Au Domaine

A fantastic neighborhood gem!
The best thing is to get on their e-​mail list, so you know when they are open. The owners also have a wine tasting/​event business, so this isn’t a typical retail wine store.
But, oh boy, is it a gourmet’s paradise!
The combo of great wine and delicious foodstuffs is enough to send any foodie to heaven. They search out small, unique producers that you won’t find at most larger retailers.
They always have food samples and wine tastings when they are open, and they don’t just serve the cheap stuff. Barbara will put out her fanciest cheeses and Rick will open bottles of excellent European wines, so you can sample before buying.
The only downside is that shopping at Au Domaine can become addicting!

The great thing about Au Domaine is the variety of wines you will find no where else. Rick focuses exclusively on European wines and works closely with the wineries and importers. It is not uncommon to purchase a wine from Rick where only 15 – 20 cases came into the U.S. I am deep red wine drinker, so not everything Rick promotes suits my taste. That said, Rick also sources good champagne from France — how can you go wrong with that? And keeps champagne bottles in the refrigerator for what I call immediate use! When they are open, Rick is always pouring samples.
Barbara (Rick’s wife) runs the cheese and charcuterie counter. They also stock some crackers and assorted other items. She is quite knowledgeable.
Rick and Barbara also focus on wine-​themed dinners at local establishments. This gives you the opportunity to sample, eat and order competitively priced wines. In short, you enjoy a good meal, drink some great wines and then order what you want. Your order usually arrives about a week later with Sharon giving you a quick call to let you know your wine has arrived. That is what I call complete service!

I went to Au Domaine for a King Street Cat (KSC) Fundraiser on 3÷18÷15. (A portion of the proceeds from your purchase went to the charity so the business being a supporter of KSC started on a positive note for me.)
The staff provided a tasting to everyone who came into the store and was very knowledgeable about their wine. I didn’t (to the credit of the staff) feel overwhelmed or like I was being upsold any of their wines. It seemed to me the majority of their wine (or at least what was part of the tasting) was from overseas.
They also had candy, meats and cheese, crackers for sale.
I felt the wine was reasonable and bought a bottle (partially to support the charity and partially because I liked what I tasted). The other items appeared to be overpriced. The store was definitely catering to those impulse, can’t live without when I see it at the cash counter buyers.
I didn’t love this store because frankly their overall wine selection doesn’t appeal to my tastes (but can’t knock down because they had friendly and knowledgeable staff).
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a bottle from a local Virginia Winery or from somewhere in Sonoma, CA. I’d go somewhere else (but if you want to impress your friends with a bottle of wine from a place they’ve probably never heard of I’d go to Au Domaine).

A great little shop. Limited hours, but when they are open, there’s lots of wine to try. Interesting, small production wines all from Europe. The staff is helpful, friendly, and very knowledgeable.

If you enjoy wine, drinking it that is and not saving it because someone else rated it highly, Au Domaine should be a regular stop for you. Rick doesn’t bring in anything he hasn’t tried of doesn’t like and the inventory reflects that. Everything in the store is also made and bottled «au domaine», or on the property, which means you’re getting mostly small, family owned properties from throughout Europe. You’ll find interesting new grapes and enterprising wine makers who don’t cater to mass markets, but still manage to sell all their wine every year.
Nearly every Thursday, Friday and Saturday there is a free tasting usually based around a specific area; sign up for their email list to get notified weekly what will be on the tasting table. Often, the wine maker or the importer will be there pouring the wines and answering any questions. Even if they’re not, the staff and the regulars know the producers, the history of the estates and how to pair the wines with food.

One of my favorite wine stores in Alexandria. They specialize in European wines. The store is very small but they have a nice selection including some very reasonably priced wines. The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. One caveat is that they are usually only open a limited number of days each week. For that reason, I highly recommend getting on their email list so you can stop in for a tasting.