Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits

Great selection of wine, cognac and scotch. Very helpful staff!

This store does have a great selection of wine, knowledgeable wine staff, and fun periodic sales or «Ben’s picks» that are often quite reasonably priced (though I can’t say I’ve compared their wine prices to other stores.) The liquor selection is also good, though residents of NW DC who want the best prices on basic liquors would do well to go up to Montgomery County run stores as you’ll save quite a bit there on things like Bulleit Rye or various bourbons. On cordials, CW prices are often reasonable.
But I have to echo what others have said about the arbitrary application of asking for ID from both people when shopping there as a couple. Similar to several other reviews, I was rudely denied purchasing wine because my then-​fiancée (now wife) didn’t have her wallet with her. Every other time to the store, this doesn’t happen. The manager was incredibly rude about it.
So, great wine selection, sometimes certain rude staff. The other stories on here about the Amazon deal, etc. don’t surprise me.

My go to for wine and liquor for decades. Great wine, lowest prices around. Be sure to try the cheese – it’s the best I can find, makes me wish I lived closer. Sign up for the newsletter and you’ll hear about an interesting featured wine on sale for $ 20 or less every week, with a great commentary by Ben Giliberti, as well as the best wine dinners around.

My fiancé and I have shopped here for two years. After our experience today, it pains me to think about how much money we’ve spent at this store. Incredibly incompetent staff and management. Take your service elsewhere.

Obsessed with this place. I am a huge stout fan and this place carries more stouts than any other speciality wine or grocery stores. I also love that they carry moliterno (truffle cheese) for only $ 28/​lb whereas most other places sells it for $ 40/​lb or higher. They have a great selection of wines and beers. There’s also a sale section for liquors that you simply cannot miss out on. This place is waaaayyy out of the way for me but my love for this place far exceeds the commute I take to get here. It’s like the holy grail of every bespoke beer!

Excellent deli, great meats and cheeses, and one of the best local wine selections. Better yet is the astounding beer selection curated by a gentlemen named Randy who’s happy to talk beer and walk you through a world-​class beer selection to point out rarities and help you find what you want.

Is becoming my favorite stop for craft beer!!! Now that they have Randy orchestrating the beer selection they are always on top of the most highly sought after beers in circulation.

Calvert Woodley has been a go to spot for my family for years. My dad has been buying from there for years, and we live in VA. Just turned 23 and now I will be making the trip to stock up. The drive to the shop is well worth it for the price and service. The employees are knowledgeable of the products and are efficient in their business. Prices are great and service is outstanding. Highly recommend if you are stocking up the bar.

Calvert Woodley is my absolute favorite spot to buy wine and spirits with Total Wine/​Corridor in Laurel being a close second. I’ve been frequenting Calvert Woodley for years and always find the staff to be helpful and knowledgeable, the store to be well stocked, and prices to be competitive. They are tops in my opinion because of their selection of fine wines and champagnes that other stores in the area don’t seem to carry.
What brought me in this visit was a birthday gift for a friend. Vodka is his drink of choice and they had the 750 ml bottle of Chopin on sale for $ 22.99. This bottle most places is $ 30 or higher. They often have some of the best deals in town and always great sales during the holidays. I’m sure I’ll be back for my New Years’s bubbly and I look forward to it.

I called this place up looking for a certain hard-​to-​find bourbon for someone else and was told that it was in stock (and at a great price). I hopped on the Metro (approximately 20 minute ride according to
) and got to the store to find out that not only was this bourbon not in stock, it hadn’t been in stock for a while. Also, I wasn’t the first person to be told that it was in stock only to find out that is was not, in fact, in stock. No bueno. I’m trying to not be cynical as I review the facts in my head, so I’ll just say that it didn’t leave me with a great impression of the store at the outset.
The prices on what I saw were good compared to my own neighborhood, so I’ll give the place points for that. The booze selection was pretty good but not as expansive as some of the supermarket-​sized places some people may be familiar with. Customer service was okay. As someone else noted below, I don’t need a cheerleader radiating happiness in my face when I check out or an overly attentive clerk who saps the quiet enjoyment one gets from browsing the selection on one’s own. I came. I saw. I didn’t buy what I had originally wanted to buy, but I did get something for myself.

I’m giving 4 stars, nice wine selection people that knows their wine there, quality cheese too but after expending 200 in wine and cheese when we asked for a paper bag the girl said was .5 cents I only have .4 so she didn’t give me bag. Not coming back for sure that’s when the cashier bring the store to the floor.

Great prices and wide assortment but the checkout clerks are always so dour and unfriendly.
Wide selection of wines and knowledgeable staff. Very crowded and worse on holidays and weekends.

My wife works across the street from this establishment. We had plans to meet for lunch today and we decided to eat outside because it was a nice day. She suggested that we go into this store to pick up a few items from the deli. I parked beside the store and got out of my vehicle to wait at the edge of the parking lot for her. I was immediately harassed by a gentleman from across the parking lot. He kept shouting Sir! You can’t park there! Sir! You can’t park there! I told him that I am waiting for my wife and we are going to grab some food in there. He then proceeded to shout Sir, the parking lot is for customers only! I told him that I was going to get something to eat in there. I pointed to the sign and said this store is a deli, correct? He said yes. I said ok then, and turned around to continue to wait for my wife. Then he continued to talk about how I can’t park there unless I am a customer. I told him again that I am waiting for my wife to go to the deli inside and he said but you can’t eat there. I said I know and that is why we are picking up food to eat outside on the sidewalk. He kept arguing with me so I finally said that I don’t even want to eat there anymore. Lastly I told him that I am a girl by the way! I don’t appreciate his harassment over my gender expression from across the parking lot and making a scene. If his job is to monitor the parking lot, he should have minded his own business after I first told him that I intended to patronize the store.

Double Platinum Mike… if you ever need advice on a good bottle of wine, being treated like your the most important patron at that moment and everything you need can be accommodated then most definitely cost this store and ask for Double Platinum Mike. I don’t do reviews yet Mike & Calvert deserved my consideration

4.5 Stars
Calvert Woodley is a classic in the DC wine world and is wildly popular with the diplomatic crowd (it doesn’t hurt that there are a slew of embassies virtually across the street). They have a wine for every budget but are especially strong in their French wines, many of which they import themselves (particularly Bordeaux). Their weekly advertisements in the Post are a long-​standing tradition, and although their beer selection is not as varied as their wine, you can generally get a good deal on a case of Sam or Sierra Nevada.
But wait, that’s not all! They also have a great selection of cheese (primarily French), break, and coffee beans, in addition to other imported items. And speaking of budgets, if you’re on a tight one, you could pick up some cheese «ends» to go with that baguette and bottle of wine.
Presumably at some point in the distant past they were actually located on Calvert Street in Woodley Park but have been in Van Ness for at least 20 years. Their present location does have a small parking lot, but it’s also conveniently located only a block from the Van Ness Metro station, so if you haven’t been, get yourself there, posthaste!

Three times now I’ve come here trying to get there before they closed and they’ve already closed up. You said you’re open until 8:30, people are going to try to get there maybe five minutes before, why are you going to close ten minutes before hand? Post you’re going to close at 8:20.

On the plus side they have a lot of wines in stock. I didn’t find their employees all that helpful. When I asked the wine guy for a recommendation he basically pointed in a direction and told me to pick something out from over there.
There are plenty of other friendly shops in the city so I’m not sure I’ll be returning.

Updating my review to lower the rating due to the poor customer service.
I purchased a deal on
, one that was supposed to be a $ 20 credit at the store, but was only useable for food and not beer/​wine/​liquor (so roughly 5% of their entire inventory…) Fine, I like their cheese counter so I’m okay with that.
I asked the cheese guy for some soft goat cheese, he was very pleasant and gave me some excellent cheese. I also asked for some prosciutto. He told me I couldn’t use «coupons» for items that were on sale (notwithstanding the fact that the Amazon deal is much more like a gift card than a «coupon») …so fine, i got a half pound of the prosciutto di parma, which was the most expensive of the three prosciutto products they have. Again, the deli guy was pleasant, offered us a taste of the cheese and meat, and I went to the counter to pay.
Once we get to the register, the cashier insisted that I couldn’t use the Amazon deal because the prosciutto was on sale. I said «no, it isn’t on sale» then she called her manager over who insisted that I, the CUSTOMER, am supposed to know that the prosciutto was on sale. I calmly told the manager 1) I already spoke to the deli guy, and he told me it wasn’t on sale, and their sale flyer very clearly showed that the OTHER prosciutto was on sale, NOT the prosciutto di Parma.
Dumb fuck manager continued to argue with me saying that I had to leave the line and go back to the cheese counter to «check with the guy to see what is on sale.» I refused, stating that I already talked to the guy, and their sale flyer was very clear in stating what was, and was not, on sale.
He sat there dumbstruck for awhile and said «oh. well. okay, but you didn’t use the entire $ 20» as my total was $ 19.65. I said «okay that’s great. I don’t want any money back, just take the extra 35 cents and be done with it» and he said «no, you can’t do that, you need to buy something else» and I was like «no, that’s not how it works. The deal states I just cannot get change, NOT that I need to spend more than $ 20 to get $ 20.» The cashier then stated «Hey, I have to pay my rent to, you know?» and I walked off.
Long Story short, I got some prosciutto and some excellent cheese. This place sucks. I spend ungodly amounts of money on wine every month. Unfortunately for these assholes I won’t spend any of it here.

Liquor selection: 4 – 5 stars
Wine selection: Don’t know, but seems pretty expansive.
Beer selection: 4 stars
Prices: 3 stars. Beer is $ 1 – 2 more than other stores. Hard liquor also seems a bit more pricey (especially Buffalo Trace for some reason), but each time I’ve bought bourbon here, I’ve gotten the «sale price», which was more in line with other store prices. Only found out about the sale price when getting rung up by the cashier. A bit annoying. They probably would have more business if they made the prices clearer (or at least made the sales price clearer).

I needed a half bottle of Chartreuse (a hard to find item) and this old school liquor store was one of the few I called which had it in stock. They really have an impressive selection of wine, liquor, cheese and other speciality items. I was even able to find quite a few varieties of pâté! And, they do offer free samples! The atmosphere in this place could use a tune up, but, the selection of items is not bad at all. They stock fresh baguettes from Bread Furst, which I’ve tasted and know are really great! Kind of a one stop shop for an awesome happy-​hour-​of-​your-​own and better selection than most other liquor stores I’ve seen in the area.
One plus, they do have free customer parking in the back of the building.

I’m going to mirror, to a degree, what users Mel B., Yasmine A., and Kerry W. had to say. I’ve been to this store several times, and I do mean several. My wife goes to school around there and we both have bought from this place probably over 15 times, 10 of those being together. We’re an interracial couple and I’ve got a well noticeable foreign accent (I’m saying we’re pretty easy to remember). On this particular day, a day after my 28^th birthday, mind you, the cashier chose to ask for both my wife’s ID and mine, something she’s not ever done before. I responded with disbelief and curiosity, even asking her if she didn’t recognize me. She insisted that she recognized us both, but still needed my wife’s ID. It’s like a work colleague you’ve sat across from for months asking…“who are you?” Mind-​blowing. It got out of hand because I got upset (this 100 year old ponytail guy even got up in my face, telling me to take my business elsewhere), which is the only thing I regret.
The point is this– these people choose to enforce store policies (not law like the ponytailed dinosaur purported) when they feel like, brush them aside when they don’t. They’ve got no respect for repeat customers (that they don’t like, I guess), and no desire to actually serve the customer or treat him/​her with due respect. I’m not saying don’t buy here, because they’ve got good liquor sales; I’m only saying now you know who you’re buying from, in case the cashier decides to flip-​flop on you one day. Better be sure your daughter/​son has ID!
And for the record, anyone who says they’ve got a good beer selection here knows little to nothing about beer. The best beer selection I’ve found in the area is undoubtedly Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquors– go there for beer, and ask Al for advice; he knows EVERYTHING and is genuinely pleasant.

I’ve purchased a few hard to find Rioja wine bottles (Paternina Banda Azul) online and they have always arrived on time and with no issues. The pricing is as good as can be expected especially considering these bottles are almost impossible to find outside of Spain. Their website offers a wide selection of hard to find wines and they ship anywhere in the country.

This place is a stand-​out… though not necessarily for «fine wines and spirits». They carry my all-​time favorite coffee beans — Nicaragua Santa Lucia and Mexico Esperanza organic, if you must know :) And they have amazing prices on Bonne Maman jam.
They also carry a Scottish salmon which is so good it kicks me out of my socks.
For the rest, the place really could use some TLC and sprucing up — i don’t find the cheese counter particularly clean, organized or appealing.

Calvert Woodley Wines is one of my favorite reasons for living in Woodley Park. Not only is the selection amazing across wines, cheeses, beer, and bargain bin liquors (!), but the staff are so helpful in navigating you through it.
For example, I’ve always loved château neuf de pape wine but haven’t loved the price that comes with it. After talking to an employee here, they pointed me to a wine that was made 15 miles away from my favorite region, but was a quarter of the price. It was so helpful and they continue to open my mind to different wines and regions I’ve never considered before. I also get the comforting feeling that they’re not just trying to get rid of inventory, they’re making sure that what I’m picking out at the store is what I have in mind for the dinner I’m preparing, the guests I’m having over, etc.
The prices are also reasonable. You can get some quality wine and cheese here for much less than what you’d be lured in to get at Corked or some other wine bar further downtown.
Definitely stop in. I’m so happy to have this local business nearby!

I did not feel like going to this place. It was a long day, I wanted to go home (Baltimore) and sit down. But noooooooooo, my boyfriend wanted to stop (I’m driving, mind you) at some run down looking place.
I walked inside, walked back out and put money in the meter because I knew I was going to stay for a while.
I bought yummy cheese at a great price, grabbed a couple of cheese treasures at $ 1.50 each… The wine!!! Get out of here! Great selection, great customer service, great sales… I want to return as much as my guy!
Pleasant surprise!

As far as liquor stores go, Calvert Woodley is quite the gem. It is not what you picture when you think of a liquor store as this space provides upscale service and a huge selection of fine wines, cheeses, and other gourmet delicacies. And of course, liquor. The prices are great, especially for the quality of products, and the service is unparalleled. CW always has bins of slightly discounted liquors and wines which is nice for the bar-​stocker on a budget.
In-​house sommeliers are knowledgeable and approachable and can help you pick the perfect bottle of wine for any occasion or to pair with any meal. The «La Cheeserie» counter inside has over 300 cheeses, and after reading reviews here, I really want to try some of the deli selections.
Calvert Woodley has an impressive selection of beers as well, with the option of mixing and matching for a varied six pack. The store is clean and laid out well, and I always feel like a gourmand when I stop in to grab a bottle of wine or cheese. We live right near it, and it’s hard not to stop in daily.

Do you like wine, coffee, and cheese? If your answer was yes, you have to visit this store.
There’s a great selection of domestic and imported wines; some are crazy affordable and others cost a bit more. There’s also a huge selection of beers, which you can mix and match; I think that’s pretty great because sometimes you want Belgian and IPA beers, but you don’t want two six packs. Oh, and there is a ton of liquor, if you’re into that.
There’s also a very decent selection of coffee beans; I’ve tried at least four of them and I’ve never been disappointed.
As for the cheeses, there are many to choose from, domestic and imported, all of which are reasonably priced. I love the cheese here and my partner, who is French, also loves the cheese, so it really must be good.