I think your best bet is a place that can recommend wine and cheese that will pair well. The cheese recommendation is as important as the wine. Whole Foods is very good at this. (Assuming you can't get into the city to go to a specialty shop like Calvert Woodley, Cork, or Rodman's.) TJ's isn't going to have the cheese selection. And some of their wines are good, but some really aren't.
Don't do a cabernet. Not everyone likes something that big and tannic. I'd go with one pinot noir for people who like light-bodied (Mark West is a good one), and one either Zinfandel or a Spanish Rioja--they're medium-bodied, versatile, and more interesting than merlot. They'll match with either a blue cheese or a good dark chocolate. Marques de Caceres or LAN are good Riojas; for a Zinfandel do something that starts with "R" -- Ridge, Ravenswood, or Rosenblum.
You've got to have at least one chardonnay. So many people (esp. women) like them. I think sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio are both awfully light for evening, and some people don't like sauv. blanc. You might try two different chardonnays--one that's oaky, buttery, and sweet (like Kendall Jackson), and one that's un-oaked and more minerally, in the French style. It would be an interesting contrast. Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay is good (in the Australian section), or a Louis Jadot Macon-Villages or Pouilly-Fuisse. (These are both all-chardonnay wines from Burgundy, but they're very different than California Chardonnay.)
If you don't want to do two chardonnays, a white that's easy to find, very versatile, and really lovable is Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier.
Nice cheese board accompaniments are fig jam, grapes, almonds, and sliced baguette rounds. The bread section will slice it for you--so easy.