Favorite Wine Stores

[Tweaked]

1 minute ago, Mark Slater said:

Thanks. Ed Jenks, former sommelier at Vidalia is at Weygandts.

Yes, Ed is a good guy.  I've learnt a lot from him.

Mark - what are your plans for CPW&L? 

[Mark Slater]

2 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

Yes, Ed is a good guy.  I've learnt a lot from him.

Mark - what are your plans for CPW&L? 

I have a lot of wine to work through here. One thing needed is more affordable French wine. The selection here is literally all over the map. Italy and Greece are strong as is Georgia and most of Eastern Europe plus domestic wine. It's an interesting challenge.

[Rieux]

Grand cata on 8th and o. The best. 

[Pool Boy]

I have been kind of dismayed at the results from the change in ownership of a place I used to frequent. I liked supporting a local small business, too. Ah well.

I have another local shop I still go to occasionally, but their selection is hit or miss and some of the regular offerings have disappeared. But at least I know I can go there and get a couple of things I find difficult to find elsewhere.

So that leaves a Total Wine to now do most of my shopping in. I suppose I need to invest time and effort getting them to bring in some of the things I can no longer get within a reasonable drive from my house (say 15-20 minutes one way drive, I live in South Laurel, MD). I could do that with a local shop, too, I think, but the ownership changes of these stores is too frequent and then I have to start all over again. Hence me thinking about Total Wine.

Can anyone make any recommendations for a DC-based shop that has a good selection of everyday wines (call it $25 and under per bottle) from Spain, Italy, Austria and France? I'm totally willing to drive the 30-45 minutes as needed to get to the right shop (see below).

I'm loving Vermentino from Italy (Costalomino and Aragosta are personal favorites). Same for a lot of grenache-based wines from Spain and France. I also like Juan Gil Monastrell but am having difficulty consistently finding it. Gigondas and other southern rhones are also my happy place these days. I love northern rhones, but I am intimidated by the prices, so those tend to be when I want one for a special occasion. I have a lot of enjoyment from Grüner Veltliners from different parts of Austria - really versatile. For Italian wines, I spend most of my time in the Veneto region for Valpollicella, Amarone, Soave and other local wines, though I enjoy a lot from the Tuscan reagion, generally shying away from the nebbiolo based wines mostly because the ones I really enjoy from that region are expensive (worth the splurge for an occasion, but again, looking for everyday wines at the moment).

[Tweaked]

17 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

Can anyone make any recommendations for a DC-based shop that has a good selection of everyday wines (call it $25 and under per bottle) from Spain, Italy, Austria and France? I'm totally willing to drive the 30-45 minutes as needed to get to the right shop (see below).

Check out Weygandt's in Cleveland Park - Their portfolio is very heavy on small family producers from France, very good selection from Austria, smaller selection of Italian, very small selection from Spain.  Lots of choices in your price point of $25 and under.  Weygandt's is currently curb side pick up only, but if you shoot them an e-mail and describe what you are into, I'm sure they can make some good suggestions.  Their website is decent, not sure if it cover all their stock.  But it has good descriptions, notes, bios, production specs, and availability.  

Also go up Connecticut Ave for Calvert-Woodley in Van Ness.  C-W is open with a 15 shoppers at a time maximum.  Their website covers a lot of their stock, so you can check that out too.  

[Rovers2000]

I'd echo the comments re: Weygandt.  Warren is terrific.  I just had him put together a mixed case of some of his favorites - and each has been just tremendous.  In particular some of the really crisp Rieslings he put in there have been stunning.

[Pool Boy]

I'll check out Weygandt's then - thanks for the tip on  it and how to order/pick-up/call ahead.

On 7/29/2020 at 5:40 PM, Tweaked said:

Check out Weygandt's in Cleveland Park - Their portfolio is very heavy on small family producers from France, very good selection from Austria, smaller selection of Italian, very small selection from Spain.  Lots of choices in your price point of $25 and under.  Weygandt's is currently curb side pick up only, but if you shoot them an e-mail and describe what you are into, I'm sure they can make some good suggestions.  Their website is decent, not sure if it cover all their stock.  But it has good descriptions, notes, bios, production specs, and availability.  

Also go up Connecticut Ave for Calvert-Woodley in Van Ness.  C-W is open with a 15 shoppers at a time maximum.  Their website covers a lot of their stock, so you can check that out too.  

 

On 7/30/2020 at 9:05 AM, Rovers2000 said:

I'd echo the comments re: Weygandt.  Warren is terrific.  I just had him put together a mixed case of some of his favorites - and each has been just tremendous.  In particular some of the really crisp Rieslings he put in there have been stunning.

 

[MarkS]

• Wine Cellars of Annapolis on Forrest Drive.  The owner, Patrick, has been in the business for many years and has very good relationships with importers, wine makers and distributors.  

[Pool Boy]

20 hours ago, MarkS said:

• Wine Cellars of Annapolis on Forrest Drive.  The owner, Patrick, has been in the business for many years and has very good relationships with importers, wine makers and distributors.  

I will have to check it out Mark. My mother-in-law now lives near Annapolis so a good excuse to veer off course slightly.

[Count Bobulescu]

On 7/29/2020 at 3:20 PM, Pool Boy said:

So that leaves a Total Wine to now do most of my shopping in. I suppose I need to invest time and effort getting them to bring in some of the things I can no longer get within a reasonable drive from my house (say 15-20 minutes one way drive, I live in South Laurel, MD).

I definitely would not rely on Total, especially for imported wines. At a guess I'd say 80-90% of their import selection comes via one importer, Saranty. Certainly 100% of their winery direct selections on the three central shelves, plus some above and below. Seems like Saranty is a shell importer. You won't find much info about them online, save that they are affiliated with William Deutch & Co, the nice people who work so hard to  bring you Yellow Tail.

[Pool Boy]

16 hours ago, Count Bobulescu said:

I definitely would not rely on Total, especially for imported wines. At a guess I'd say 80-90% of their import selection comes via one importer, Saranty. Certainly 100% of their winery direct selections on the three central shelves, plus some above and below. Seems like Saranty is a shell importer. You won't find much info about them online, save that they are affiliated with William Deutch & Co, the nice people who work so hard to  bring you Yellow Tail.

It's becoming clear to me that I'll need to go further afield to find what I want. I suspect that Total Wine in MD may have different selections than in VA or elsewhere since MD still has pretty draconian distribution rules.

[genericeric]

Some favorites from central Virginia...  Basic Necessities (Nellysford) is charming in all the right ways, with fantastic country French dining, but also a wonderful, if modest, wine collection - focused mostly on France (but not exclusively).  Kay used to be a wine writer in France and knows her stuff.  I've come to realize that a single wine store can't be all things to all people, and this is where I go for French wine.  

For high end, I gravitate toward J. Emerson in Richmond.  Their "cellar" room stocks a varied selection of wines - some common, some harder to find - none cheap, but all delicious!  The main inventory is also expansive, and I am frequently able to find types of wines here that I can't elsewhere.

Second Bottle in Richmond is a boutique shop on Church Hill that knows its clientele and is stocked with really interesting but fairly inexpensive selections.  But what gets me to drive across town is their selection of Spanish wines - from Txakolina to Tempranillo, they have become my go-to for Spain and also the occasional orange wine.