Where to drink well in Washington DC by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Washington DC. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
Cork Wine Bar and Market in Washington DC is Diane Gross's 14th Street Logan Circle wine bar and bottle shop since 2008, the city's anchor natural wine room with 50 bottles by the glass.
Signature pour: Grower Champagne flight
Wine focus: Old World by the glass, deep grower Champagne
Food: Cheese and charcuterie, small plates
Tip: The retail shop next door sells the bottles you drink in the bar at retail price plus a $15 corkage; the best value list in DC.
Maxwell Park in Washington DC is Brent Kroll's Shaw 9th Street wine bar with a monthly-themed list that resets every month, 50 by the glass and an under-the-radar deep retail shop.
Signature pour: Whatever the month's theme calls for
Wine focus: Themed monthly list across all regions
Food: Snacks and charcuterie
Tip: Themed nights run on the first Tuesday of each month with a sommelier walk-through; arrive at 18:00 for a seat.
Lupo Verde in Washington DC is the U Street Italian dining room and wine bar from Pasta Cucina, a deep Italian-only list with 30 bottles by the glass and a separate enoteca cellar room downstairs.
Signature pour: Etna Rosso by the glass
Wine focus: Italian regional wines
Food: Italian small plates and pastas
Tip: The downstairs enoteca takes walk-ins for wine flights only; the upstairs room is the proper-meal seat.
Dio Wine Bar in Washington DC is the H Street NE natural-wine room from Stacy Kelsey, the city's most explicitly natural-wine bar, with rotating glasses from low-intervention producers worldwide.
Signature pour: Whatever bottle the staff has open
Wine focus: Natural and low-intervention wines
Food: Cheese and charcuterie boards
Tip: The wine bar runs an open-bottle policy; ask what is already pulled and pay by the glass for the value.
The Dabney Cellar in Washington DC is the basement wine bar below The Dabney in Shaw, with a tight Mid-Atlantic-and-German list, snacks from upstairs and a quieter feel than the main room.
Signature pour: Mid-Atlantic riesling by the glass
Wine focus: Mid-Atlantic and German wines
Food: Snacks from the upstairs kitchen
Tip: Snag a seat at the wine bar for the upstairs kitchen menu without the dining-room reservation pressure.
Bistrot Lepic Wine Bar in Washington DC is the Georgetown wine bar above the French bistro Bistrot Lepic on Wisconsin Avenue, a small French-only room with weekly wine tastings on Wednesdays.
Signature pour: Burgundy by the glass
Wine focus: French regional wines
Food: French small plates
Tip: Wednesday wine tastings from 19:00 are $30 for five pours; reserve a week ahead via the website.
Iron Gate in Washington DC is the Dupont Circle Greek-Mediterranean dining room and wine bar on N Street, a former carriage-house with a Mediterranean wine focus and a wood-fire mezze kitchen.
Signature pour: Assyrtiko by the glass
Wine focus: Greek and Mediterranean wines
Food: Wood-fire mezze and small plates
Tip: The covered garden patio is the city's prettiest spring-and-summer wine bar seat; book the late slot for the lower light.
barmini by Jose Andres in Washington DC is the cocktail laboratory next to Minibar on E Street, a 100-cocktail menu with a deep sherry and Spanish wine program from the same kitchen.
Signature pour: Manzanilla sherry flight
Wine focus: Cocktail laboratory with sherry and wine focus
Food: Pintxos and tapas
Tip: Bartender's choice is the play; describe a flavour and let the staff build. Reservations are required.
Sospeso in Washington DC is the Dupont Circle 17th Street Italian wine and cicchetti bar from Brent Kroll of Maxwell Park, with a small Italian-only natural list and cured-meat plates.
Signature pour: Lambrusco by the glass
Wine focus: Italian natural wines
Food: Cicchetti and small Italian plates
Tip: The wine flight is themed weekly; ask the bar what tonight's set is. Walk-ins fill the bar by 19:30.
Peak food season in Washington DC is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Washington DC rewards trust.