Southwest's Newest Bodega Stocks Beaucoup Champagne

Residents of the new multi-billion Wharf complex and boating enthusiasts in need of everyday essentials can pick up sporty sunglasses, pre-packaged snacks, and nearly $200 bottles of bubbly at specialty retailer Anchor.

Whereas some neighborhood stores load their coolers with headache-inducing energy drinks and cut-rate alcoholic beverages with nicknames such as “Mad Dog,” Anchor’s neatly arranged shelves are lined with local beers and imported bubbly. The upscale shop (709 Wharf Street SW) carries select Champagnes including Dom Perignon 2009 ($180), a sparkling rose ($67) and brut ($46) from centuries old producer Piper-Heidsieck, yellow label brut from world renowned Veuve Clicquot ($56), and imperial brut from Moet & Chandon ($52).

The store also features various budget-friendly white wines ($7 to $20 per bottle), as well as dozens of canned and bottled beers. Local producers include DC Brau Brewing Company, 3 Stars Brewing Company, Jailbreak Brewing Company, Fair Winds Brewing Company, and Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company, among others.

Photo by Warren Rojas / Eater DC

Commercial brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Coors Light, National Bohemian, and Pabst Blue Ribbon are also readily available.

“If you want a case of something different, we can probably do that,” an Anchor employee says of the possibility of special orders. Another trade secret: there’s some flexibility involved with the posted business hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week).

“We can actually sell until 9:30 p.m. You just have to be in the door by 9 p.m.,” an attendant tells Eater.

Photo by Warren Rojas / Eater DC

Prefer something a little stronger? The store doesn’t carry hard liquor.

But it does sell personal flasks inscribed with the saying “Three sheets to the wind.”

Photo by Warren Rojas / Eater DC