Getting a taste of exclusive wines is a rare experience for most wine connoisseurs on a budget. But Urban Grape, a wine store that opened in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood earlier this year, is giving customers a taste for a fraction of what a limited-edition bottle would cost.
As part of a broader tasting program, Urban Grape will offer a rotating selection of exclusive wines by the ounce or glass.
Its first offerings are 2018 Opus One, from the legendary Napa Valley vineyard created by Chateau Mouton Rothschild’s Baron Philippe de Rothschild, and 2013 Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne.
The 2018 Opus One, which retails for $510 a bottle, is being poured for $20 per ounce. The Dom Pérignon, whose 2013 vintage sells for around $300, is being poured for $30 per half glass, or $50 per full glass.
“Serving by the ounce, glass or bottle gives everyone access to the world of fine wines, including some very high-end bottles,” said TJ Douglas, who opened Urban Grape with his wife Hadley in January.
Urban Grape’s new by-the-glass menu is a rotating selection of wines priced between $11 and $20. Customers can also buy a bottle to consume on-premises at the bar with some charcuterie.
Wine pourings are from 4 p.m. to closing, though customers can request a pouring any time.
Urban Grape, the largest Black-owned beverage retailer in the country, opened its original store in Boston in 2010.
It has a couple of unusual twists on wine retailing. In addition to carrying a wide variety of BIPOC-produced beverages (Black, indigenous, and people of color-produced wines), it sells wines in what it calls “The Progressive Scale,” categorizing wines by body instead of varietal or region. It uses a 1 to 10 rating system to give buyers another way to find wines that suit their palate.
The 4,400-square-foot Shaw store carries more than 800 different wines from 25 countries, as well as beers and spirits. The store also has space available for corporate and other events.
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