Better Wine List Than Your Brunch Spot Deserves
Ballston · Arlington · Modern American, All-Day Breakfast · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ted's Bulletin – Ballston’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Ted's Ballston, you expect a Bloody Mary and maybe a forgettable house Cab — not a list that includes Bassermann-Jordan Riesling and a Melville Estate Pinot Noir. It's a pleasant gut-check. Someone here actually thought about this.
Fourteen labels isn't deep, but the curation punches above the diner-format weight class. You've got a Leth Grüner Veltliner from Austria sitting next to a Maison Noir O.P.P. Pinot Noir and a Tolaini Al Passo Super Tuscan — that's a more interesting cross-section than most casual American spots twice its size. The Champagne tier features both Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée and Veuve Clicquot, which feels a bit auto-pilot, but it's there if someone's celebrating eggs Benedict. The main gap is depth: one wine per style means you're taking what you get, no alternatives.
Everything on the list pours by the glass, which is the right call for a spot where half the table might be on orange juice. Happy hour drops all glass pours to $7 Monday through Friday from 3 to 6:30 PM — at that price, the Bassermann-Jordan Riesling is almost unfair value. No obvious rotation program, so don't expect surprises week to week.
Bassermann-Jordan Riesling — $7 (happy hour)
Bassermann-Jordan is a historic Pfalz estate making serious Riesling. Getting this at $7 a glass during happy hour is the kind of deal that makes you order two. Even at full price it's a steal in this context.
Leth Grüner Veltliner
Most people at Ted's are reaching for the Chardonnay or the Malbec. The Leth Grüner is the smarter move — crisp, peppery, and built for food, it cuts through eggs and anything with hollandaise better than anything else on the list.
Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut
Veuve is fine, but it's the Champagne equivalent of ordering a Budweiser at a craft bar — widely available, heavily marked up everywhere it appears, and outclassed on value by the Laurent-Perrier right next to it. Save the splurge for somewhere with a real Champagne program.
Maison Noir 'O.P.P.' Pinot Noir + Meatloaf
O.P.P. is a bright, low-tannin Oregon Pinot that won't bulldoze a plate of comfort food. Ted's meatloaf is rich and saucy — the wine's fruit and acidity keep things from getting heavy, and you end up finishing both.
Monday–Friday — Happy hour wines by the glass at $7, available Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM at all Ted's Bulletin locations.
The Bottom Line
Ted's Bulletin isn't a wine destination, but it's quietly doing more than it needs to in a category most brunch spots ignore entirely. Show up at happy hour, order the Riesling, and recalibrate your expectations for the better.
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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