Where to drink well in Seattle by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Seattle. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
L'Oursin in Seattle at the crossroads of First Hill and the Central District is the 2017 French wine bar: natural Loire and Jura pours, oysters, weekly cassoulet.
Signature pour: Domaine de l'Octavin Poulsard, by the glass
Wine focus: Natural French growers, Loire and Jura
Food: Small plates, oysters, cassoulet
Taylor Shellfish Melrose in Seattle's Capitol Hill is the oyster-and-wine room inside Melrose Market: 16 half-shells, Northwest whites and growers' Champagne by the glass.
Signature pour: Schramsberg sparkling, by the glass
Wine focus: Northwest whites, growers' Champagne
Food: Half-shell oysters, geoduck, steamer clams
Vif in Seattle's Fremont is the 2014 natural wine bar and bottle shop: small kitchen of cheese, charcuterie and seasonal plates, plus a retail wall of biodynamic European producers.
Signature pour: Domaine Tissot Jura, by the bottle
Wine focus: Natural, organic and biodynamic European
Food: Small plates, cheese, charcuterie
The Pink Door wine bar in Seattle is the Post Alley bar adjacent to the Italian dining room: Italian regional pours, antipasti to share and a deck view of Elliott Bay.
Signature pour: Sangiovese di Romagna, by the glass
Wine focus: Italian regional, by the bottle and glass
Food: Antipasti, pasta, cioppino
Damn the Weather in Seattle's Pioneer Square serves Pacific Northwest natural wines from a 24-seat bar; cocktails are the headline, but the wine-by-the-glass holds up.
Signature pour: Walla Walla Cabernet Franc, by the glass
Wine focus: Oregon and Washington natural, low-intervention
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, cheeseburger
Le Pichet wine list in Seattle near Pike Place is the French regional pour: a Loire-Burgundy-Rhone bar program built for the bistro food, served by the glass, carafe or pichet.
Signature pour: Chinon by the carafe
Wine focus: French regional, Loire, Burgundy, Rhone
Food: Tartines, charcuterie, poulet roti
Cafe Campagne in Seattle's Pike Place runs a tight French and Northwest pour list: Sancerre by the glass, Loire reds for the cassoulet, a half-bottle program at the bar.
Signature pour: Sancerre by the glass
Wine focus: French and Pacific Northwest by the glass
Food: Charcuterie, croque madame, cassoulet
The Walrus and the Carpenter wine list in Seattle's Ballard pairs the city's defining oyster bar with crisp Northwest whites, Muscadet and Picpoul by the glass.
Signature pour: Muscadet sur lie, by the glass
Wine focus: Crisp Northwest whites, Muscadet, Picpoul
Food: Oysters, steak tartare, rye toast
Peak food season in Seattle is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Seattle rewards trust.