Bogati Vineyard is located at High Hill Marketplace in Round Hill, just off of Route 7 east of Bluemont. Note that while this is labeled a vineyard, this is just a tasting room. The Bogati brand and location are one of three outlets for the family-owned vineyard Veramar, located just to the western side of the mountain in Berryhill. Bogati focuses on South American style wine, Veramar Italian-style, and the third property, James Charles, on French-style wine. Veramar’s first wines were made in 2000, while Bogati opened in 2010.
Wine. Tier II. The wine served at Bogati is made at Veramar Vineyards, with Justin Bogaty as the winemaker. Aside from the front-and-center Malbec, reflecting Bogati’s Argentine concept, you’ll find Vidal Blanc, Petit Manseng, and some blends. The Black Label line is meant to be Bogati’s top tier, and their 2013 Black Label Chardonnay earned a 90-point rating from the Wine Advocate.
Setting. From the outside, Bogati looks more like a wine store than anything, but the tasting room is pleasant and there is a porch with a view over a pond. Service is good. Home-made pizza and snacks are available to go with your tasting or to make a meal of it. The apple pie store next door is also highly recommended.
Stories. Making Wine in Virginia: Malbec. Virginia wines benefit from a large range of international influences. Winemakers across the state are from, or have trained in, dozens of countries, including not only traditional winemaking powerhouses such as France and Italy, but also New Zealand, Mexico, Belgium, Bulgaria and India among others. Similarly Virginia’s climate and terroir, while not always kind to traditional European varietals, have smiled on grapes from less traditional sources, including Canada and Germany. In the case of Bogati Vineyard, their successful import is the Malbec grape, star of Argentina’s vineyards. When Della and Jim Bogaty bought their farm estate near Berryville, in the early 1990’s, their initial focus was on Italian-style wines, drawing on the Bogati Italian heritage. A trip a decade later to Argentina made them excited about a grape and a style of wine to date unseen in Virginia. They resolved to bring this excitement to Virginia, and the result has been Bogati Vineyard, and the production of Malbec-based wines. A handful of Virginia wineries now produce Malbec. Go to Argentina is you want to see what it’s about, or come to Bogati for a shorter trip.