Bogati Bodega & Vineyard
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: The Bogati Winery at Round Hill, Virginia is a recent addition to the Bogaty family of wineries in Virginia. Watch for the new B Thin and Fat *ss wines in addition to traditional wines.
The Bogati Bodega and Vineyard building is located in a large portion of what was originally the Hill High Orchard, an apple processing and storage building. The tasting room has been designed with reused objects from other buildings. When visiting Bogati Bodega notice the thick wood refrigerator-style doors that add to the ambiance of the event room.
Tasting Room
The tasting room offers three sections including the main tasting room area with a long tasting counter and tables. A seating area in front of a modern fireplace is surrounded with a leather red sofa and loveseat, a perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine. The tasting room is separated from the event room by a glass wall. The event area has numerous tables and chairs and amany windows. Adjacent to this second area is a patio that overlooks a lawn and a large pond. The Bogaty family has made the most of this location.
The tasting room showcases a large, colorful painting of Buenos Aires. James is fascinated with the wines of Argentina. He noted that wineries and vineyards are out in the country and tasting rooms are in the cities. The tasting rooms located in populated areas provided the inspiration for the winery and tasting room at Round Hill.
Wine Journey
James Bogaty and his family opened their first winery, Veramar Vineyard, in Berryville. Since that time the family has opened two additional wineries and tasting rooms in Virginia. The latest winery is James Charles Winery & Vineyard in Winchester. For James Bogaty the importance of the wineries is that, “All the wineries are setup for my children.” His focus is on the future of the wineries for his grandchildren.
James spoke about his grandparents in Europe. His grandfather and grandmother lived in the same town and went to the same school although they were a couple of years apart. However due to the influence of history one grandparent went to school in Italy and one went to school in Austria, although it was the same school.
We met James Bogaty at his recently opened winery in Loudoun County where we learned that James had retired from the high tech world at the age of 47. He purchased a house in Purcellville, Virginia and remodeled the home. That was not enough to keep James busy and he decided to go back to work. Since he liked grapes and enjoyed wine, his wife, Della suggested, “Why don’t you plant grapes and make wine?” James asked his wife to find a farm to purchase. Eventually she found one and called him while he was in the middle of a board meeting in New York. He could not leave New York to view the farm and bought it sight unseen based on his wife’s recommendation. Today the farm is Veramar Winery, the original Bogaty vineyard and winery.
Wine Production
Between the three family owned wineries, the production is 10,000 cases. Small lots of Bogaty wines are made onsite at Round Hill. The style of wines at the three Bogaty wineries is different. At Veramar the winery focuses on Italian-style wines. At Bogati Bodega look for Spanish-South American-style wines and at James Charles the wines are stylistically French.
James said that the Bogaty family is the only family in Virginia with three wineries that are family run and owned. James mentioned his family and noted, “We planted the first plant and planted the last plant.”
Wines
Perhaps the most unusual and recent wine produced by the winery is the B Thin Pinot Gris wine made with a proprietary method of reducing calories and keeping the alcohol up. This Pinot Gris had a 10.8% alcohol. The wine offered notes of peaches, citrus and tropical fruits. The taste was crisp and the finish offered fruit yielding to mineral. James is seeking an exclusive patent for this winemaking process. Tango Blu was a yellow colored wine with 12.5% alcohol. This wine was a blend of Riesling and Vidal Blanc. It offered an aroma of floral and yellow stone fruits. The taste was of honeysuckle and tropical fruits. The finish was crisp and fruity.
Malbec 2012, with 12.8% alcohol, was a ruby colored wine. The aroma was of perfume (violets) and cherries. The taste was of cherries and the wine had medium tannins. The wine was medium/full-bodied and the finish was crisp. Fat *ss was a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The 12.8% wine was a dark ruby color. The wine offered notes of blackberries, black cherries, cassis and leather. The wine had bold tannins and was full-bodied. The crisp finish had fruit yielding to leather. This wine was paired with chocolate. The name of this wine was based on suggestions from consumers. “If you are going to have a wine called B Thin, you also need a wine called Fat *ss.”
Bogati Bodega Events
In addition to weekly Friday night music events, the winery is also available for private events. Bogati Bodega & Vineyards’ special event room can have the glass doors opened to provide extra room for guests. The sophisticated ambiance of the tasting area makes it a good location for rehearsals, showers and business meetings.
Wine Camp
James offers a special weekend wine camp at Veramar for no more than three couples. The couples live with James in his home and do whatever work James does. He noted that, “When your there, you are part of the family.” About four of the people who attended started their own wineries. James Bogaty with an immense business and wine background easily shares his story of beginning a winery. The opportunity to spend a weekend with James seems ideal for anyone with an intense interest in the wine industry.
If you are traveling in the northern Virginia area on Harry Byrd Highway, be sure to stop by and discover the Bogati Bodega and Vineyard.
Bogati Bodega and Vineyard
35246 Harry Byrd Hwy, Suite 190
Round Hill, Virginia 20141
GPS: N39º 07.646’ W77º 47.245’
Article written September 2015
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