Beer, Wine & Spirits in McLean

Calvert Woodley is a venerable wine and cheese shop, boasting a dizzying variety of spirits and spirited accoutrements along with a free parking lot and easy accessibility to the Van Ness Metro stop. La Cheeserie has assembled more than 130 cheeses from all stretches of the third rock. Alongside the numerous slices of dairy candy, you'll find premium deli meats as well as salads and H&H Bagels shipped from New York daily and finished inside La Cheeserie's in-house ovens ($0.99 each). Opt for the quartet of wines and be feted with barbershop tunes from the Evergreen State's Sagelands Freddie's Blend Washington red and Canoe Ridge merlot; Archstone cabernet sauvignon, a Californian version of the popular grape varietal; and Juniper Canyon chardonnay, a white grown-up juice bursting with Golden State flavors.

When Max Schneider and his son Abe Genderson founded Schneider’s of Capitol Hill in 1949, they had no idea that their store would be around for as long as some of their vintages had aged. Now, after more than 60 years, the family teams up with eight wine consultants to introduce their customers to at least 12,000 varieties of wine and spirits. In addition to vintages accessible to casual consumers, Schneider’s showcases an “old and rare” list of sips, as well as specialty bottles including wines from 1900.

Quarry's approachable, contemporary shop caters to sippers of all skill sets. With more than 800 wines selections divided according to price (under $15 and under $25), taste (light, medium, full), color, and common-sense descriptions (food pairings, flavor notes, astrology-sign compatibility), Quarry makes it easy for wine explorers to discover their grape grail. For truly monumental decisions, Quarry's expert, friendly staff is always on hand to toss out suggestions on the perfect pour and how to raise goats to have human emotions. Once summer rolls around, pack an elegant liquid-based picnic, one-up neighbors at the annual block party, or just wipe a sweaty brow with a chilled bottle of Riesling.

Port of Leonardtown Winery, a cooperative, crafts its red, white, and dessert wines with grapes sourced from southern Maryland vineyards. Along with private tastings, the winery hosts monthly events to draw in the community, including First Friday celebrations with tastings, local art, and live music held in the tasting room and on the patio. Classes help demystify the process of strolling down the wine aisle, discussing topics such as how to distinguish between various red-wine grapes or how to make educated wine purchases. For fans of the outdoors, Port of Leonardtown Winery partners with Patuxent Adventure Center for kayaking and wine adventures, where visitors enjoy a bottle of local wine after stalking it for miles between McIntosh Run to Breton Bay.