Celladora wines: a door into the natural wine world
When you can’t name your daughter after a movie reference, name your wine shop!
Celladora is the newest wine shop to open in the heart of the fan, by Lombardy St and Floyd Ave (can you guess the movie that inspired the name?). The 15-person capacity space, tastefully maximized by an ex-resident of Brooklyn, houses a mighty selection of natural wines and small batch producers that will transport you all around the world.
Megan, the owner of Celladora, has taken upon herself to open her dream natural wines shop despite the restrictive alcohol laws in Virginia surrounding imports of smaller producers (which is worthy of a whole other article in itself). After accumulating 25 years of food and beverage experience doing all sorts of gigs (from bartending to buying wine for upscale shops in Brooklyn), it was time for her to march to the beat of her own drums, which led her and her family to Virginia in 2020, and to opening Celladora this past January.
Their wine selection is truly very unique for our area. It’s a mix of wines that Megan has been introduced to previously that evoke fond memories, and new ones that she’s excited about that are pushing the boundaries within natural wine industry either through their biodynamic practices, yeast selection, or use of lesser-known indigenous varietals. And another key guiding principle for what makes it into her shop is making sure to find people value where possible, as natural wines from small batch producers naturally tend to be pricier. Between the 300+ bottles, you’re certain to walk away with one that has a great story at a great price point.
One big lesson she learned from her time as a wine buyer was that a lot of people would appear uncomfortable when trying to decide what kind of wine to purchase from a bottle shop. That sparked a passion within her to connect with customers and to figure out with them, not for them, what would match their preferences and result in a successful purchase.
It’s emotional picking wine for people, in a good way. I enjoy connecting people to wines and I want it to be accessible for everyone, so I like to use normal terms that are easy for people to understand and associate with. - Megan
You also never know what bottles she may have open for tasting that day. I personally was lucky enough to taste an orange wine from Georgia (the country not the state), and a Syrah and Viognier blend from France during my visit! I left with a bottle of sparkling rosé from the Loire called Moussamoussettes that I’m definitely saving for a special occasion soon. Megan’s approachable and laid-back personality makes it pretty much guaranteed that you’ll leave her shop having learned a new thing or two about natural wine, no matter your level of expertise. Keep an eye out for intimate tastings, food pairing events, and in the future maybe even private events at Celladora, and potentially a Virginia cider selection!