Cork Wine Bar & Market, in Partnership with Pizzeria Paradiso, to Open in Spring Valley October 13

4850 Massachusetts Avenue, NW photo by An-Phuong Ly

From an email:

“A new retail outpost of Cork Wine Bar & Market will open in partnership with Pizzeria Paradiso on Wednesday, October 13 in Washington D.C.’s Spring Valley neighborhood. Cork Spring Valley will offer its trademark collection of Old-World wines by the bottle in addition to grocery and to-go market items from local woman and minority-owned food businesses.

A grand opening event on Friday, October 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. will kick off a number of opening promotions and giveaways available throughout the weekend including:

Free Cork Market re-usable wine bags will be given away to the first 50 guests on Saturday, October 16. Returning customers who re-fill the six-bottle bag at any Cork location will receive 10% off their total purchase.
20% off cases of wine
Wine tastings and food samplings held on Friday, October 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, October 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The new storefront, constructed within the former Pizzeria Paradiso dining room, makes permanent the partnership formed between Diane Gross, who owns Cork with her husband Khalid Pitts, and Pizzeria Paradiso owner and chef Ruth Gresser during the pandemic. The two businesses previously partnered during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 on a series of weekend wine retail pop-ups at the pizza restaurant’s Spring Valley location, and Pizzeria Paradiso began offering a small market selection of to-go frozen meals and specialty grocery items in January 2021.

“This partnership was born out of the ingenuity that the pandemic forced upon all of us restaurant owners,” said Diane Gross and Ruth Gresser in a joint statement. “Women in the restaurant industry have been disproportionately affected, and we had to find ways to creatively come together and thrive,” they continued. “We’ve received such a warm welcome from the neighborhood over the past year and are thrilled to now be permanent part of the Spring Valley community,” said Gross.

Cork Spring Valley’s wine selection will be similar in scope and size to its offerings currently available at its flagship location on 14th Street. With a heavy focus on Old World producers, the selection features bottles from small family-run estates and are sustainably made, with a sizable retail section devoted to organic and biodynamic offerings.

The market will carry grocery items from established restaurateurs and new food businesses alike, many of which previously partnered with both Cork and Pizzeria Paradiso throughout the pandemic to offer collaborative holiday gift baskets and to-go dinners. Prepared frozen meals, gourmet snacks, and desserts will be available for purchase at the market, in addition to pies directly from Pizzeria Paradiso. Featured Cork collaborators include Sticky Fingers Bakery, Nomad Dumplings, Lebanese Taverna, Ris, Spice of Life, Prescription Chicken, Dolcezza, District Fishwife, Colada Shop, Ice Cream Jubilee, Centrolina, Chef Jamie Leeds of JL Restaurant Group, and Chef Ann Cashion.

Located at 4850 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Cork Spring Valley will be open for business Tuesday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pizzeria Paradiso Spring Valley is open for dine-in, carry out and delivery service Monday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.”