Cork 57 Beer & Wine Store

My 1^st time here & I had the outstanding pleasure of meeting Fred, what a kind soul.
I came with my BFF, as he said this is his go to spot to purchase gifts for friends & clients. Imagine never having an alcoholic beverage in your life, yet good friends with the head man in charge of various libations. To each their own & it surely didn’t hold me back in my pursuit of a new shopping experience.
After Fred shook my hand & welcomed me, he stated he had all the great Malbecs I would be delighted in trying… let the vino games begin.
As I do with any new establishment I visit, I like to take the time out to get familiarized with their inventory & layout. I enjoyed going through this quaint yet extensive store, where there was wine, beer, champagne, cigars, glasses, openers, snacks & so much more.
After a good 10 minutes, Fred suggested the Alma de Los Andes Reserva Malbec. It’s an Argentinian wine, that Wine Enthusiast gave the 2012 vintage a score of 91… works for me!
I was eyes wide open while checking out, so I grabbed some tidbits, such as a gold colored wine stopper & snacks. Total bill was under $ 20.
Outstanding & friendly service, the staff was very knowledgeable of the massive inventory, & the prices are very reasonable. I see why Cork 57 is part of the Wine Spectator Top 100 & Bethesda Magazine 2015 Top Vote Getter… let the libations pour!

Stopped in here randomly, two parking spots out front but a free lot adjoining that looks like it is for the car dealership. Apparently this is part of the same empire of Beer Wine & Co. /​Food Wine & Co. which equates to hilarious prices that were evident in about 1 minute after stepping in. $ 19 six packs of not-​fresh Nugget Nectar, $ 17 six packs of Perpetual IPA. Lots of singles like Stone Espresso RIS, DFH 120 Minute. Other decent six packs like Raging Bitch. Still, prices were ridiculous and half did not even have prices on them.

I come in here once a week. Fred always steers me toward new and interesting wines, including one which is now my favorite. There are usually some excellent and hard to find beers here like the Victory at Sea from Ballast Point. Service is always excellent and the selection is by far the best and most unique in Bethesda. If you aren’t sure, just ask and the staff will help you find something interesting.
Ps. Not sure what GT W. (who reviewed it today) is talking about. They don’t even have any Dogfish 120 or Troegs’ Nugget Nectar in stock right now.

They close at 8:30 on Sunday’s. Found out the hard way by wasting my time walking there.

Very friendly service! Julio Cruz is really nice, helpful, and cares about who walks through the door. Will be going back.

Awesome selection. Friendly service. Never busy. Always great parking. The entire staff is very knowledgeable on beer, wine, and champagne. The price is extremely reasonable, especially when you consider that they have the best selection of top shelf microbrews, and European beers in Bethesda area.

Great selection and very helpful with the recommendations but very hard to buy a gift here. They don’t carry baskets, cellophane, or ribbons. They wouldn’t help give me any box to do a makeshift gift box. Hopefully they’ll add these items as people often come to a store like this to buy gifts.

Cork 57 has a wide range selection of craft beers and wines from all around the globe (California, Spain, Italy, France, South America, etc). Prices range from bargain to expensive, depending on the year, brand name (beer), winery, etc. The owner of Cork 57 is Fred and what makes a visit to this Wine and Beer store more special is his knowledge of his stock. If you are looking for perfect wine pairings for an upcoming dinner or party, Fred is definitely the person to advise you. I love the service in this establishment! So much more personal than you get in county liquor stores or those overwhelming supermarket-​like liquor-​beer and wine places that continue to appear on the local scene. Only negative is there are only two parking spaces right in front of Cork 57. Honestly, though, the choices and superior service are worth the search for a nearby street space. So, if you are looking for a smaller yet incredibly well stocked wine and beer retailer who really knows his stuff and is located in downtown bethesda, run, don’t walk, to CORK 57!

Very nice beer selection. Haven’t really perused the wine selection.
What I really like about this place is the people. Very helpful, very accommodating, very knowledgeable, and very down to earth. They won’t jump on you/​try to help you too aggressively, but if you have a question, or are looking for something particular, they will assist you in a very friendly, direct, and expedient way without trying to up-​sell you or give you a sommelier class.
Cool dudes.

Visiting from CA, we decided to buy some wine for family Thanksgiving at this store. The choice was limited but we assumed it was because these were the wines, representative of well known appellations in France, that they had selected to sell by quality and price. We bought a Sancerre for $ 27 that was so sweet that we ended up putting it down the drain. It wasn’t corked– it was just bad. No reputable wine store would put that on the shelves — much less charge $ 27 for it. OTOH, the Crozes Hermitage we bought there (Ch. Ferraton) was terrific.

I stopped in here the other day for the first time since I was visiting friends in the area. I will say this is an immaculate, spotless store with a selection that equals or surpasses many similar stores nearby. Additionally the staff were friendly.
However, when I saw the prices on some of the import six-​packs, I did a double take. Beer that will run you $ 10 or less for a six was $ 15 or more here. A perfect example is one of my favorite, Jever, which I usually get for 9 bucks in Baltimore Co. Here, it was 15 bucks. A six of Leffe Blond almost $ 16?
I don;t think I will be returning here anytime soon.

Was in a hurry, as most of us Bethesda elite are, but could not find parking (the THREE spots infront of the store were taken!) so I ended up parking at the Dealership, hoping to not get a ticket!
I raced in the store and the employees were so unhelpful (or should I say NOT helpfull! No greeting and no offer to help!)! They «looked busy» on their computer, as if they were doing something (propblably paying on facebook or even here on Unilocal!). FInally SOMEONE offered me help and sold me a bottle of Chardonnay.
As I was leaving the store, I saw that one of the employees getting something from their car, that was parked in one of the 3 spots they have in front of the store!
I now see how that they are more concerened with them selves, than with their customers! Guess I’ll be going elsewhere…

Went here to get some single beers to try while in DC and picked this over Gilly’s because the selection was a little bit better and the prices slightly lower, but not by much. Place is more attractive of a store than Gilly’s but no deli or taps. So there’s your trade off. Wine is definitely more of the focus but beer has a huge focus at this store. Attendents are clearly well-​educated on both and made some good suggestions. I enjoyed conversing with them. A few more local choices where Gilly’s mostly had seasonal beers as the singles, Cork had both. Overall, pretty good store with a couple of free parking spots in fromt in meter obsessed Bethesda.

When it comes to booze, having a good selection really isn’t that impressive. Wine and beer are becoming more globalized, and you don’t have to go to a specialized store to get good beer or great wine.
So, why go to a store that has products that you can find somewhere else, at a lower price?
The owner, in my opinion, has succeeded much better with the restaurant Food Wine and Co. But, if I owned the store I would be probably keep the prices because you are in bethesda and some people don’t mind paying extra. But as a graduate student, I have been in once and never bought.

I ran in here last night in a cocktail dress after an embassy event with some friends ready to keep the party going. The good news is it’s open till midnight, with the best service you could ask for. It has a great selection of beers, and a nice guy at the store gave us a tour of the wine and recommended the up and coming wine makers (his words). The front of the store was organized by recommended wines with their points. They even have my favorite Elizabeth Spencer wines which I never thought I’d see again this side of the Mississippi.
This however is not the store to make purchases at on the regular. Things are a bit over prices, but when it’s late at night (11pm being late by Bethesda standards), it is perfect.

Pros:
Perfect neighborhood wine shop. The staff is helpful with suggestions, but they are not too pushy.
Cons:
The shop is small, so you may not find specific bottles.
Summary:
I have always been pleased with my experience. i will return for sure.

pretty good selection of wines, and their beer selection is interesting. they specialize in craft beers, heavily skewed towards the top-​end. for example, they had some of the $ 10 bottles of Stone’s highest-​end beers like the double bastard and oaked, but none of their good old regular arrogant bastard.
i like that they have good beers and are open later than other good beer stores in the area, but i wish they had an even broader selection of mid-​range craft beers. i love good beers, but i don’t want to go broke drinking them…

I came in here a few months ago just to check it out. Ended up dropping about $ 100 on a magnificent selection of beers. Tow things set this place apart:
1. Service Service Service — the two guys on duty when I walked in were just outstanding — not too instusvie, but when I had a question boom they were on it and boom they were pointing me to things I did not know about. It was like having my on little beer concierge right there.
2. Selection selection selection — of beers — an unfathomably large selection — including one of the rarest beers available — Samichclaus on ly brewed on one day a yeatr and then matured in a cask for 10 months. It was $ 14 a 12 oz bottle, at first I blanched, then I realized how many times I have paid $ 10 for a can of piss at a ball park and bought it.
I brought it home and drunk it on one onf those cold homebound Snowmageddon evenings and it was practically a religious event.
A great place.