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WinePalaver: Sneak Peek at Cork Market & Tasting Room

Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the husband-and-wife team who brought us Cork Wine Bar, will soon open Cork Market & Tasting Room just up the street at 1805 14th Street, NW.  According to Metrocurean, the market will sell wine, beer, specialty items such as cheese and charcuterie, sandwiches, salads, and some items from Cork Wine Bar's menu.  They'll also hold wine tastings and private events upstairs.

Cork Market is getting ready to open any day now, and is offering a sneak peek and a chance to order wines to complement your Thanksgiving meal.  Just pick out the wines you like from the list below, call (202-265-2674) or email (info@corkdc.com) your order, and either pick them up this Wednesday or ask them to deliver if you live nearby (and are of age and can prove it).  Though if you have them delivered you won't have a chance to go poke around the new digs.
 
Bartolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, "Gemin," Spumante Brut NV  $ 14
R. Dumont Père et Fils, Brut Rosé Champagne NV $ 33
Domaine Saint-Anthelme, Viognier, "Les Petits Cailloux" 2007  $ 15
Domaine Paul Garaudet, Bourgogne Blanc 2007  $ 19
Zilliken, Butterfly Riesling 2008  $ 21
Pascal Lambert, Chinon, "Tradition Graves" 2007  $ 17
Marchesi di Gresy, Barbera d'Asti 2006   $ 22
Vietti, Dolcetto d'Alba, "Tre Vigne" 2008  $ 25  
Domaine Gérard Charvet, Moulin A Vent, "Vieilles Vignes" 2006  $ 17
Domaine Monpertuis, Vin de Pays du Gard, "Cuvée Counoise" 2006 $ 15
Ludovicus, Terra Alta 2007 $10

 

WinePalaver: Calvert Woodley's Fall 2008 Wine Sale

The annual Calvert Woodley fall wine sale is in progress now through December 6.  As I've mentioned in previous years, this is a great chance to get deals on nice bottles of wine to have at the ready for holiday parties.  Or stock up on champagne for next Tuesday, if you're confident of victory (and not superstitious).

You can download a user friendly version of their catalog online (see the bookmarks and thumbnails on the left side of the catalog).   Or call (202-966-0445) or email (office@calvertwoodley.com) if you'd prefer to receive the glossy version in the mail.  The last page of the catalog (whether electronic or print) is an order form you can fill out and fax or email in and either have the wine delivered (for a hefty sum, I presume) or pick it up at the store.

Calvert Woodley
4339 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC  20008
(202) 966-4400
wineline:  (202) 966-0445

RestaurantPalaver: Proof

Looking for a way to keep the festivities going this weekend?  Dine at Proof on Sunday, and receive a free glass of sparkling wine from the champagne trolley.  (As described below, it will be selected by wine director Sebastian Zutant.  Sebastian is the guy with the black pin-striped suit, black shirt, orange or black tie, and funky hair.  If I didn't make this up, he was at Komi, then Rasika, and now Proof.  He is memorable.)

Call soon, though ( at 202-737-7663 ).  Opentable only shows availability starting at 9 (though often a phone call will shake loose tables not showing up on OT).  I'll miss it, as I'll be at LBI, drinking a gin and tonic and eating a chocolate frozen custard on a cone with chocolate sprinkles (though not at the same time).  Life is sweet.

Here are the details from Proof's website -- check out the info about the new patio.  Thanks to BT for the heads up.

PROOF TOASTS ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY WITH BUBBLES AND A BEST NEW WINE LIST NOD FROM FOOD AND WINE MAGAZINE

In celebration of its first anniversary on July 6th, Proof will offer a complimentary glass of sparkling wine to each and every guest in its dining room that evening.  The bubbly will be selected by Wine Director Sebastian Zutant.  In addition to the regular a la carte menu, Chef Haidar Karoum will offer a celebratory tasting menu outfitted for the occasion with specialties such as caviar, foie gras, and lobster.  This will be complemented by Zutant's special wine pairings that evening.

Proof has further cause for celebration this summer after being recognized by Food & Wine Magazine for having one of the Best New Wine Lists of 2008.  The July issue of the magazine praises the restaurant's 1,100-plus wine collection, and gives kudos to Zutant for stocking the cellar with collectible and cult wines, as well as a few "historic icons," such as the 1947 Cheval Blanc.

Proof has also just opened its 50-seat patio, giving alfresco fans one of the largest dining spaces in downtown DC on which to enjoy lunch and dinner, as well as warm weather wines and cocktails.  To coincide with the opening of the patio, Chef Karoum has added several dishes to his menu of small and large plates, including a Chilled Seafood and Hearts of Palm Cocktail, and Grilled House-made Lamb Sausage with Cucumber, Mint, & Feta.

Sebastian complements these additions by offering a "Rose of the Day" for $9 a glass, rotating the wines to offer domestic and international selections such as the Lauderbach a Syrah from California's Russian River Valley, and the Suzanna Balboa, an Argentinean Malbec.  Other summer specialties now stocked in the restaurant's unique Enomatic wine serving system include the Blach Chook, a Viogner blend from Australia priced at $9, and the Northern Italian Livio Felluga Tocai Friulano for $12.  Zutant has also added a few twists to his inventive cocktail list that are sure to beat the heat.  Mixed drinks such as the Coquette, a concoction made with Tanqueray Rangpur, Elderflower, grapefruit bitters, and his own house-made rose syrup, and the Chupa Cabra, made with Machu Pisco, yuzu sour, creme de violet and fresh lime juice are now available for $11 each.

WinePalaver: French Wine Affaire 2007

This Thursday, you can taste more than 150 wines, enjoy a buffet of hors d'oeuvres and French cheeses, and hang out at the French Embassy at the French Wine Affair 2007.  Tickets cost $59 for French Wine Society Members and $69 for nonmembers, and entitle attendees to buy any of the featured wines at sale prices from the Calvert Woodley wine shop.  You can purchase tickets online here.

As a bonus for real wine geeks, more than 20 "specially selected cuvée and vintages" will be available at a "Grand Cru" cash tasting bar.  (Those of us who don't know what cuvée means are probably not the target audience here.)

French Wine Affair 2007
Thursday, December 6, 6:30 to 9 pm
4101 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington DC 20007

WinePalaver: Discounts for Winos

The Calvert Woodley fall wine sale is in progress now through December 1.  As I mentioned last year, this is a great chance to stock up on bottles to bring to parties (or serve at your own) during the holidays.

You can download their catalog here.  While on the website, check out their fall wine tasting schedule.  If you'd rather get the catalog by mail, just call the Wineline at (202) 966-0445.  They recommend calling at the less hectic hours of 9 to 10 am, Monday through Friday.

Calvert Woodley
4339 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC  20008
(202) 966-4400
wineline:  (202) 966-0445

And here's a reminder of what can happen if you drink too much wine -- and of what passed for comedy in the '70s:

WinePalaver: Tour de Vin at the Phillips

Tour de Vin Wine Tasting Experience
Thursday, October 25, 6:00 and 7:15

Tomorrow night, you can check out the "Impressionists by the Sea" exhibit at The Phillips Collection and sample wine from the six major wine regions of France.  The Tour de Vin Wine Tasting Experience, with Lisa Airey, director of education for the Society of Wine Educators, takes place at 6 and 7:15.  Admission to the exhibit and one of the wine tasting sessions is $25 for Phillips Collection members and $35 for nonmembers.  Alliance Francaise members can attend the 6:00 session at the member price.  (Admission to the exhibit alone costs $14, as far as I can tell from some conflicting sources.)

The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 387-2151

WinePalaver: In Vino Veritas

The other day I almost got whiplash when I saw a sign for a new wine bar on Florida Ave. just west of Connecticut, around the corner from Russia House.  In the August 17 Washington Post Weekend Section chat, Eve Zibart reports:

Veritas . . . is hoping for a mid-September opening. It's from those great guys who have brought you Lucky Bar, Big Hunt, several Atlas District bars and such going back to Insect Club and beyond (like infinity). They're also turning the old Zebra Room up Wisconsin into a similar wine/cheese bar/charcuterie to be called Enology.

According to the Washington Business Journal, both bars "will serve 60 types of wine but strictly American brands."  Veritas and Enology will have some company in the new wine bar business.  Tom Sietsema reported last week that Cork Wine Bar will be opening in the old Sparky's Espresso Cafe site at 1720 14th Street, NW (between R and S Streets).  Metrocurean has some additional details.

I hope these places will actually let customers sit at a table when they're only meeting for a glass of wine or two, and maybe a nosh, but only if they feel like it.  I remember having high hopes for Bardeo wine bar in Cleveland Park, but some friends and I were once asked to move from a booth to the bar if we weren't going to order dinner.  Harumph.  To be fair, this was years ago, and maybe they've loosened up.  But if you can't sit and have a glass of wine at a wine bar, where can you?

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in vino veritas:  (in VEE-noh VER-ee-tahs) A Latin phrase suggesting that people are more likely to say what they really feel under the influence of alcohol. It means, “There is truth in wine.”  (Source:  Bartleby.com.)

WinePalaver: Calvert Woodley Fall Wine Sale

Calvert Woodley Fall Wine Sale
through November 25

There's less than two weeks left to stock up on wines for the holidays at the Calvert Woodley's annual fall wine sale.  The price cuts are not eye-popping, but a large selection of wine is on sale for $2 to $4 off per bottle (by my unscientific count).   It's a good opportunity to buy some bottles that are usually pushing the high end of your price range to have on hand for parties and gifts over the upcoming holidays.  On one of those December Saturday afternoons when I have 5 minutes between shopping and partying I'll be glad to be able to grab a nice bottle off my wine rack rather than have to stop at some overpriced shop en route to the next event.

The sale is going on until November 25 and their catalog is available for download on their website. The store is located at 4339 Connecticut Avenue, NW, near Van Ness.  It's tends to be crowded and tough to park in their small lot on Saturdays (and they're closed Sundays).  Unless you have a lot of patience, I recommend going in the evening -- they are open until 8:30.  And taking advantage of their offer to carry the wine to your car.  Particularly if you get carried away . . . .