March is Washington Wine month and that’s a wonderful excuse to sip and savor your way through Seattle’s best restaurants! With so many fantastic wineries in Washington (over 970!), it can be hard to know where to start on your favorite restaurant’s wine list. So, I asked five of Seattle’s finest culinary talents what their favorite Washington wine was and what you should pair it with on their menu.
The Restaurant: Sawyer
The Chef: Mitch Mayers
The Wine: Gilbert Cellars Allobroges
Chef Mitch Mayers and team have been killing it at Sawyer since its opening last year. Sawyer offers a large variety of local beers, spirits and wines with Chef Mayers favorite being the Gilbert Cellars Allobroges. A Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, this beautiful wine has earthy tones with strong hints of spice and ripe fruit. Pair it with Sawyer’s Rotisserie Porchetta.
The Restaurant: Joule
The Chef: Rachel Yang
The Wine: Vital Wines Rosé
Joule is Rachel Yang’s utterly delicious contemporary Korean steakhouse serving non-traditional cuts of beef (and they happen to have one of the best damn brunches in Seattle).
They also have an incredible collection of Washington wines on their menu, including Chef Yang’s favorite — Vital Wines’ Rosé. It’s a versatile wine and pairs well with several things on the menu like the pickled beets, beef tartare and black sesame noodles.
The Restaurant: Terra Plata
The Chef: Tamara Murphy
The Wine: àMaurice 2014 Estate Syrah “Fred”
James Beard Awarded Chef Tamara Murphy has been bringing us fantastically delicious earth to plate experiences at Terra Plata for years. (If you haven’t brunched on the rooftop among the garden here in the summertime, you are missing out on one of Seattle’s best food experiences.)
She knew exactly what wine she wanted to feature when I mentioned this article to her àMaurice’s 2014 Estate Syrah “Fred.” This is a very drinkable wine with big notes of red fruits that she likes to pair with her Peppercorn Hanger Steak or Roast Pig.
The Restaurant: Jack’s BBQ
The Chef: Jack Timmons
The Wine: 2015 Three Rivers Winery Svelte Bourdeaux
Jack Timmons can be credited for bringing good Texas barbecue to Seattle a few years ago and boy are we glad he did! His mouth-watering smoked meats can now be found at his Jack’s BBQ locations in SoDo, South Lake Union and the Columbia Tower. Jack’s a classy guy and he loves Washington wine — this 2015 Three Rivers Winery Svelte Bourdeaux being his current favorite, which pairs perfectly with his big, beautiful beef ribs.