Had a really fun time at the tasting room yesterday. Â Hundreds of wines to choose from, makes for an entertaining experience. Â "Gorillaz" piping on the speakers made it up beat. Â They were cool with us bringing our kids in - it was early afternoon and not many people there. Â Free appetizers/snacks. Â Staff were very nice, but sometimes a little slow or absent.. Â Only complaints are that you can run a tab up quickly (expensive) and you have to "load" your drink card with money- and unless you plan it well, you'll leave with a dollar or so on your card left over and unusable because the cheapest tasting is $2. Â Also, some guy sat at the bar right in front of the free appetizers, making it impossible to get to them and the staff didn't do much to make them more accessible. Â However, still had a great time and we plan to return.
Review Source:We walked in at 5:30 (they open at 5) to get some wine and appetizers. There was no one behind the bar, so we waited, and waited, and then a woman sitting at the end of the bar working on a laptop stood up and said, "Let me go get her." The bartender came out and we asked if it was cool to sit on the patio. Sure. We are half way out the door with our menus when the laptop woman (manager, owner?) says to the bartender, "Tell them were closing." Â What? They were closing at 6:30 for a private event. We were "allowed" to stay, as long as we left before 6:30. So, we went out and ordered some wine, olives and cheese plate. When I asked the bartender what she recommended..."anything that you feel comfortable finishing before 6:30." And yes, she really said that. These two were just all around unhappy people. Perhaps on another night, with a different bartender/manager, this place might have been really great. But I won't be going back to find out.
Review Source:This is a good idea, but execution not good. Â To order a glass of wine shouldn't require instructions, nor waiting nearly 10 minutes for someone to pay attention to a couple waiting at a bar that isn't very busy. Â Once we got our glasses, we sat outside which was nice until the music suddenly was too loud to hear one another. Â Probably would recommend for a scheduled party the bar is expecting would get the best of service and attn. The wine was pretty good though.
Review Source:This wine bar is a great pre- or post-dinner experience if you are visiting the National Harbor. We enjoyed the great variety of wines and the self serve setup.
You purchase a pre-loaded card and can choose the amount (1, 3 or 5 oz). There was a good variety of reds and whites. I believe there are light snacks too.
It was a little crowded inside on a rainy Saturday night, but we made it worked and our group of about 10 had a great time.
A friend and I stopped in on Saturday night after some shopping, and despite a few mishaps we left on a positive note.
The location is ideal - plenty of windows to watch people on the street, and a gorgeous patio. The reviewer on 4/17 said that there was no indoor seating, but there was plenty of room inside including several barstool areas and probably 7 -10 tables. The ambiance was very laid back; they had background music earlier, and then at around 8pm a woman started playing live acoustic guitar (she was great!).
I guess I don't need to explain how the wine tasting itself works - but I'll definitely agree that it is a really neat concept. As someone who enjoys wine (but doesn't necesarrily know a lot about it) I liked the price and serving size range. I think my friend and I each spent $25 on a card, which is probably a little more than we would have spent on just drinks at dinner, but with several $7 glasses of wine, I felt it was a fair amount. As two engineers out to dinner, we also enjoyed speculating exactly how the machine worked.
When a mishap caused by a staff member caused a "wine shower" if you will, to erupt on me, the staff was pretty good about getting me cleaned up and providing a discount/compensation for the fact that I had to go to the bathroom to wash red wine off my legs. Our order for food somehow nevet got placed, so after profuse apologies, our panini were slightly discounted. I felt that the discount should have been more, based on the fact that the place was NOT crowded, but oh well.
We each had a panini, and while they were nothing special they also weren't outrageously priced (~$10).
I also
What an adorable little shop at National Harbor! Â I attended a 40th Birthday Party there (they rented out the place for the evening) and was quite impressed with both the wine selection and the lite bites that they served. Â The food here is delicious and just enough to accompany a wine tasting, so don't expect to go to town for a full on dinner, because it's not that kind of place.
The inside is just a shop, so there's no seating, but the outside is perfect for relaxing with friends and taking in the beautiful view. Â I had no idea this place was even here and I have been to the Harbor quite a few times. Â I would say that it is a PERFECT date night place. Â Grab pre- or post-drinks after dinner at a neighboring restaurant or just come in for a nice, sophisticated HH after work. Â Great concept and great customer service. Â I will most definitely be back soon!
Yes - VERY expensive. Â The six-pack of Guinness Extra Stout that I paid $8.75 for in the PX went for about $14 plus tax in here. Â Single beers were listed at $2.35 - that's per bottle, and we're not talking pint-sized either!
But what I give them high praise for is the extensive selection that they have in stock. Â As Trump would say, it's HUGE! Â Lots of labels foreign and domestic to explore and find new favorites. Â And they give you a little bit of a price break if you want to mix and match to create your own six-pack sampler. Â That's cool, but don't get too excited - like I said, it's a LITTLE bit of a price break!
Didn't go to the wine/beer tasting, as it turned out, but I'll keep it on the radar for a future visit to the Harbor. Â Weekends only, it seems. Â Bear in mind that this is more of a high-end grocery store (a la Trader Joe's) than it is a bar. Â So some of the Yelp business info may be a little off.
I fell upon this place while hanging at the harbor and it was cold as a witch's tit and i needed some place to chill.
upon immediately walking in i was a bit intimidated. the place was small, packed, nowhere to sit and two white guys who thought they were the gypsy kings playing live gypsy music in the doorway (literally).
hey -but its all good.
so me and the BF stood in the middle of the room trying to soak it all in, then finally one of  the wine wenches came over and was using her only asset (huge boobies) to convince my BF to open a tap.  we love wine, so we did.
i would say this a great place to come and sample wines W/O all the snooty stuff you find a many wineries. Â not to mention the lame tours.... we all know there are no cool wineries in the DC metro area..so
if you are not in italy- sonoma cali or france...
get your butt down to wine bar and leave your snootiness at home
Love the concept of self serve wine tasting. Â This is the perfect location for this type of wine bar too. Â Caters to a more mature clientele. Â Go in a group or solo; gives off a comfortable, relaxed and laid back vibe. Â No pretentious staff to worry about, service is good and the servers are knowledgeable. Â The appetizers offered are great for wine pairing. Â For those that aren't fans of wine but are tagging along with others, the beer selection is decent enough. Â My only wish is that this place were bigger. Â Enjoy live music on the weekends, lively conversations or just watch sports on the television.
Advice about purchasing to go bottles: Â Pretty pricey when comparing it to purchasing online or through a retailer. Â I couldn't fathom paying what they had listed for a wine I tasted and liked so I reached out to the vineyard and ordered direct since I couldn't find it elsewhere. Â It arrived in only days and I saved a lot of $$. Â Try "R" by J Runquist if you like petite sirahs!
Interesting concept- never been to a place like this before.
You get a card with money on it and go around and try different wines. I went in for the Rieslings and was happy they actually had a lot to try from! Not that they were all good, but it is fun to try new things.
Service was great even with only one lady working. She made sure everyone was happy and was knowledgeable about the different wines.
I also tried the 6 cheese plate- wonderful chevre! Lots of bread and the cheeses were good quality. Fruit was fresh.
Place was quiet and had a nice vibe to it. Some after work people and couples just trying wines. Decor was black, sleek and sexy. Comfortable chairs.
I will definitely come back hoping they change their wines and cheeses frequently. I would give this place 5 stars if I was able to choose the cheeses I wanted (I do love my cheeses).
Hubby & I stopped by here yesterday, Sat. Jan 14, for a couple drinks before our reservation at Grace's Mandarin. It was our first visit, and we were very impressed by the decor and friendly staff! Candice & Jessica were the two ladies running the show and they really seemed friendly and knowledgeable about the different wines and the different restaurants in the area, as I picked their brain a bit. The music was really great- it took me back to middle school / high school with smooth R&B jams. The ladies told us they were having a live latin jazz ensamble later that evening. I liked all of the wines I sampled, but for some reason can only remember the 2011 Jam Jam (a Mascato). Hubby & I have been looking for a decent wine bar since moving from Richmond, VA where we frequented the Wine Barrel.
Review Source:Gah this place is horrible! Â While I really enjoy the finer things in life, I'm also the type to pick up $5 bottles of wine at Trader Joe's, so I was shocked when I couldn't find anything to like about this place. Â For starters, there were about 40 patrons in the wine bar this past Saturday night, and only two front-room staff. Â People kept having issues with machine malfunctions and empty serving bottles, and it took a really long time for any of those issues to get resolved. Â It took us about 20 minutes to even get one of the pre-paid wine cards, so we were just trying to get the waitresses' Â attention and waiting for someone to help us for a long time before we even had a chance to try the wine. Â
Once we got to the point of getting to taste things, everything went further downhill. Â Both my husband and I tried a variety of wines- a lot of them tasted like vinegar, and the worst one I tried could best be classified as "grape farts." Â I would like to reiterate that I regularly purchase (and enjoy!) inexpensive wine, and I am always able to find decent bottles of wines that cost approximately the price of a half glass at The Tasting Room. Â I will not go back, nor would I ever recommend this place to anyone I liked. Â Essentially, I think this is a cool concept with absolutely terrible execution- a big disappointment.
Oh..what to do on a Sunday night when you have a red eye flight at 5 am back to SFO. Â
Seeing how I had an morning, my friends suggested this one last stop by the National Harbor. Â I must say, it was absolutely a dead zombie zone when we got there (around 9 pm), but just an hour earlier it was packed. Â The owner that we talked to was extremely sociable and friendly; if not for a Sunday night I can definitely see this as a popular place after work hours or on Saturday nights. Â
Has a trendy, hip, loungy feel to the whole place. Â All around beautiful scenic view if you want to sit outside as well. Â I didn't spend much time here, but it is definitly one of the hidden gems!!
Yes, yes, yes!! Â This is a great concept. Â Its fun, fresh and perfect for a friendly time out. Â
It's like a wine tasting/flight that you do all the work to get. Â There are options to get a regular glass of wine or beer ( I think) , but the fun comes in when you choose to grab a tasting 1, 3 or 5 ounces of the 40 wine offerings available. Â My cousin and I went and with $20 we were able to try six different wines (1 to 3 ounces). It was a fabulous experience.
We didn't try any of the kitchen items because they were OUT of food. Â Seriously... not sure how that happens, but this wasn't an option.
Check check check it out and LET ME KNOW what you think :-)
Recently attended the 1st of this location's Wine Tasting classes and highly recommend it. It was hosted by one of the owners of Boxwood Estate Winery and she was very knowledgeable - most of the wines were really good and reasonably priced. The only negative was the noise level - arrive early so you can sit at the bar because it becomes difficult to her the instructor the further along the class goes - class attendees get pretty chatty after the couple of wines.
Review Source:Outstanding, quality wines that are worthy of the price! Â Outstanding service! Â Staff created a fun, light-hearted atmosphere and they know their wines. Â Love the jazz band playing outdoors! Â They have talent--the band, the staff, and the wine buyers. Â Wish they had a larger establishment. Â I'm sure they will need to expand if the level of service and quality wines continues. Â Nice work! Â I can safely delay a trip to the route des vins d'Alsace for a few more months. Â :0) Â This is a hint for their staff if they are reading (Piedmont des Vosges...Wines Schaetzel...Tokay Pinot Gris....). Â The Tasting Room at National Harbor is a step up for National Harbor--a venue awash in promising but poor quality restaurants, i.e., poor quality service and food. Â There are only two restaurants other than the Tasting Room that have it together. Â Hmmm, maybe I can knock out a couple more reviews before the end of lunch time.
Review Source:I love the wine tasting machines! Â Reminds me of a similar set up in San Luis Obispo in CA.
A great variety of all varietals that you don't see around the area. Â Service can be spotty, but give them some time to get around to you. Â Go on a weeknight, sip some different wines, have a nosh, and take a few favorites home.
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could. Â The staff and experience were wonderful. Â The staff in particular is friendly, patient, and helpful. Â It's entertaining to do the 'self-pour' system -- at least for someone who's only done it once before) -- using a prepaid card to for 1oz, 3oz, or 5oz pours, which you choose from more than 40 wines. Â There're also a couple of ports and a couple of sparkling wines not on the 'taps'. Â I was a little disappointed by the wines I had on my first visit, but I still have a good number left to try, and the reactions of a couple people near me seemed to be the opposite, so I'm hopeful for a future visit. Â The wine prices are a bit on the steep side -- as you'd expect for National Harbor -- but the 1oz self-pour can trim the price somewhat ($2-4 for most wines, with a few more expensive). Â Also, you get $10 off each bottle that you buy to take home, which seems like a decent deal if you find one you like. Â The food menu is limited -- a few appetizers and sandwiches (paninis) -- but the prices seemed decent [although $2 for a plate of almonds?] and what people around me were ordering looked good. Â
The atmosphere is classy but comfortable. Â It's a dark overall, but the large windows and high ceilings open up the small-ish place. Â The dark, blue-grey walls have several photos of the Boxwood Winery (the host winery of The Tasting Room) and a large tv. Â There's also a large deck outside -- almost the same size as (if not bigger than) the space inside -- with several tables, some of which are umbrella-covered.
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