Celladora Wines
Richmond's natural wine rabbit hole worth falling into
The Fan Β· Richmond Β· Natural wine with inventive small plates Β· Visit Website β
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into Celladora and immediately know someone here actually cares β this isn't a list assembled by a distributor on autopilot. The room is tight and warm, the kind of place where the person pouring your wine can tell you exactly which slope in Burgenland Claus Preisinger farms. It smells like good decisions.
Selection Deep Dive
Somewhere between 100 and 150 bottles deep, the list reads like a love letter to the natural wine world's most interesting corners: Loire, Jura, Sicily, Austria, Georgia (the country, not the state), and Burgenland all get real attention. Frank Cornelissen showing up from Sicily signals that this isn't a list chasing trends β it's one with actual conviction. Domaine Gonon's Saint-Joseph and Gut Oggau from Austria round out a selection that respects both the classics and the freaks. The gaps, if any, are European β don't come here hunting for a Napa Cab, and that's entirely the point.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is genuinely ambitious for a room this size, and the rotation appears to move with the seasons rather than sitting stale. With producers like Claus Preisinger and Gut Oggau available to pour by the glass, you can drink seriously here without committing to a full bottle. That's rare and worth exploiting.
Gut Oggau (Austria) β N/A
Gut Oggau bottles are consistently underpriced relative to what they deliver β biodynamic, expressive, and the kind of Austrian wine that makes you rethink the whole category. At Celladora's $$-range pricing, this is your move if you want to drink something genuinely special without a special-occasion bill.
Domaine Gonon Saint-Joseph
Most people walk past northern RhΓ΄ne Syrah on a natural wine list because they're distracted by the orange wines and pΓ©t-nats. Don't. Gonon's Saint-Joseph is one of the most honest, grounded bottles in the RhΓ΄ne and it absolutely drinks above its weight class.
Cornelissen (Sicily)
Frank Cornelissen is legitimately great and his wines belong on any serious natural wine list β but if you're new to his stuff, don't start blind here. His wines are polarizing, sometimes volatile, and not everyone's Friday night. Ask the staff before you commit; this one rewards the informed drinker.
Claus Preisinger (Burgenland) + Shrimp and Grits
Preisinger's reds from Burgenland tend to be earthy, low-tannin, and slightly smoky β which plays off the richness of shrimp and grits without bulldozing it. It's the kind of pairing that sounds weird on paper and works completely in the glass.
π² The Bottom Line
Celladora is the rare spot where the wine list is the whole point, and it earns that position with a deep, thoughtful, genuinely adventurous selection at prices that don't make you wince. Send your most curious friends here β and go with them.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.