Drink
Flight Owner + Sommelier Kabir Amir pouring at the bar. Photo by Scott Suchman.
From the Vine: 8 Must-Visit Wine Bars in D.C.
July 10, 2023 @ 10:00am
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.
Closest Metro: Foggy Bottom
Map it: 2622 P St. NW, DC
Learn more: aperodc.com // @aperodc
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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.
Closest Metro: Foggy Bottom
Map it: 2500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC
Learn more: bottleswinegarden.com // @bottleswinegarden
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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.
Closest Metro: U Street/Cardozo
Map it: 1805 14th St. NW, DC
Learn more: corkdc.com // @corkdc
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Flight Wine Bar: Best for — You Guessed It — a Wine Flight
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.
Closest Metro: Gallery Place
Map it: 777 6th St. NW, DC
Learn more: flightdc.com // @flightwinebardc
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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.
Closest Metro: NoMa
Map it: 1309 5th St. NE, DC
Learn more: lajambedc.com/unionmarket // @lajambedc
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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.
Closest Metro: U Street/Cardozo
Map it: 1940 11th St. NW, DC
Learn more: luluswinegarden.com // @luluswinedc
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Maxwell Park: Best for Thematic Wine Lists
Maxwell Park 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. It’s a fun and exciting way to approach wine and gives patrons an excuse to visit every month to sample something new.
Closest Metro: Shaw-Howard U
Map it: 1336 9th St. NW, DC
Learn more: maxwelldcwine.com // @maxwellpark_shaw
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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.
Closest Metro: Georgia Ave-Petworth
Map it: 3212 Georgia Ave. NW, DC
Learn more: stvincentwine.com // @stvincentwine
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