WASHINGTON — Zachys, a 73-year-old fine wine retailer, wine auction house and personal wine storage company has opened a D.C. outpost.
The family-owned company’s new, 20,000-square-foot operations center is located at 3521 V St. NE, and includes a showroom, event space and a fully refrigerated, temperature-controlled storage warehouse for its customers’ personal wine storage, called Zachys Storage D.C.
Don’t most serious oenophiles have their own, serious wine storage setups at home? Probably, but Zachys president Jeff Zacharia — the family name for which the business is named — says often times, it’s not enough.
“Most have some space at home to store fine wines, either through wine refrigerators or a cellar, but often those cellars simply can’t handle the volumes of wine that they end up purchasing,” Zacharia told WTOP.
“Wine should be kept at about 55 degrees,” he said, which is what its secure storage warehouse guarantees, even in D.C.’s sweltering summers.
The “white glove” personal wine storage service is roughly $5 per case, and includes full-service intake and inventory of customer wines. Customers also can arrange for pickup and delivery.
The D.C. Zachys location sells fine wines and hosts wine seminars and tastings, as well as wine auctions.
That doesn’t mean outrageously priced wine, though it can.
“We sell fine wines anywhere from $15 up to $150 or $200 or more per bottle,” Zacharia said. “We can give you advice on the wines you want for a party or a dinner or if you’re looking to collect and expand your wine knowledge.”
Personal wine tastings aren’t intended for walk-in customers. Reservations are encouraged, though Zacharia says it can almost always accommodate call-ahead appointments.
The D.C. location is Zachys first expansion outside of New York — where it has called Westchester County home since 1944 — in its more than seven decades of business. It operates a 45,000-square-foot storage facility in White Plains and a 4,000-square-foot storefront in Scarsdale.
Why the District?
“There is so much love and passion around food and wine, we thought it was a great market to be in. There is so much energy, there are so many great restaurants, there are so many people who are expanding their wine knowledge that it just seemed a great place to go after New York,” Zacharia said.
The location, near the Northeast District line off New York Avenue just east of the Ivy City neighborhood is the epicenter of D.C.’s craft brewer and distiller community, but not an area associated with fine and vintage wines.
The company spent six months searching for space to lease in the District, and settled on its choice for what it calls a growing an exciting area, and where it could find the space for the storage and events that it wants to do.
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