2810 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

From a press release:

“ENO wine room opens today at 2810 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Georgetown. With a mission to showcase interesting varietals and artisanal products in an approachable manner, ENO offers guests a curated selection of wines by the glass, bottle and flight, as well as small production cheeses, charcuterie and chocolates.

The opening list offers hundreds of selections from both the Old World and the New World, with approximately half of the bottles priced under $50. Flights are a central focus of ENO’s offerings, featuring 8 to 12 wine trios at any time, with themes such as Rhone Rangers, showcasing the classic styles of Northern and Southern Rhone, Jefferson’s heirs, built around three examples from Virginia wineries and Acid Trip, featuring high acid whites. The wine room also features approximately 35 wines by the glass, including eight on tap, with prices starting at $9.

The growing local wine scene is well represented in ENO’s offerings, showcasing several Virginia wineries, including King Family Vineyards, Paradise Springs Winery and Barboursville Vineyards. The wine room’s list also includes a series of private labels made by ENO from the initial step of barrel selection to the final blend, including two wines made in partnership with Dusted Valley in Walla Walla, Washington – “Columbeaux” and “GSM.”

ENO’s commitment to supporting local producers on the food front includes charcuterie selections from Stachowski’s Market in DC, chocolate truffles from Virginia confectioner Gearharts and cheeses from Calkins Creamery in Pennsylvania and Cherry Glenn Goat Cheese Co. in Maryland. A concise menu of salads, grilled sandwiches and snacks such as Deviled eggs with duck confit and a Bruschetta flight are also available at dinner, with lunch to follow soon after opening. ENO also offers food flights assembled from their rotating selection of cheese, charcuterie and chocolates.

Visits from artisanal producers, including local vintners, cheese makers and chocolatiers, will be a regular occurrence at ENO shortly after opening. These casual-yet-informative tasting sessions will allow guests to brush up on array of topics and give them access to featured partner artisans.

The three-level, 72-seat space retains much of the original brick and structure of the early 1900s row house in which it is located. The welcoming interior balances the traditional design elements of the historic space with updated artistic touches, such as an eye-catching chandelier made from a used wine barrel. The second floor features a glass encased temperature-controlled cellar, home to the wine room’s extensive sparkling wine and by the glass list. A second, larger cellar is located on the lower level, and has the capacity to hold nearly 1,800 bottles.

ENO wine room is located at 2810 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. The hours of operations are Monday to Saturday from 4PM to 12AM and Sunday from 1PM to 10PM. Lunch to follow.”

I stopped by for some preview photos on Monday – have a look after the jump. Read More

“Dear PoPville,

Wonder if you know what is going on with AM Wine Shoppe on 18th and Wyoming? Their inventory of both wines and meats/cheeses has been dwindling in the past few months – I can’t help but think that they are preparing to close. They serve some really good sandwiches, but I’m wondering if the competition from De Vinos, Glens and others has finally got to them? When I asked an employee yesterday he just said they weren’t putting a lot of $ into merch right now since the summer has been quiet.”

A spokeswoman for the Wine Shoppe says this is normal and all is well:

“The Shoppe usually is slim in August since the owner and wine buyer vacation the last two weeks, which coincides with a dip in customer traffic due to August vacations. The Shoppe will be stocking the shelves this week in order to get back to “par.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user JosephLeonardo

From Wine Enthusiast Magazine:

“What defines a Wine Enthusiast Magazine best 100 wine restaurant? Is it the outstanding selection of wines? An innovative menu? Detail-oriented service? Buzzed-about décor? The eateries on our list do all these things and more: They serve up a true passion for presenting mind-blowing wine-and-food pairings.”

And the DC restaurants to make the list are:

Art and Soul 415 New Jersey Avenue NW

CityZen 1330 Maryland Avenue SW

Estadio 1520 14th Street NW

Fiola 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

minibar by José Andrés 855 E Street NW

Plume at The Jefferson, DC 1200 16th Street NW

Ripple 3417 Connecticut Avenue NW

“Dear PoP,

Since we opened our store we’ve noticed that our customers enjoy their wine more when they know something about where and whom it comes from – the walls in our store are covered with maps and photographs of producers, each of whom we know personally. To make it easier to share these stories, maps, and tasting notes, we’ve created a Videos Section on our website, where we’re posting video profiles of wines.

We’ve also created linked QR codes and placed them on the shelves in the store next to the wine. Customers with a smartphone can download the free “QR Scanner” app, then scan and watch the video in store.

We’re really excited to be able to connect our customers with their wine and its winemaker, even from the comfort of home.

We’re having a tasting of some older Burgundies this weekend.”

Ansonia Wines is located at 1828 18th St, NW.