Spork and Knife

There is a trend happening…wine bars are breaking into the mainstream. All I have to say to this is, “It’s about time!” Some time ago I decided that I needed to break up my weekends and try something other than the typical bud light/miller light serving bar. I’m not saying these bars are bad…they serve a general “meat market” purpose, but if you’re looking to meet up with friends and have a conversation that doesn’t require lip reading then it’s best to find alternative drinking venues.

A friend recently told me about Veritas wine bar in the north part of Dupont, just below Russia House…another haunt of mine. Allow me to go off on the wine bar phenomenon for a minute. There is something great about sitting around with a group of friends, bottles and bottles of wine at your fingertips, small bites to nosh on and mellow music in the background. Now, this isn’t a guaranteed description of every wine bar out there, but it’s pretty indicative of what to expect at most. A relaxed atmosphere with a crowd that comes for the taste of the wine…not the blackout result that mass consumption will bring (AKA not throwing up in the bathroom…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to exit a “meat market” bar RR with the sounds of someone worshiping the porcelain throne in my ears. Ugh.)

Back to Veritas…

The entrance to the bar is nondescript. Just a door with the name Veritas frosted in the glass. Had I not been looking for it, I would have kept walking. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed the door in my many walks through Dupont so keep your eyes peeled. Upon entering I realized how small the place was. You couldn’t walk more than three steps before hitting the bar and another 5 steps to my left or right there were small tables for groups of people to gather. The lighting was dim with the flame of little white votives providing most of the light and the walls were a burgundy shade, echoing the color of the wine I was about to consume. The bar was covered in a black granite and topped with black alligator leather wine menus…a nice touch.

The stars of the scene were the stainless steel wine refrigerators covering the entire wall behind the bar. To my surprise…they had TAPS. Yes, taps at a wine bar. I was puzzled myself. Wouldn’t a lot of good wine get wasted at the end of the night? How could certain wines be allowed to breathe?

Some of my questions were answered when I watched the bartender change a bottle. He opened one of the doors to reveal that each tap had tubing coming from it and into its respective bottle. It’s really easier to direct you here than try and describe the entire set up. I’m not sold on this method…personally I like to see someone uncork a bottle and pour my wine, but maybe I’m just old fashioned. After all, the entire contraption was fun to look at. Maybe I just need time to adjust.

D and I decided to try a wine flight (3 tastings) and a single glass to see which method was most economical. He went for the pacific pinot noir flight ($21 at the bar…it’s listed as $25 online) and I chose a glass of pinot ($9). Since I’ve recently fallen in lust with Saintsbury, Carneros Pinot Noir, a smooth pinot with a velvety finish and coffee undertones, I asked the bartender for something similar. Though he appeared to be trying, his suggestion was no where near similar. My glass of pinot was heavy on the tannins and not at all what I was looking for. D’s flight has some good and some bad. The best tasting of the night was the patz and hall pinot noir from the sonoma coast. It was smooth and light with berry undertones and a hint of spice. A very drinkable wine.

While sipping on our 4 glasses (the tastings were very generous while the glass wasn’t much more than a tasting size) D and I found ourselves humming along to the excellent and mellow selection of music. At times it was a bit loud, but the fact that we could sit in a bar, sip on wine and reminisce to the lyrics of coldplay, the fray, third eye blind and dave matthews was distraction enough.

We wrapped things up and pledged to come back. Veritas is like a younger cousin to Sonoma wine bar on capitol hill (In the comparison, not actual sense). The crowd is younger, the music louder (though mellow) and they offer cheese plates ( a nice touch), not full meals. Differences aside, Veritas fills a void for the 20’s-30’s crowd and provides a nice change of pace and scenery. Though the night’s glass of pinot noir didn’t blow me away, the entire package was enough to keep me coming back.

Veritas Wine Bar

2031 Florida Ave. NW

Washington, D.C.

202-265-6270