Bao and Bulgarian Pinot? We're In.
Clarendon · Arlington · Modern Asian Fusion · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bar Bao’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bar Bao is about nine lines long and could fit on a cocktail napkin — but don't let that fool you. What they've chosen to put on those nine lines is genuinely more interesting than half the mid-range restaurant lists in the DC metro area. Austria, Bulgaria, and Southwest France at a Clarendon bao spot? We did not see that coming.
Bar Bao's list is tiny by any measure — four reds, four whites, and a plum wine situation — but the producers they've landed on are doing real work. The Paul Direder Zweigelt from Wagram, Austria is a left-field pick that fits the menu better than any Cabernet would. The Chateau Burgozone 'Cote de Danube' Pinot Noir from Bulgaria's Danube Plain is legitimately interesting, the kind of bottle that makes you do a double-take at the menu. The Chevalier Famaey Malbec from Côtes du Lot (France's other Malbec country, not Argentina) rounds out a red selection that's low in volume but high in conversation starters. The gaps are real — no rosé, no sparkling, essentially no depth — but for what it is, the curation punches well above its weight.
Everything on the list is available by the glass, which means all eight wines are pourable without committing to a bottle — smart move for a spot built around sharing small plates. Pours run $8–$11, which is honest money for Clarendon. The selection doesn't rotate much, so don't expect to come back monthly and find something new, but what's there is worth drinking.
Paul Direder Zweigelt, Wagram, Austria — $8/glass
Eight dollars for an Austrian Zweigelt that retails around $15? That's a fair pour at an honest price. Light-bodied, a little spicy, and built for the kind of food Bar Bao is serving — this is the glass you order without overthinking it.
Chateau Burgozone 'Cote de Danube' Pinot Noir, Danube Plain, Bulgaria
Bulgarian Pinot Noir sounds like a punchline until you're actually drinking it. The Danube Plain produces lighter, food-friendly reds that most people would walk right past — don't. At $11 a glass this is the most interesting pour on the list and the one most likely to start a table conversation.
Plum wine
The plum wine offering here leans cocktail-adjacent rather than a serious wine program pick. If you came for the wine list, put your energy elsewhere — the European selections are doing more interesting things for the same or less money.
Paul Direder Zweigelt, Wagram, Austria + Crispy Chicken Bao
Zweigelt has enough red fruit and gentle spice to stand up to the fried chicken without steamrolling the soft bao or any chile heat in the sauce. It's a lighter red that actually makes sense here — which is exactly why someone put it on this list.
The Bottom Line
Bar Bao isn't a wine destination, but whoever built this list cared enough to go to Austria and Bulgaria instead of phoning it in with Meiomi. For a casual bao-and-drinks night in Clarendon, there's a genuinely interesting glass waiting for you here.
Crystal City · Arlington · Wine Shop / Tasting Bar
Crystal City Wine Shop is the kind of low-key, staff-driven wine spot that most neighborhoods desperately want and rarely get — especially one with the nerve to stock Ukrainian bottles in the shadow of the Pentagon. We'd send a curious friend here without hesitation; just don't come in expecting a full restaurant experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Clarendon · Arlington · New American
CIRCA Clarendon isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend otherwise — but the all-BTG format, fair prices, and a few genuinely interesting whites make it a solid call when you want wine that works without overthinking it. Send a friend here, just steer them away from the Unshackled.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
Flight Wine Shop is doing something genuinely rare in the DC suburbs: a tightly curated, fairly priced bottle shop that treats obscure regions and natural producers as the main event, not a novelty section. If you're tired of the same ten wines and want a shop that will actually teach you something, this is your spot.
Deep & Eclectic
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Arlington · Wine Bar / Café
Oby Lee is not a destination for serious wine drinkers, but it is a genuinely fun, low-pressure spot where the prices are fair and the vibe is unapologetically playful. Send your friends who think they don't like wine — they'll order a mango slushy and have a great time.
Plays It Safe
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ballston · Arlington · Neapolitan Pizza
Pupatella isn't trying to be a destination wine program, and it doesn't need to be — it's a pizza place with a focused, fairly priced, Italian-centric list that actually makes sense with the food. Send a friend here for the pizza and tell them to order the Lambrusco.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arlington · Arlington · Wine Bar
Screwtop is doing something genuinely unusual in the DC suburbs: a deep, eclectic by-the-glass list priced fairly and organized with actual personality. If you want to drink something you've never tried before in a low-pressure setting, this is exactly the place to send a friend.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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