy drinking with a weekday dinner. Others- For whites, a Seyval Blanc (Say-voll-Blonc), Viognier (Vee-on-yea) or a Chardonnay is a good choice; if it doesn’t have too much oak, it pairs with everything and works in any sauce. For red, a Virginia Cabernet Franc or Chambourcin (Sham-boor-san) are versatile to cook with and easy to drink.

Special White
Like that Virginia Gold Medal Chardonnay or Viognier you ve been dying to try.

Wild White
Riesling (Reez-ling) or a soft white blend like Veramar Tres Blanc that goes wonderfully with Asian flavours or other ethnic spicy foods.

Special Red
A heritage blend or as we say here in Virginia, Meritage , an interesting Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon and Merlot blend that makes a red Bordeaux for a great pasta wine.

Big Red
Wine for that night you feel like plopping a steak on the grill. This can be full-bodied Cabernet or a Norton, –or whatever chewy red you like with red meat.

Ice, late harvest or dessert wine
Virginia has some excellent wines in this area, the late harvest Vidal Blanc (Vee-doll-Blonc) works great.

Sparkling Wine.
Brut (Broot) a sparkling blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Usually dry.
One goes in the fridge for a spur-of-the-moment celebration.

Now, that’s a case you can solve. The beautiful part is you get to have wine on demand, and you only need to replenish, as your stash gets low and most Virginia wineries offer a discounts on a case- cheaper by the dozen. Cheers!