Sapore Oil & Vinegar

Great selection of olive oils and local sauces. It’s in a great location too, around the corner from Eastern Market. Renee, the owner, was very friendly and helpful as I browsed the store.

I absolutely love this place. There are always new finds (I try to stop by every couple of months). They have a fantastic selection and I can always get my gift shopping done in their one store. The recipes on offer (be sure to ask what they recommend) make finding a use for one of their vinegars or oils very easy, even for non-​cooks. Run to this store and try their vinegars-​you won’t walk out empty handed!

Great vinegars! Next I need to try the oil.
I’m in this place at least twice a month and must have a dozen empty bottles of their vinegar (I’ve never tried their oil only because my huge Costco bottle refuses to run out!)
They have really lovely vinegars. Their 18 year-​old Balsamic is wonderful for salads, and their 25 year-​old Balsamic is great for dipping and drizzling. Their Merlot wine vinegar is amazing… I could go on and on. I’ve tried most of them and love them. I must use something from this store at least 5 days a week!
I also really appreciate the management’s responsiveness. I asked for nutritional information because I have some friends who just can’t have certain things in their diet. It must have taken them a lot of work to pull it together, but the owner sent me what I was looking for, which I think they’re also making available in their store. Thanks so much for doing that!
This is an unusual store — give it a try!

Sapore is my go-​to olive oil and vinegar store in DC. Their selection of both olive oils and vinegars is vast and varried, including single grape varieties (including merlot, champagne, and such), infusions and combinations (such as lemon vinegar), and interesting varieties (such as a range of honey vinegars.) They also have a range of aged balsamics. All of their baseline products are excellent, though I’m particularly fond of their honey vinegar with serrano chilis, as well as some of the lighter fruit balsamics. Almost any set of oil and vinager from this store makes a perfect housewarming gift. And the proprietors are happy to make suggestions regarding pairings. Additionally, they’ll happily let you taste products til your heart’s content, so you can be sure that you’re buying something that you’ll like and use. A visit here is certainly worthwhile for any fan of olive oil and vinegar, if only to supplement your existing collection.

This place and the people who work here are awesome. I went in on Saturday, my birthday. I was greeted warmly. The ladies working were very knowledgeable. I have been to another oil store but these olive oils and vinegar’s here were the best I have tasted thus far. They have a very clean taste. I left with 4 oils and 2 vinegar’s.
I would definitely would recommend it and plan to visit it again soon.

4.25 stars. My experience with this store is slightly different than the other reviews in that I was here for the artisan salts as opposed to the flavored olive oils. In that regard, Sapore is fantastic. I bought a package of black truffle salt that was far more flavorful than a white truffle salt I bought at P&C market for three times the cost. A tiny dollop immediately went into a vegan mushroom risotto and pretty much made the dish. It will find its way into a bacon mac and cheese next week as well. Quite simply, I’m already thinking of numerous ways to incorporate this delicious product into my home cooking.
Despite my short visit, there is absolutely zero chance I will be missing what has been referenced as their «Tasting Room» on a repeat visit. As others have noted, the Sapore products range from your traditional olive oils to truly extravagant preparations that would make for excellent gifts to anyone with an appreciation for using flavored olive oils in their own cooking. And sometimes, it makes sense to purchase a few gifts for yourself, so I’m expecting to find a few of their products in our cupboard at home.
As far as the sales staff is concerned, I didn’t feel they were pushy or disassociated with the experience. Rather, they simply allow you to try what you need. I haven’t had the opportunity to ask them questions about the products, but one of them engaged in friendly banter with me while I was making a purchase. I’m not really sure why people are complaining?
In short, Sapore is an excellent addition to the neighborhood that will likely be my destination for flavored olive oils and artisan salts. Being as it is right next to a wine and cheese shop, my Sundays are made.

Incredible!!! It’s pricy, but the quality of the oils and vinegars are second to none. If you’re looking for a special oil or vinegar for yourself or for your culinary-​minded friend, this is the place to go.

Super friendly, helpful staff. I popped in on a whim, and was quite impressed with the variety of offerings. I also appreciated the ability to try everything and I did try quite a few. I ended up with the smoked olive oil, but am probably going back for a good quality balsamic and herb-​infused oil.

A tasting room for oils and vinegars? Yes, indeed!
Up until a few months ago, I had never heard of this concept. Crazy flavors of oil and vinegar? Sure. But a tasting room where you can try til your heart’s content before you buy? Genius! Now I’m sure this isn’t as new a concept as it seems to me, but I’m still in the honeymoon phase of the idea, so cut me some slack.
How did I discover this wondrous place? My mom (who currently lives in DC) brought me basil olive oil and champagne mimosa vinegar from Sapore on a visit to Richmond. After hearing her rave about the flavors and the concept, my expectations were set pretty high before I even opened a bottle. Well, sure enough, my raised expectations were absolutely met once I tasted the first drop. I am now 100% obsessed with the basil olive oil, and use it anytime I need oil. I can’t even imagine eating egg whites without it. And the vinegar? Just beautiful on salmon. Or any kind of fish, for that matter.
I finally had the chance to check out the storefront (also the tasting room) for myself while in DC this weekend. The staff was super knowledgeable and helpful, suggesting flavors I might like based on my love affair with the basil and champagne mimosa. After tasting quite a few, the bf and I ended up walking out with another bottle of basil olive oil (what can I say, I literally can’t do without it and my other bottle is halfway gone!), autumn apple vinegar and roasted red pepper blackberry vinegar. I was thisclose to buying the chive olive oil, but held back since I realized I probably didn’t need both that and the basil. Plus, if I decide I can’t live without it, I know where to find it.
Seriously, try this place. I’m not a cook — not by any stretch of the imagination — and I love it. Imagine the things you could do with their products if you actually knew your way around a kitchen? Infinite possibilities…

While the selection was vast, the staff was not helpful. I do not understand why 2 people are behind the counter doing nothing.

We live in the area but previously had been ordering olive oil and vinegar online given we’d had a tough time finding what we liked in any surrounding stores.
Not since we realized Sapore had come onto the block. On a nice, sunny December Saturday after running a quick errand in Eastern Market we dropped into this cute little store. We spent a good 20 – 30 minutes browsing and tasting the goods, thanks to the mini cups, toothpicks and bread crumbs. No one offered to help us that I recall, though I noticed the staff talking with other customers, and when we stopped them with a couple questions, they were very obliging.
We left with a 250mL bottle of Chilean chili pepper dipping olive oil for $ 18.99 that we bought for bread and salads, but the woman at the register suggested that it’s also great for marinating meats or frying your quesadillas. Brilliant! We also found that we could create our own «gift pack» (we were gifting ourselves) by mixing and matching smaller bottles of both the oils and vinegar. I elected to stick with the vinegars: Autumn Harvest Apple (or some such), Tropical Spice, Ruby Red Grapefruit and Blackberry. No danger in me having a boring salad anytime soon. We put in the order on a Saturday and they told us it’d be ready on Monday.
Would certainly be a great store to pop into for a gift. Who doesn’t need a little spice in their lives?!

Whether you’re looking for a unique gift or whether you want to shake up your own cooking, go to Sapore! It’s FILLED with different types of oils, vinegars, salts, spice mixes, and other goodies! When you walk in, all the options are a little overwhelming. Luckily they always seem to have several people working to help describe the oils and vinegars and provide recommendations. They really know what they’re talking about!
There are bread chunks spread throughout the store and each dispenser has small plastic cups to fill up with oil or vinegar to try. The choices are endless — you can stick with the more traditional types of olive oil (italian herb, garlic, basil) and vinegar (balsamic, apple) or you can try something new and different — and you probably won’t be let down. We ended up buying the serrano chile honey vinegar, which I think will taste AMAZING on salads. It’s very flavorful — a great combo of spicy and sweet. They also have fun flavors like cinnamon pear or dark chocolate vinegar. I tried the smoked olive oil and it had a subtle, but rich smoky flavor. They have white truffle oil or porcini mushroom oil as well. Most of the oils and vinegars are around $ 16 which, although a little pricey, seems worth it. The bottle is big so unless you go through oil incredibly quickly, it should last a while and the amazing flavors and overall quality are worth it!
We also spent a while looking at all the different salt and spice blends. We ended up getting organic sea salt (a pretty big package for $ 7) and a sassy spice blend that was really flavorful ($ 5 for a medium-​sized spice container). Sapore offers tastes of each of these as well, which is really helpful to figure out which ones you like! They have ALL different varieties of salt and a bunch of spice combinations (American, Italian, Greek, Sassy, etc.). They also had various pastas and jellies/​spreads on sale too.
The Sapore website calls it a «Tasting Room» and I have to say, that’s really what it is. They don’t make you feel guilty for trying more than one — in fact, they suggest you try many and they’ll walk you through the store with personalized recommendations if you ask. Both times I’ve been in there, I’ve seen the owner herself behind the cash register. This was the perfect choice for us to celebrate Small Business Saturday this past weekend :)

If my sister lived here, she would go bankrupt because of this store! It is a shame she doesn’t though, instead I bought her a bottle of both olive oil and vinegar. I was in and our within 5 minutes. I sampled one vinegar and decided it would be ideal for her type of cooking. I asked the person who worked there what he would recommend for olive oil and I took his recommendation.
They have a vast selection of everything including seasonal options. I was amazed on how large of a selection they had. I’m not a huge cook, but I will eat! I took it straight to the post office, wrapped them up and sent them on to Memphis in hopes she will use my gifts to her cooking and in our Thanksgiving dinner when I’m back in town.

Interesting little store front near a spot we had lunch. The selection of oils and vinegars was interesting and I liked that plain popcorn was available for tasting with. The prices seemed on point… but I felt like something was missing.
No one offered to assist us or explain what the shop was about. Since we have a similar establishment in my hometown, I was on familiar ground but my friends weren’t.

The best olive oils and vinegars I’ve ever tasted. You can sample them all, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. After much deliberation I chose the Spanish Arbequina, which makes everything I drizzle it on taste like heaven. I will be back for a bottle of vinegar soon!