A D.C.-based wine boutique with a focus on sustainably sourced libations is expanding into Old Town this year.
DCanter Alexandria is preparing to open in suite 112 at 1101 King Street, on the ground floor of CityHouse Old Town apartments. The shop, which first opened on Capitol Hill in 2013, hopes to join Old Town “in the first quarter of 2026,” co-founder Michelle Lim Warner told ALXnow.
The 875-square-foot shop plans to offer “a thoughtfully curated selection of organic and sustainably made wines from small, independent producers, featuring familiar favorites alongside lesser-known grapes and regions that make discovery fun,” Warner said.
Planned features include gourmet food pairings, a “Good Juice” section with bottles under $20 and a “Bottled Art” section with “rare, single-vineyard and premium selections.”
The shop arranges its wines by flavor profile, rather than grape or region, hoping to pique shoppers’ curiosity.
“We don’t expect everyone to know what a Carménère, Pinotage, or Châteauneuf-du-Pape tastes like, so the shop flows from light to full-bodied, white to red,” Warner said.
Customers will also have access to “Concierge,” a wine shopping service that pairs customers with experts for personalized selections. It’s a program that has a growing Alexandria audience, Warner said.
“Opening a shop here felt like a natural extension of those relationships and a way to offer the same ease, access and hospitality that our current customers experience on Capitol Hill,” she said.
In addition to wine retail, DCanter intends to host a range of events in Old Town, including wine classes, tastings and small-group global wine tours, with the next excursion planned in Austria in December 2026.
For the DCanter team, Old Town “immediately felt familiar to us in the best way,” with character, energy and a “community-first feel,” Warner said.
“Like Capitol Hill, it’s a neighborhood with a strong sense of community: walkable, locally rooted, with people who care about where they shop and who they support,” Warner said. “At the end of the day, we want to be part of a neighborhood, not just open another store.”
DCanter is expected to join two other businesses, a Fresh Baguette and an Orangetheory Fitness, on the CityHouse ground floor.
Photo 4 via DCanter Wines/Facebook.
