In early 2012, people at events run by the Washington Wine Academy, including the Crystal City 1K Wine Walk, kept asking the same thing. Where could they buy the unusual wines they had just tasted? The academy's answer was a store. Crystal City Wine Shop opened in March 2012 under the nonprofit's ownership, as ARLnow recounted this month. It sold gourmet wine and beer and gave Virginia wines a special place on the shelves.
Saturday, Oct. 31, is its last day. A sign in the window thanks customers for "14 memorable & joyful years" and says the owners are "deeply grateful to have been part of this wonderful community."
When it opened, it was the only gourmet wine shop in Crystal City. It closes in a neighborhood where that 2012 question gets answered every week. Two shops hold tastings at set times on Thursdays and Fridays, and a third runs rotating events in between. The academy built a store around tasting first and buying second, and that routine now runs on a calendar.
From one shop to a cluster
ARLnow's closing story makes the comparison itself. Back in 2012 the Wine Shop had the category to itself. Since then, Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique opened on Restaurant Row in 2022, and Flight Wine Shop opened at 269 19th Court S. in March 2025. Flight had moved over from D.C., and ARLnow's opening coverage said the owners planned classes, tastings and vendor events from the start.
In Pentagon City, the BID's directory lists Pentagon City Wine Merchant at 1330 S. Fern St. The shop describes itself as a specialty shop for wine, sake and beer. Whole Foods Market's Daily Shop opened at 1550 Crystal Dr. on Oct. 23, 2025. The company's announcement listed local products, produce, seafood, prepared foods and bakery items, open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
More is planned for the block around Flight. Soko Butcher, a butcher and deli with locations in Maryland and D.C., is set to take Suite 95 at 269 19th Court S., on the ground floor of the Grace and Reva apartments. Flight is in Suite 90 of the same building. ARLnow reported in April that owner Brad Feickert plans a full butcher shop with meats mostly sourced from Monkton, Md., including 21-day dry-aged beef. The plans also include retail beer and wine. Feickert had hoped to open by late summer. The National Landing BID still lists Soko as coming soon, with no date.
That gives one building a wine shop and, eventually, a butcher selling beer and wine next door. In 2012, the only place nearby to buy a specialty bottle was a single nonprofit-owned store.
The tasting now has a set schedule
The 2012 wine walk was a single event. What has replaced it is a weekly routine, and most of it costs little or nothing.
| Day | Shop | Address | What's offered | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Flight Wine Shop | 269 19th Court S., Suite 90 | Free wine tastings | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Friday | Pentagon City Wine Merchant | 1330 S. Fern St. | $5 wine classes and tastings | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Varies | Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique | 576 S. 23rd St. | Winemaker events, themed tastings, rotating wines by the glass | Check site |
The National Landing BID's event calendar shows Flight's free Thursday tastings continuing through November and into December. Flight's own site lists wine, beer, cocktails, nonalcoholic drinks and artisanal gourmet foods. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
The BID also lists Pentagon City Wine Merchant's $5 Friday classes as a weekly series. The shop is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
At Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique, the programming continues one part of the closing shop's identity. Crystal City Wine Shop gave Virginia wines special emphasis for 14 years, and Beauty held a Virginia-wine tasting on Oct. 23, after a winemaker event on Oct. 7. Its September calendar featured Austrian wines, with rotating selections by the glass and bottle. The boutique lists its address as 576 S. 23rd St., with parking and an entrance on Fern Street. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Planning the Thanksgiving table around the calendar
Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year. Because of the weekly schedule, the week before it gives two chances to taste before buying:
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 to 7 p.m. Flight's free tasting at 269 19th Court S. is a no-cost way to try a few bottles before committing to a case.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 8 p.m. Pentagon City Wine Merchant's $5 class at 1330 S. Fern St. gives a second round of tasting, and the shop also carries sake and beer.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, noon to 9 p.m. Beauty Champagne & Sugar's Saturday hours work for anyone who wants sparkling wine for the table.
- Any morning that week, from 7 a.m. The Whole Foods Daily Shop at 1550 Crystal Dr. covers produce, seafood, bakery items and prepared foods.
Soko Butcher's dry-aged beef and monthly "Butcher Club" box would fit into that week. Until the shop announces an opening date, treat it as a plan rather than a Thanksgiving option.
Shoppers who still have Crystal City Wine Shop on their list have until Saturday. That is also Halloween, the same weekend the next season's calendar begins.
The rest of the season, on the same few blocks
The tasting schedule is part of a larger seasonal calendar that the National Landing BID and its partners have filled through early December. Much of it is free.
- Halloween weekend: The ice rink at Westpost reopens, according to ARLnow. A spokesperson called it the largest outdoor ice rink in Northern Virginia and said it will carry an Après Skate theme all season, with themed skate events. The exact opening day had not been announced as of that report.
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 5 to 7 p.m.: A free MoCA Arlington holiday-craft drop-in makes upcycled leaf garlands at the Innovation Studio + Store, 525 14th St. S.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Plants in the Park hosts a free grapevine-wreath activity at Met Park.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 5 to 7 p.m.: MoCA's second drop-in covers painted taper candles.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 2:30 to 4 p.m.: MoCA Arlington and the Crochet Cart Project host a drop-in knitting meetup at the Innovation Studio + Store.
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 to 7 p.m.: MoCA's seasonal mini-tote session runs during Flight's tasting, a short walk away.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.: Flight's free tasting falls two days before the BID's biggest winter event.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Lodge, the BID's free winter festival, takes over Metropolitan Park at 1330 S. Fair St.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Plants in the Park lists a holiday-ornament activity.
The Lodge brings the gift-buying side of the season to the same few blocks. Its holiday vendor market is curated with Made In Arlington, and the featured vendors include Lemon & Whim, Marcella Kriebel Art and The Wandering Shelf. The day also includes holiday train rides, photos with Santa, art activities with MoCA Arlington, live music and theater, and the Dog Holiday Sweater Contest. The festival runs rain or shine under covered tents, and the BID suggests getting there by the Pentagon City Metro, bike or bus. Amazon supports the event, and RSVPs are free.
Flight and the future Soko Butcher share a building on 19th Court S. Beauty sits on 23rd Street's Restaurant Row. Pentagon City Wine Merchant is on S. Fern St., and Met Park is on S. Fair St. MoCA's studio is on 14th Street S. The wine walk that prompted a store in 2012 has become a weekly circuit within that same area, and on Nov. 1 it will no longer include the shop that started it.
For residents of Crystal City and Pentagon City, the businesses behind this calendar are part of what defines living on these blocks. If you want to talk about what the newest openings and a changing retail mix mean for your own building or street, the advisors at Premier Partners DC are glad to share what we're seeing in National Landing. Contact Us.