Around the Corner, Two Ways to Wine
Mark Heider owns Church Street Cellars, one of two new wine stores to open within the past six months in the small town of Vienna.
(By Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)
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Vienna's Out of Site Wines keeps limited hours: only Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But that doesn't mean the owners aren't around. If you happen to be walking by and the light's on, ring the doorbell and they'll welcome you in. That's the kind of place it is.
Tim Stevens, who formerly worked for distributor Dionysus Imports, and Steve Long, a former wine buyer at Whole Foods Market, pride themselves on pointing their customers to lesser-known wines. And since the shop's opening six months ago, it already has some competition in Vienna's blossoming Church Street shopping area.
Around the corner and down the block, Mark Heider, who trades in commodities in the early morning, trades in wine the rest of the day at his new Church Street Cellars, open seven days a week.
When you come in looking for a chardonnay, Heider will steer you to wines that are a little lighter on the oak and fruitier than the California chardonnays most of his customers are familiar with. His recommendations include Lafond SRH Chardonnay 2005 ($20) or Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay ($15).
Long and Stevens, meanwhile, have placed the California wines in the back of the shop. Ask for a well-priced sparkling wine along the way, and Long reaches for one from France's Loire Valley. The Domaine Gendron Vouvray Brut NV ($17) is well-balanced, with nice fruit and a bit of sweetness. Ask for a change-of-pace white, and you might get steered to an Austrian choice, the Hopler Gruner Veltliner 2005 ($15), a light but surprisingly complex wine.
Long and Stevens offer classes in their "Center of Enlightenment" room (December includes lessons on champagne). Both shops have regular tastings and e-mail newsletters to keep regulars informed of special events.
Out of Site Wines, 214 Dominion Rd. NE, Vienna. Open Thursday, noon-7:30 p.m., Friday, noon-8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment, extended hours through the holiday season, call for specific times; 703-319-9463,http:/
Church Street Cellars, 111 Church St., Vienna. Open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays, noon-5 p.m.; 703-255-0550,http:/
-- Stephanie Witt Sedgwick
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