This is it. On Friday, December 21, we’re all going to die. Our Christmas gifts, 401(k)s, and unexpressed love will go unclaimed. It’d be highly irresponsible for me to advise liquidating your bank accounts, but I can suggest liquidating a pearl or two from your wine cellar (or sock drawer) to enjoy with loved ones—and as many carbs as you can manage—on Doomsday. Even if we wake to utter normalcy on Saturday, you’ll have made a memory and can restock the cellar in time for the next apocalyptic prophecy. Here’s what some of our area’s winos plan to go down drinking.
Dean Andrews, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards: “A cocktail we call The Kiss Royale—Pippin Hill Sparkling Blanc de Blanc, pomegranate liqueur and pomegranate seeds.”
Jake Busching, Grace Estates Winery: “A 2005 vintage of 12-year Glenlivet Single Malt that I received as a gift and still haven’t opened.”
Bill Curtis, Tastings of Charlottesville: “To quote Eliot—some say the world will end in fire, some say ice. If it’s fire, then I’ll need to cool down with Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese 1999. If it’s ice, then Domaine Romanée-Conti 1990 ought to keep me warm just a couple of seconds more.”
Scott Elliff, DuCard Vineyards: “DuCard Vineyards Petit Verdot 2009—it’s long been sold out but I have a few remaining in my personal cellar, er, underground bunker. And since we’re not exactly sure what time it’s all supposed to end, guess I’ll have it for breakfast.”
Matthieu Finot, King Family Vineyards: “I’d overnight my bottle of Domaine Jean Jacques Confuron Romanée-Saint-Vivant 1998 (I worked there that vintage) from my cellar in France.”
Richard Hewitt, Keswick Hall: “I plan on breaking into Bill Curtis’ private cellar and drinking the first bottle I can get my hands on! ‘The Mayans made me do it’ has never been used in an affirmative defense.”
Christine Iezzi, The Country Vintner: “Several bottles of Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne.”
John Kiers, Ox-Eye Vineyards: “I will be in the smokehouse at Wheatlands sipping expensive champagne and eating oysters, of course!”
Dave Kostelnik, Feast!: “When I go out, it will be with a bottle of aged Virginia wine —a very big bottle—the magnum of Barboursville Octagon 2004 we received for our wedding.”
Richard Leahy, author of Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: “Götterdämmerung (twilight of the gods), a Cabernet Franc-dominant Meritage blend by Valhalla Vineyards. It’s forward, plush, and hedonistic. The back label reads: ‘When you hear that enemy missiles will impact in 20 minutes, this is the wine you will want to be drinking.’”
Pamela Margaux, Margaux & Company: “Champagne, champagne, and—just in case the world ends—more champagne.”
Nicolas Mestre, Williams Corner Wine: “Ulysse Collin Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs 2008 from the Second degorgement [see Winespeak 101]. I could easily die with a glass of that in my hand.”
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards: “Believe it or not, it is both my daughter’s and my birthday, therefore I have a lot to celebrate—Marchesi di Barolo 1961 Barolo.”
Emily Pelton, Veritas Vineyard and Winery: “A bottle of Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex. I don’t have it in my cellar, but my Dad has it in his—and we will happily sit and share this wine together, I am sure.”
Kay Pfaltz, Basic Necessities: “I’ll be taking a candlelit Solstice walk with a few pagan friends and a bottle of Château Musar 1972 from my cellar.”
Andy Reagan, Jefferson Vineyards: “36-year-old Cardhu Single Malt would make a good lifecap.”
Elizabeth and Tony Smith, Afton Mountain Vineyards: “We’re gonna be drinking Champion beer at the grand opening! Once we are headed for the fallout shelter, we’ll choose Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph 2008—one of our favorites from our hiking trip through the Rhône.”
Rachel Stinson, Stinson Vineyards: “Cardinal Point 2012 Green (a blend of Chardonnay and Petit Manseng)—I’ve been really into Vinho Verde this winter.”
WINESPEAK 101
Disgorgement (n.): The process of removing the lees (deposits of yeasts and other materials) from champagne (or sparkling wine made in the champagne method) by freezing a small amount of the liquid in the bottle’s neck and then removing the plug of ice that contains the lees.