From the Vine: 9 Must-Visit Wine Bars in D.C.

The best thing about wine is its versatility. Rosé for the summer and deep, dark reds for the winter. Wine pairs well with food from all over the globe, and is as enjoyable to consume alone, with a partner or with family and friends. It is as fun to drink indoors as well as out, with elevated fine dining fare or just with crunchy potato chips. No matter how you enjoy your wine, there are a plenty of wine-focused venues in D.C. to meet your needs. Here is a list of the best wine bars for every experience.

Apéro: Best for Bubbles

Apéro serves a host of champagnes, cava, crémant and even a nonalcoholic sparkling wine by the glass and bottle. Pair your glass of bubbles with one of the many elegantly casual indulgences on the snack menu including black truffle gougeres, roasted Greek olives, house pickles served in a jar or potato chips with French onion dip. 2622 P St. NW, DC; aperodc.com // @aperodc

Bottles Wine Garden: Best for a Female-Led Wine List

Owned by Angie Duran and sommelier Erika Parjus, the wine list at Bottles Wine Garden highlights wines from female producers and owners that focus on low-intervention winemaking. Featuring shareable small plates to accompany these carefully curated wines, these selections are best enjoyed on Bottles’ gorgeous green outdoor patio. 2500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC; bottleswinegarden.com // @bottleswinegarden

Cork Wine Bar: Best for Dinner with Wine

Cork is one of the oldest wine bars in the city, and for good reason. With at least 50 wines available by the glass and nearly 250 by the bottle, there is something for even the pickiest wine drinkers. The venue has a great menu of small plates for sharing, including avocado toast with pistachio oil, crunchy skinny fries tossed in garlic and herbs, pesto pasta, a luscious burrata and apple salad and a gorgeous cheese plate. All the items are designed to work well with wine and change slightly depending on the seasons. Be sure to make a reservation if you plan to have dinner, as the venue books up quickly. 1805 14th St. NW, DC; corkdc.com // @corkdc

Flight Wine Bar: Best for — You Guessed It — a Wine Flight

Wine flights typically consist of three to four small pours of different wines served together according to a unifying factor. The wines might be from the same country, feature the same grape or offer a progression in flavor and texture. Many wine bars offer flights — popular among wine aficionados — but few offer as many options as Flight Wine Bar, where you can choose from a whopping 22 different combinations. There’s a rosé flight, a sauvignon blanc flight, a natural wine flight and a coastal red wines flight. The options are diverse and interesting, and come with whimsical names like “sibling rivalry – South versus North Italy wines” and “I like oak and I cannot lie.” Head to Flight to sample wines from another country without having to get on an airplane. 777 6th St. NW, DC; flightdc.com // @flightwinebardc

Jug & Table: Best for Wine Wednesdays

Jug & Table is unique in that it offers eight wines on tap, all of which can be purchased in a 64-ounce jug. On Wednesdays, Jug & Table offers half-off jugs and select reserve bottles
of wine. Celebrate Wine Wednesday to the max with a group of friends and a couple of wine jugs without spending a crazy amount. 2446 18th St. NW, DC; jugandtable.com // @jugandtabledc

La Jambe: Best for a Grilled Cheese + Wine Pairing 

Both locations of La Jambe offer a great cheese board featuring chef-selected cheeses, breads and condiments, but the Union Market location also offers gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. The alpine grilled cheese is particularly dreamy with raclette, nutty gruyere cheese, chunky tomato jam and spicy arugula. A glass of their Pouilly Fume sauvignon blanc makes for the perfect pairing.1309 5th St. NE, DC; lajambedc.com/unionmarket // @lajambedc

Lulu’s WineGarden: Best for Drinking Outdoors

There’s no better way to enjoy good weather than at an outdoor venue, meeting up with friends over a few bottles of rosé. Look no further than Lulu’s Winegarden, complete with picnic tables, heat lamps for cool evenings, awnings for sunny afternoons, plenty of rosé and a tasty snack menu to complement your wine. Insider tip: Visit during their “golden hour”: Tuesday-Thursday from 5-6 p.m., Friday from 4-6 p.m. and Sunday from 3-10 p.m. for wine and food discounts. 1940 11th St. NW, DC; luluswinegarden.com // @luluswinedc

Maxwell Park: Best for Thematic Wine Lists

Maxwell Park, located in both Shaw and Navy Yard, offers an extraordinary wine experience in D.C. thanks to their ever-evolving wine list. Sommelier and owner Brent Kroll devises a different theme every month for the wine bar menu and changes up the wine offerings according to that theme. This summer themes include “kiss from a rosé,” which includes still and sparkling rosés and orange wines, and island wines, where the wine list features a bevy of wines hailing from different islands around the world. It’s a fun and exciting way to approach wine and gives patrons an excuse to visit every month to sample something new. 1336 9th St. NW, DC; 1346 4th St. SE, DC; maxwelldcwine.com // @maxwellpark_shaw @maxwellpark_navyyard

St. Vincent Wine: Best for Wines by the Bottle

St. Vincent has a massive wine bottle list, with sections that go way beyond traditional categories of white, rosé and red wines. Their menu offers a collection of wines best for brunch, called “breakfast wines,” as well as collections for sparkling wines, natural wines, chilled red wines and for magnums. Oenophiles will love the variety available for in-house consumption or to-go. 3212 Georgia Ave. NW, DC; stvincentwine.com // @stvincentwine