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Barcelona Wine Bar Review – A Tapas Experience in Washington

We often lament about how we need more Spanish-style tapas bars in the country and European wine bars in general. So when I read about Barcelona Wine Bar in Washington DC and found that it was just a mile or so away from the hotel I was staying at, you know I had to go.

To say this wine bar checks both of those boxes is an understatement. But while you are not likely to get a free tapa with every wine order (like some tapas bars we went to in Spain), you will get the next best thing in all respect. That is to say, small plates, affordable prices, and an incredible selection all around.

Call me hooked on this great wine bar in DC!

When it comes to rose wines, we can enjoy them any time of year for any reason with (almost) any food pairing. But some rose wines rise above the rest and become something truly special worth savoring and pairing with the very best food.

Jaine’s Sustainable Vineyards Rose is one such wine, and this 100% Grenache rose may go down as our very favorite yet.

When it comes to thinking about boxed wine, we often remember the lower-quality beverages we had way back in our younger days. As some of the connotations that go along with this packaging medium are generally on the negative side, we’ve not really rushed to try out any of the new brands pushing boxed wines that have been popping up in recent years.

It wasn’t until Gratsi contacted us to see if we wanted to try their Washington-grown Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon that we decided to give boxed wine a chance. All we have to say is if boxed wine was like this when we had it last, we may have not waited so long to try them again.

To be sure, this is table wine. But it is damn good table wine, and at 3L per box provides an ample amount of wine for meals, cooking, and even some sneaky sips here or there all at a respectable price point.

We could get used to that.

While our love affair with the Sonoma winery, Arista, is primarily due to their stellar Pinot Noirs, we have been known to sample some of their other offerings like Chardonnay and even a rose made from Pinot Noir from time to time.

The rose from the Russian River Valley may not pack as much of a full-body punch as its intense-red siblings, but this rose wine from Sonoma checks the boxes for us all the same.

If you are not familiar with the red grape Lemberger, you may know it by its German name- Blaufrankisch. This grape is grown primarily in central Europe and especially in and around Austria where we have had many glasses during our visits.

But Lemberger is becoming more and more popular outside of Europe, and the Finger Lakes in the United States is one such wine region growing this grape successfully.

We tried this one while at Damiani on Seneca Lake and knew we had to come home with a bottle.

Canned wines are starting to take the world by storm, and one female-led, California producer, Bev, is leaning into this one hard with numerous varieties available for direct shipping nationwide (included in every order).

We were contacted by Bev to see if we wanted to try out their wines for a review, and of course, had to say yes.

As it turns out, these were the first canned wines we’ve ever had, and they most certainly will not be the last.

Note: We received these wines complimentary for this review. All opinions are our own. Bev Wines also has provided 20% off one-time orders for our readers with the discount code THEGRAPEPURSUIT as well. Click here to check out their inventory!

Our first 100% varietal Picpoul comes not from the more well-known regions of Europe but rather the Columbia Valley of Oregon from Flat Brim Wines.

This bottle is rather aptly named Not Basic as it is an orange wine made with skin contact for two weeks and foot trodden regularly and is something you don’t see all too often. (So you can see why the Not Basic name works.)

While we noted some Brettanomyces and possibly reduction on the nose that took away from this one a bit for our liking, we have to say it was rather interesting all the same!

When we travel, we always like to visit liquor stores and privately operated wine shops to see what kind of unique bottles we can find. Part of this is simply that we love wine, but also because Pennsylvania has a monopoly on liquor sales and the options you can find outside of special orders are inherently limited.

So, naturally, we had to pop around to some wine stores in Boston when visiting the city.

As soon as we walked into The Urban Grape near Copley Square, we knew we were in the right place. This one is different than most stores!

Shenandoah Valley has been making a name for itself as a prominent AVA for Virginia grapes, and during my travels around northern Virginia (exploring places like Skyline Drive and Shenandoah Caverns), I was fortunate enough to visit several wineries and vineyards near Shenandoah National Park.

If you find yourself nearby and are in the mood for a glass of wine, a flight or simply want to have a great view while picking up some bottles to go you’ll do well to check out the following wineries in Shenandoah Valley!

Note: The wineries featured in this guide are geographically in what we’d consider northern Virginia, but not the Northern Virginia AVA (a separate wine region to the east). All of the wineries below are featured in Shenandoah Valley AVA but we hope to add more spots from nearby AVAs like Northern Virginia and Monticello in the future as they are all within close proximity!

During my time exploring northern Virginia wineries, I found pretty quickly that I had an affinity for the white wines of the region. This was especially true at Shenandoah Vineyards where I found that I absolutely adored their base white blend for being a wonderful off-dry wine.

This white blend includes 51% of Seyval Blanc, 21% Traminette, 11% Chardonnay, 9% Vidal, and 8% Cayuga and certainly packed a punch with a nice hit of tropical flavors along with some minerality and salinity on the nose for good measure.

As it turns out, the bottle I bought at the winery lasted all of about three days before we opened it up at home.

Barcelona Wine Bar Review – A Tapas Experience in Washington

Jaine Rose 2019 Review – A Refreshing and Complex Rose

Gratsi Wine Review – Boxed Wine Done Right for the Table

Arista Rose Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2019 Review

Damiani Lemberger 2019 Review – Cherry, Cola, and More

Bev Wines Review – Canned Wine Best For Sipping Outside

Flat Brim Wines Not Basic Picpoul 2019 Review

The Urban Grape is Our Kind of Boston Wine Store

5 Shenandoah Valley Wineries to Visit for a Glass and Views

Shenandoah Vineyard’s Blanc 2018 Review – Off-Dry and Tropical