Wine Country Trip: Santa Barbara

Image: At Beckmen Vineyards Published: August 30, 2021 A recent two-day swing through Santa Barbara wine country was inspiring.  It it is one of the most interesting wine regions around.  A fair share of big “California-style” wines are produced in the region, but there are also all kinds of producers, big and small, that are […]

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Santa Barbara Wine Country History

Image: Santa Rita Hills in the morning.  Sea smoke indeed. Published: August 30, 2021 This history is an appendix to our Santa Barbara Wine Country guide.  We thought it would just be a few paragraphs for reference at the end of the guide, but – as you can see – it got a little out […]

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Dabney Cellar

Image: Glassware in use. Last Visit: January 2020 Down some tricky stairs to the basement of a townhouse building on Ninth Street, you enter a retreat of casual refinement.  Despite being a basement, the room is open and more cave-like than you would expect.  Thirty or so seats are spread between the bar and about […]

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Go Orange (Wine)

Image: Qvevri in front of the Embassy of Georgia. On Sunday, in our Week in Review, we flagged a recent piece in the New Yorker that received some backlash.  We write about it again just to post the picture above.  Writer Troy Patterson wrote an article on “orange” wine.  His conclusion: “In this sphere, a […]

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Washington, D.C. Neighborhood Wine Shop Guide

Image: Venetian Interior/Wine Shop – John Singer Sargent (1903) Experts will tell you that a key to getting into wine and enjoying wine is to find a good wine shop.  We agree.  Price, selection, and knowledgeable staff are keys to a good wine shop.  Convenience is also a key. Enthusiasm for the product can make […]

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D.C. Wine Shops – Schneider’s on Capitol Hill

Image: Look Up! We round out our list of great neighborhood wine shops in the District with another long-standing, workhorse establishment.  This one on Capitol Hill. Schneider’s – If you are attending a party on the Hill, there is a good chance the booze came from here.  They can handle bulk and single bottles of […]

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D.C. Wine Shops – Ace Beverage

Image: The place is Ace. We are nearly done rounding out our list of great neighborhood wine shops in the District.  This week we highlight one of the long-standing work horses in the Cathedral/Spring Valley area. Ace Beverage – The inconspicuous store in the business park on New Mexico Ave. has been doing great work […]

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D.C. Wine Shops – Wardman Wines in Brookland

Wednesdays, we have been working on building up a list of great wine shops in the District.  This week we focus on Brookland. Wardman Wines – This spot covers a lot of ground.  It is a bright open space located near the Brookland-CUA metro stop.  The selection is deep in some regions, but also does […]

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