Eno for less at the Tasting Room's Thursday night happy hour

Try the Tasting Room's Thursday night happy hour from 4-7 pm where wine lovers get a $5 glass of champagne, chardonnay or Italian red wine and half-price cheese platters and $1 off hummus and bruschetta nibbles to help wash it down. Middleburg's Boxwood Winery opened The Tasting Room earlier this year as a way to showcase their wines alongside a good array of European vintages, both red and white. I was there recently and sipped on some summer whites, but must say my favorite is still the Topiary red (Cabernet franc/Merlot blend). The cheese platter is spectacular, and the large to share makes a nice meal. We particularly like not worrying about the bar tab. Simply purchase an Enocard (kind of like a game card) and use it at the Enobar till you're out of funds.  If you have leftover funds on the card, use them next time. The Shops at Wisconsin Place, 5330-A Western Ave., Chevy Chase 301-664-9494.

Eno-miney-mo-Bordeaux!

Do you know how to Eno?? If you try the new Tasting Room at the Shops at Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase, you'll see how it's done. The recently opened wine bar has an Enomatic Wine Machine (Eno Bar), a wine-lovers' ultimate vending machine. Tasters activate the Eno Bar (stocked with wine bottles and dispensers) with a card they buy at the bar. You can put any amount on it over $10; it doesn't expire. We each got a $20 card and ended up adding another buck or so at the end. (Once you get started "tasting," it's hard to tell your eager palate to stop.) Simply insert card, place the glass under the dispenser, push the taste button and presto--instant gratification at a fraction of the price of trying an entire bottle--or even a glass. The idea, according to owner Sean Martin, is to show the world that his stepfather John Kent Cooke's Virginia Boxwood Winery stands up to the array of international vintages at the Eno Bar. My companion's fave was actually the Boxwood Cab; I liked the spicy Topiary. We also tasted bordeaux from the Left and Right Banks of France; a Spanish Llicorella and some Napa reds. Tastes come in 1-oz, 3-oz or 5-oz pours. The Tasting Room also offers wine-accompanying nibbles like cheese plates (we shared a large one as dinner), bruschetta, hummus and sweets. The atmosphere is appropriately chic and streamlined. The Tasting Room also offers outdoor seating.