A Toast: To a Great Year at GW Law
Greetings, all!
I am The Nota Bene's resident wine writer/chief boozer. You might already know me as the Director of Mentoring for the Student Bar Association, which is basically the same thing.
All kidding aside, congratulations on your admission to The George Washington University Law School! Some of you don't drink, which is great (on the wallet and liver). For those of you who do, however, you will probably be drinking heavily during the first few weeks of school. And why not? This is the time to do it, as long as you do it responsibly or at least irresponsibly in the company of responsible friends.
But once you're done getting Jägerbombs and huge steins of Bud Light or Yuengling at, say, Recessions or Froggy Bottom, you should check out the multitude of wine stores in the area for a few bottles of something nice.
My personal favorite is The Wine Specialist, located at 2115 M Street, NW. It's very close to the Aston and is thus popular with the GW Law crowd. They have frequent free tastings, ranging in price and alcohol by volume from beers to wines to Scotches and gins. Their sales staff is knowledgeable and friendly. While they have great French, Italian, and Spanish wines, great beers, and a few more obscure gems like the Hakutsuru Superior Junmai Ginjo sake and St. Germain elderflower liqueur, their California and U.S. selections are a bit underwhelming. But then again, I'm from California, so I might be biased.
If for some reason you need a bottle and you're at school, you should stop by Bell Liquor & Wine Shoppe, located at 1821 M Street, NW. They have free weekly wine tastings consisting of flights of about 8-15 wines, as well as monster free wine tastings that range from 20-30+.
For those of you who are closer to Dupont Circle, you have two options. The first is Cairo Wine & Liquor at 1618 17th Street, NW. The second is the Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor Deli at 1529 Connecticut Avenue, NW. The former actually has some great deals, while the latter is a bit pricier. However, these are great stops in case you're going to a house party or a dinner up in Dupont Circle or on U Street.
There are a number of other places, but I didn't want to take up all the room in this column to list wine shops. There are a few little "quirks" you should know about DC before you venture forth into that wine-filled night.
For instance, all the shops I named will be closed on Sunday. This might not come as a surprise to those of you from more Puritanical states, but it certainly did to me. Therefore, if you intend on drinking anything fancy at home on a Sunday evening, be sure to do your shopping the day prior.
And you can't do your shopping at most markets, any drugstore, or gas station. What's up with not being able to buy a 40 at the gas station? Or a handle of vodka at the local CVS? You will, however, be able to purchase wine and beer at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods-even on a Sunday.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to you (if you've already received your financial aid award letter), but just as the cost of living is higher in DC, the cost of alcohol is higher, too. Most bottles are anywhere from one to five dollars more here than they are in other states. Then again, at the Georgetown Dean & DeLuc, I found a delightful $45 bottle of wine-the Sean Thackrey Pleiades XVI, from Bolinas, California-which retails for around $24 in my home state.
Even the ubiquitous "Two-Buck Chuck" is not $1.99 but a whopping $2.99/bottle at your local DC Trader Joe's. Not that I'm condoning Charles Shaw-except for, say, making sangria. Instead, I would advocate perhaps drinking less but drinking better when you do. Even adding a few more dollars to the price of Three-Buck Chuck will give you a wine that is substantially better.
In the end, that is the guiding principle behind this column: drink better. Most of us are living on savings and financial aid, so every dollar should count: don't pay interest on terrible wine.
So, I hope you will check in with me often, and I hope you'll take some of my recommendations. I like talking about wine in general, so if you see me in the lounges, please feel free to say hello!
--------------------
You can also catch up on Joon's drinking schedule at "Vinicultured," his wine blog (http://vinicultured.com).
