Whole Foods Opens New Wine Tasting Room

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Whole Foods Market opened a new store here yesterday that includes a wine-tasting room and five sit-down eateries that serve beer and wine in addition to Asian, Italian, seafood, barbecue and specialty sandwiches, prepared in-house. Visitors interested in tasting any of 80 wines on tap in the new location‘s wine-tasting room must purchase a prepaid debit card to do so, according to a store associate. Wine tastings are self-serve and customers can choose to purchase the wine of their choice in quantities of 1, 3 or 5 ounces. Once chosen the wine is mechanically dispensed and collected in a wine glass held under the nozzle by consumers. Tasting prices vary and are based on the cost of the bottle of wine. -- Julie Gallagher