Sona Creamery & Wine Bar

Founded in 2013, by Conan & Genevieve O'Sullivan, Sona Creamery and Wine Bar is the District's only onsite creamery. Sharing a passion for great cheese and wine as they present opportunities for tastings and to learn in the cafe through cheese and wine classes and exclusive events, Sona means “happy” in Irish. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

After our wine tasting class as part of the Barracks Row Culinary Crawl, we headed over to Sona to continue our wine theme.  The small cafe is super casual and was already buzzing with patrons, though it was just before 4pm.  There is a large glass counter near the entrance displaying all the various cheeses.  We sat against the glass wall that looks into the 'cheese-making room'.

For $23, we started with a Wine and Cheese Pairing Flight. We sampled a Fontana Oveja Blanco Dry Muscat paired with Brabander which is an aged gouda.  Keith favored this pairing the most.  Second, we had the Lundeen Pinot Noir paired with Abbaye de Belloc, a nice and mild semi-hard cheese made from sheep's milk.  Third, was my favorite of the pairings, the Oraison Côtes du Rhône with a mushroomy Camembert.  We also added on charcuterie for another $8, choosing the aged pork loin.  But only three small slices arrived, which was a bit disappointing.  I enjoyed the other accoutrement of olive spread, pickled veggies, almonds, and apricots on the cheese plate to help round out the tasting.

To take advantage of the Happy Hour special that begins at 4pm of $2 off all glasses of wine, I splurged and ordered a glass of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Efeste Final from Washington that is normally $18.  This deep wine was sophisticated and paired expertly with the small dish of Sona "Mac & Cheese" that I ordered as my main dish.  Pillowy soft gnocchi Parisienne were tossed in an artisanal cheese sauce,  and then sprinkled with parsley.  The gnocchi were delicious - I only wish I had more.

Keith stuck with the Syrah theme from our class and ordered a glass of 2011 Syrah, Barrique Cellars from California.  His wine was much more peppery and paired great with the Beef Burger.  Topped with Der scharffe Max - a strong cheese, caramelized onions, aioli, lettuce, and pickles, his burger was cooked medium-rare and was served with a few steak fries.

Everything tasted great, just was a bit overpriced for the small portions.  I did appreciate the eclectic menu of cheeses and nice selection of wines.  The food menu is a bit sparse, and I would have liked to have seen more sandwich options and other main dishes.  Sona just started to make its own cheese in-house, so you’ll be able to watch the magic of cheese being made through multiple glass windows.

Total Rating: 4.03
Food: 4.5, Price: 2.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:

Wine and Cheese Pairing Flight with Charcuterie

♥Sona "Mac & Cheese"♥

gnocchi Parisienne, artisanal cheese sauce, parsley

Plus Keith ate:

Beef Burger

with Der scharffe Max, caramelized onions, aioli, lettuce, pickles

served with steak fries