Barcelona Wine Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where Spain Comes to 14th Street

Barcelona Wine Bar on 14th Street NW carries the spirit of a place that started with a clear, uncompromising idea: recreate the feeling of an evening in Barcelona, without shortcuts. The concept was born in 1995 when partners Sasa Mahr-Batuz — drawing on years of living in Spain and Portugal — and Andy Pforzheimer, a chef with two decades at renowned restaurants in France, California, and New York, opened a 38-seat wine bar determined to get the details right. Sophisticated décor, bold flavors built on olive oil, lemon, and smoky paprika, and a wine list that reached into the lesser-known corners of Spain and Portugal.

The Food: Tapas Shaped by the Market

The kitchen philosophy is rooted in simplicity and seasonality. Barcelona describes its approach directly: "tapas both simple and elegant using the finest seasonal picks from local markets and unusual specialties from Spain and the Mediterranean." The cuisine is clean and rustic, with Spanish cooking at its core and threads of Mediterranean and South American influence woven through. Each location's executive chef writes the menu, making it a genuinely chef-driven concept — closer in spirit to the food stalls of Barcelona's Boqueria Market or Valencia's Central Market than to a fixed, corporate formula.

The Wine Program: A Serious Collection

The wine list is where Barcelona Wine Bar has earned its most formal recognition. Wine Spectator awarded the program its Best of Award of Excellence — an upgrade from the Award of Excellence it first received in 2007 — reflecting a collection that now runs to approximately 500 selections spanning more than 100 regions. Roughly 50% of bottles are Spanish, 15% South American, and the list tilts heavily toward sustainable, organic, biodynamic, and natural producers. Over 40 wines are available by the glass, offered in both 3oz and 6oz pours, with the flexibility to build custom flights.

The program is guided by Gretchen Thomas, VP of Food & Beverage Innovations and a certified Spanish Wine Educator who ranked in the top 15 in the world through the Wine Academy of Spain, and Beverage Director Emily Nevin-Giannini, a Certified Sherry Wine Specialist who travels extensively to source from small producers. Their shared philosophy: "patience, art, genius, and dedication" over brands and trends.

Half the bottle selections are priced under $50 — something the team calls one of their proudest achievements — and the restaurant maintains temperature-controlled storage for upward of 4,000 bottles on-site.

The Atmosphere

The original ambition was a room that felt like it could belong in Milan, SoHo, or Rio de Janeiro — casual but never mediocre. That balance remains the defining character of Barcelona Wine Bar: a place where serious Spanish wine is poured in a genuinely relaxed setting, and where the food earns its place alongside the glass.