Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Doug Rosen, owner of long-time Arlington wine store Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).
Why drink wine? If liquor is quicker and beer cheaper, what makes us go to such lengths to understand, collect and treasure wine?
The “Crystal City Wine Shop” — as the store is called in the application — will be located on the ground floor of the Lenox Club apartment building at 401 S. 12th Street.
A phone number listed for the Crystal City Wine Shop on Facebook is the same as that of the Washington Wine Academy, which operates a wine and beer education center at 1201 S. Eads Street, across the street from the future wine store.
Editor’s Note: This column is the first in a series of sponsored articles written by Doug Rosen, owner of long-time Arlington wine store Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).
Every year around late November, the phrase “Okay, you bring the wine for Thanksgiving” strikes fear into the hearts of millions of Americans. Thanksgiving dinner is the culinary equivalent to Dante’s Inferno and poses a distinct pairing challenge.
The Crystal City 1K Wine Walk — which combines light exercise with moderate drinking — will be back for a second year. The event proved popular enough that it’s being expanded. The wine walk will now be held on two consecutive days: Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15. Participants will be led on a one kilometer indoor course under the streets of Crystal City, with wine and snack stations set up along the way.
The following weekend, Crystal City will hold its inaugural 1K Beer Walk. Featuring the same general format as the wine walk, the beer walk will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sunday, Jan. 22.
Cafe Caturra, a Richmond-based coffee shop/wine bar/soup-salad-and-sandwich restaurant, is now open in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. The 3,400 square foot eatery, which features a decor partially made from reclaimed materials, officially opened its doors to customers on Friday.
Located at 2931 S. Glebe Road, Cafe Caturra offers specialty coffees, 24 boutique wines, two draft beers, and 20 bottled beers. The restaurant is offering mimosa specials on Sunday and is planning to eventually offer a weekday happy hour, according to marketing director Melissa Kirkpatrick.
The annual wine and food festival known as Vintage Crystal: A Taste of Wine and Jazz was held Sunday afternoon in Crystal City.
The event featured tastings of more than 30 types of Spanish and South American wines, as well as free food samples from local eateries like Jaleo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Kora. There was also live performances of Latin jazz, rumba, salsa, and samba music — complete with dancing.
September Sunset — As warm temperatures gave way to fall-like temperatures yesterday, mother nature compensated by providing the D.C. area with an exceptionally beautiful sunset.
Gunfire on the GW Parkway — An SUV was struck by a bullet while driving on the GW Parkway near the Chain Bridge early Thursday morning. [NBC Washington]
The first major event after Labor Day is the Rosslyn Jazz Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10. Jazz luminaries Dee Dee Bridgewater, Henry Butler and Grace Kelly will perform at the annual event, which is held in Rossslyn’s Gateway Park.
The annual Vintage Crystal wine and jazz festival is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18. The event, held in a Crystal City parking lot, features wine tastings and food samples, as well as jazz and dance performances, all with a “Latin twist.”
Crystal City will be holding six wine events during the month of September, including its popular annual ‘Vintage Crystal’ wine and jazz festival on Sunday, Sept. 18.
The wine-filled month will start on Sept. 2, with the first of five ‘Wine in the Waterpark’ events. The Washington Wine Academy will pour $5 glasses of wine and $4 beers in the Crystal City Water Park (across from 1750 Crystal Drive) while Crystal City’s Jaleo restaurant serves up free snacks and while DJ Adrian Loving spins “mood-setting, ambient music.”
The business, previously located at 4056 Campbell Avenue, will move around the corner to 2900 South Quincy Street.
“After 10 years, it certainly would have been hard to leave Shirlington Village,” said Suzanne McGrath, CEO and president of The Curious Grape. “You can’t beat that sense of becoming part of a thriving community.”
A web site for the new restaurant, located at 3035 Clarendon Boulevard, appeared online yesterday. A representative tells us that they’re hoping to hold a grand opening on July 28.
Rabbit will offer “quality salads, sandwiches and meals in a comfortable dining room,” along with a selection of beer and wine.” In addition, sweets will be offered thanks to an in-store Red Velvet Cupcakery counter (Rabbit and Red Velvet share the same owners).
For the past seven years, the store at 2855 Clarendon Boulevard has been frequented by customers who tout knowledgeable staff, fun wine tastings and low prices as their top reasons for shopping there.
So far, there’s no official word on why Best Cellars is closing, but we’re told employees aren’t happy about it.
