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Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague made a brief visit to D.C. recently and managed to fit in a few sips at some of the District’s more vino-centric establishments. She liked Ripple and had some nice things to say about District Commons but wasn’t terribly impressed with Veritas Wine Bar: “The room was pitch-black and smelled like a damp basement. And the wine list was impossible to read (even with the combination of a candle and an iPhone). Was that why the bartender had “no idea” of the grapes that comprised the sparkling wine-from Virginia (Thibaut Janisson Brut) or, for that matter, what “Brut” even meant. (He offered that perhaps “Brut” was, in fact, the name of the blend.) My friend — who was served a warm and rather tired white from Rainier Christ — quickly agreed it would be better just to pay the check — and flee!”