DCanter – A Wine Boutique

I was here for an ADA sponsored event. I hadn’t intended on buying any wine, but I found a Normandy cider that I haven’t found anywhere else (even Total Wine). The owner is super-​friendly and knowledgeable, and their prices seemed on-​par.

My wife and I are HUGE fans of this wine shop. It’s on the main strip in Barracks Row near the Eastern Market Metro. The owner takes wine seriously and presents his shop well and can recommend the perfect wine for you specifically. My wife and I came here right before our Croatia trip and they pointed out their best Croatian wine.
On Sunday afternoons, they have free wine tastings in their tasting room. They also have an affordable wine club for Capital Hill residents.

Awesome store. Super nice guy and shockingly great values on super wines with age. We saw plenty of 2009 and 2010 bottles.

I can’t believe it took me so long to visit DCanter, but I’m so glad that I stumbled in. DCanter seems to have a mostly rotating wine selection, but everything that they carry so far has been fantastic. There are a few staples that they usually have, but I’m always happy to try new things. They have free wine tastings each weekend, and they also have paid classes. I think the prices are around $ 30 or so, but they seem pretty intense. The best part about DCanter is their staff. You can tell that these people love their jobs! They are so knowledgeable and helpful, or, if you’re just «looking,» like I am so many times, they’ll just leave you alone and not try to push anything on you. Even at their free wine tastings, I feel like I learn so much, and they showcase such interesting wines that I probably wouldn’t just order on my own. Now I have a wine journal where I keep all of the wines that I like, and they mostly come from my interactions at DCanter. Their customer service is phenomenal. A few weeks ago, my husband and I went in looking for a specific wine that they had showcased during their organic and biodynamic wine tasting back in April. We couldn’t remember the name, but they actually went in their computer and looked it up for us to make sure that we had the right wine.
Aside from that, they have a small selection of beers, kitchen tools, and bar tools, including wine glasses and carafes. This is a great addition to the neighborhood, and I look forward to going back!

Signed up and paid for a wine class with a particular instructor whom I wanted to learn from. At the last minute, DCanter switched instructors but they would not allow me to simply reschedule to another class because of their 48 hour cancellation policy. Seems like a very unfair way to treat customers.

Great staff and selection.
Small but extremely diverse selection. Very fancy wines, nice wines, cheap wines, all within reach. Plus a very specialized beer selection. Staff was about the nicest most knowledgeable of any in the area. Clearly love wine and want you to have a good experience. Highly recommend.

Recommend a bottle of wine or beer to a man, and you get him drunk for a day. Teach a man to appreciate really good wine or beer, and you get him drunk for a lifetime.
DCanter distinguishes itself not just by being a very inviting space, airy and light and nicely laid out, or by having a decent selection of hard to find wine and beer, but by offering classes to help you become a more discriminating and knowledgeable drinker. I’ve been twice, once for a quick-​hit wine tasting during the Taste of 8^th festival which was a nice way to discover some new varieties, and once for an evening class on dark beers, which was one of the better beer tasting events I’ve attended. Our «teacher» was quite knowledgeable and engaging, and put together a first-​class flight of beers, interesting and rare varieties that went well together and progressed nicely through the spectrum of dark beers, with some nibbles of cheese to complement things.
If you’re looking to grab a quick bottle or six-​pack on the way to a party, you can stop off anywhere, but if you want to leave with a greater appreciation for the wonderful world of intoxicants, check out DCanter.

They have free wine tastings on Saturdays (1 – 3 maybe, i can’t remember)… plus with someone that knows wtf they are talking about!!! We went in and purchased some of the bottles that we tasted and got additional recommendations for a higher quality Malbecs (which we normally drink). Since I’m not a wine expert I find it refreshing that there’s only a few brands of each type of wine, so you’re not overwhelmed. I wouldn’t come here for wine that you’d drink every day after a crap shoot day of work, but this place would be a great visit if you’re bringing a bottle to a dinner party. They have many mid to high level bottles that are of high quality.

Went to DCanter yesterday to pick up a vino verde rose for my boss’s BBQ. Went straight to the section where I thought it was. All of a sudden the owner rushed to my side with a suspicious «can I help you?» And even during our brief talk there was no warmth no smile… just this nagging air of suspicion. And the woman at the register was no different. She never greeted me or made eye contact. I hope I wasn’t treated this way because I sport an Afro and had on an African print sundress. Perhaps my look yesterday didn’t fit the DCanter customer profile. Anyways no worries guys I won’t be back. I want to feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated when I spend my coins. DCanter may have fine wine but they have a long way to go to make each and every one of their customers feel the same way.

I walked into DCanter last night to buy a decent bottle of wine and the two guys I spoke to were really nice, seemed to know many things about wine, and I was thrilled with my purchase until I slipped on the steps in the front of the store, shattered the aforementioned bottle of wine, and badly bruised my back, elbow, shoulder, and foot. The two guys (I’m so sorry I didn’t catch your names) came running to me and helped me up, brushed all the glass off me, and took me to the tasting room where they let me recover before my fiancé showed up… and in the end, they gave me a second bottle of the same wine, on the house, to replace the one I broke.
That was my first time in DCanter and it definitely won’t be my last. Thanks guys, so much, the wine was amazing and perfect for a recovery evening on the couch, and I’m sorry again for breaking an amazing bottle of wine in your store. We’ll be back soon!

Let me preface this by saying I am a beer geek and that this review is about only the beer, but this place is terrible. Selection is small and ridiculously overpriced. I had a gift certificate and went in and picked up a four pack of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy — it was several dollars more than you would pay at Whole Foods, which isn’t exactly cheap. You can get a better selection and better prices at nearly anywhere else around the hill.
I feel bad about giving a place only one star, but I was very disappointed (any other liquor or corner store will have a better selection and prices) and am amazed that others like it. I guess the wine program must be leaps and bounds better.

Loved the dessert wine tasting that I attended on Valentine’s Day! I’m a fan of sweet wine, so the class was right up my alley. I liked that I got to learn about the different varieties of sweet wine, like wine made from apples. who knew?! I enjoyed the sweet treats we were offered in the class to pair the different wines with (cupcake and macaroon from the Sweet Lobby) and cheese and raspberries.
The staff is so knowledgeable, friendly, and approachable. If you want to know more about wine or are looking to try something new, I highly recommend DCanter!

Though I’m not much of a wine drinker, I stopped into DCanter the other day out of curiosity and was very pleasantly surprised. The staff is very nice and helpful, and there is no pretentiousness at all here. They have a great selection of both wines and beers at very reasonable prices, as well as some great books for sale too. I only had enough money for a $ 20 bottle of something called Shindig that looked really interesting, but I am definitely going to go back and pick up several of the books soon. Backstage was a fun store and I’ll miss it, but DCanter is a very welcome addition to the neighborhood!

My daughter lives across the street from this quaint wine shop in the hip Capitol Hill area in DC. During a recent visit we decided to take a look inside, and buy a good bottle of vino to take back to our hotel room. What a GREAT find! The two owners are very knowledgeable, and the selections of wines quite varied. The price range is broad and they can accommodate the novice through the connoisseur! Kudos’ to DCanter!

I think we may have a new tradition… Pick-​up the ingredients for dinner at Eastern Market and then head over here for a great wine to pair with it.
This is a beautiful wine shop. The staff are pleasant and knowledgable. The wines aren’t cheap, but you can definitely find some under $ 20. They also have a decent beer selection.
And in the next room, you can also partake in a wine tasting. On the day we were here, we sampled some wines from Uruguay. And the person pouring our tastings and telling us about the wines was actually from Uruguay.
They also offer classes, such as an Oktoberfest beer tasting and learning class (cost is $ 25). And they also have wine pairing dinners, which sound insanely delicious. (The one they were currently advertising was $ 125 per person.)
What really made this place 5 stars, though, was the staff and the ambiance /​décor. It’s just a beautiful store. And it doesn’t feel pretentious and I didn’t feel bad at all for only spending $ 22.

My visit to DCanter was very brief and spontaneous. I popped in for their wine tasting, and found the host to be very informative and jovial. I tasted a red & a white. I don’t remember which vineyards they came from, nor much about the undertones. Granted, I hadn’t had wine in quite a few months, so I wasn’t really paying attention to every detail. I was just glad to get a taste.
I’m not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I found this shop to have a good variety of whites, reds, and blushes. They were showcasing some new blends in the middle of the store, including one ‘Asian’ wine that seemed to have an interesting combination of grapes in its description. The layout is very spacious and attractive. The consultants seemed to have quite a bit of knowledge about local, as well as other mid-​Atlantic wines. I’ll definitely return in the near future to pick up a bottle or two.

While I will always miss the olé Backstage, DCanter has converted the space into a beautiful, well-​lit dream wine cellar.
Their wines are organized from light and crisp to dark and complex. They also have a solid collection of craft beers (I picked up a 6-​pack of Anderson Valley Summer Solstice for $ 15, and they had at least half a dozen ciders to choose from).
The real showstopper is the adjoining tasting room with an amazing purple glass chandelier. They plan to run classes and I assume events in the dedicated space, which will be different than the low key tastings in the other alcohol vendor establishments on the Hill.
Overall, a nice addition the Cap Hill wine and beer scene. Will follow up as soon as I take some of their classes.