“Wine boutique” DCanter opened on Barracks Row yesterday with 300 wines and 80 craft beers.  The 1,400-square-foot space features bottles from small producers around the world, some of which can’t be found elsewhere in D.C. (The wine shop shouldn’t be confused with Decanter, the new restaurant at the St. Regis hotel.)

Of particular interest will be “The Good Juice Wall,” a rotating selection of 48 wines all priced for less than $15. Craft beer lovers will find local brews from Port City Brewing, DC Brau, Flying Dog Brewery, and Baltimore’s The Brewer’s Art plus others from and around the world. (There are even gluten-free beers.)

The shop comes from longtime Capitol Hill residents Michael and Michelle Lim Warner. Michelle works in federal healthcare policy, and Michael is a certified specialist of wine from the Society of Wine Educators. The owners say the emphasis at DCanter is education, in the form of books and classes. Some of those classes (which will cost $25 to $50, depending on the wines served) will include visits from winemakers and brewers in person and through Skype. The Skype idea came from conversations the Warners had with some winemakers out in Napa Valley who told them about cool innovations they’d seen.

DCanter is planning beer 101 and wine 101 classes in the coming weeks and a session called “The Grape American Road Trip” in August (dates TBD), featuring American wines from all over the country including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The shop includes a 16-seat tasting room, and the Warners plan to host complimentary thematic tastings throughout the week.

DCanter, 545 8th St. SE; (202) 817-3803; dcanterwines.com

Photo by Mary Kong-DeVito