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Taste Washington Wine Month at Ray’s Mar. 1-31!

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Since the early days of Washington wine, Ray’s has been a proud champion of local winemakers and wineries. In 1982 we were one of two restaurants to receive and sell Leonetti Cellars’ wine with the release of its 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon… what an incredible and robust journey our local wine industry has had since then!

This March we invite you to join us for Taste Washington Wine Month, celebrating the beautiful wines, talented winemakers, and rich, diverse landscape of Washington wine country. From Thursday, March 1 through Saturday, March 31, we will be offering a curated selection of Washington wines from our Wine Director Chip Croteau in the Boathouse and Café.

The Boathouse will be serving six unique and delicious Washington wines by the glass and bottle to enjoy alongside the best view in Seattle, from 5-9pm daily.

Boathouse Taste Washington Wine Month Menu

àMaurice Viognier Columbia Valley, WA 2016 – $16 / $54
The viognier grape is often used for blending in France but has become one of Washington’s greatest white varietals.  Expressive aromas of peach flesh and orchard fruits lead towards kiwi, quince preserve and lemon. A stunner!

Buty Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle Columbia Valley, WA 2015 – $15 / $53
A top Washington white blend every year, Nina Buty’s fresh and bright white Bordeaux inspired blend features sémillon, providing eloquent floral tones and textural richness while the sauvignon and muscadelle lend layers of jasmine, grapefruit and lime.

Savage Grace Grüner Veltliner Underwood Mountain Vineyards, Columbia Gorge, WA – $15 / $53
The classic Austrian white grape finds a lovely single vineyard expression with light aromas of white pepper, lime and herb capped off by hints of honey and wet stone in the acid laced finish.

Hedges Syrah ‘DLD’ Cuvée Marcel Dupont, Red Mountain, WA 2013 – $15 / $55
Dedicated to Anne-Marie Hedges grandfather, Marcel Dupont, this cuvée displays the greatest qualities of low yield farming and the hallmarks of Red Mountain syrah: earthy minerality, rich dark fruits, dried spices, cocoa, leather and smoke.

Owen Roe Cabernet Franc ‘Rosa Mystica’ Yakima Valley, WA 2014 – $18 / $65
David O’Reilly’s ‘Rosa Mystica’ begins with aromatics of ripe red cherries, red bell pepper and sage. This leads to flavors of rose petals, red cherry, sagebrush, red raspberry with hints of blood orange. This is a polished and complex wine.

Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, WA 2014 – 3oz $35 / 6oz $70 / bottle $265
A tour de force reminiscent of a first growth Bordeaux, this 100-point wine offers incredible notes of black currants, graphite, lead pencil shavings and crushed rocks in a full-bodied, decadent, insanely layered and seamless style. Ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges and a forward, already hard to resist style.

The Café will be serving select Washington wines by the bottle daily from 11:30am-9pm, including:

  • àMaurice Viognier Columbia Valley, WA 2016
  • Buty Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle Columbia Valley, WA 2015
  • Hedges Syrah ‘DLD’ Cuvée Marcel Dupont, Red Mountain, WA 2013

Reserve in the Café at 206.782.0094 or online; and in the Boathouse at 206.789.3770 or online.

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REX HILL Wine Dinner at Ray’s Boathouse Mar. 27

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We are thrilled to have Carrie Kalscheuer, Director of Sales & Education for REX HILL and A to Z Wineworks at Ray’s Boathouse on Tuesday, March 27th for a beautiful four-course wine dinner. She will share with us the groundbreaking work that these wineries are engaged in; making both stunning wines as well as forging an organization entrenched in social and environmental care.

I was lucky enough to spend some time in Willamette Valley, Oregon this summer tasting the wines produced there and learning about the storied history and success behind REX HILL and A to Z Wineworks from Carrie. The hospitality they showed me was only second to the quality of the wines.

We look forward to showing you the same hospitality at our wine dinner on March 27th! Our Executive Chef Paul Duncan has teamed up with their winemakers to create a custom, four-course menu featuring the iconic cuisine of Ray’s Boathouse with six award-winning wines from REX HILL and A to Z Wineworks.

REX HILL winery has recently been awarded an ‘Extraordinary Winery Award’ for being an ‘Under the Radar Winery’ from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, an accolade that recognizes REX HILL as a winery “poised to become the next-great-thing” in the Americas.  The A to Z Wineworks company, which includes the brand REX HILL, led the way in becoming the first Oregon winery to become a certified B Corporation in 2014. This distinction recognizes organizations that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Four-Course Rex Hill Wine Dinner Menu March 27, 2018
First Course: king crab “merus” legs, spot prawns, ginger spiked shimeji mushrooms
A to Z Rosé Bubbles

Second Course: hamachi sashimi, avocado mousseline, sugar snap pea, togarashi, yuzu
A to Z Chardonnay vs. REX HILL Seven Soils Chardonnay

Third Course: king salmon in sake kasu, roasted baby carrots, pork fried rice cake, scallion-soy
REX HILL Willamette Valley Pinot Noir vs. REX HILL Jacob-Hart Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir

Dessert: chocolate-praline cremeux, orange caramel, spiced caramel popcorn
A to Z Riesling

If you have any allergies, please contact us to ensure we can accommodate.

Price is $115 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). Dinner will run from 6:30-9:30 pm in the downstairs Boathouse overlooking Shilshole Bay and the Olympic Mountains. Seating will be communal and convivial.

All reservations can be made by calling 206.789.6309 or rayscatering@rays.com. A credit card will be needed at the time of the reservation to reserve your spot.

Even though March is Taste Washington Wine Month and we’re featuring some stunning local Washington wines at Ray’s Boathouse, we didn’t want our wine-loving neighbors down south to be forgotten!

We look forward to seeing you then!

Chip Croteau
Ray’s Wine Director

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Shuck & Sip: Oysters & Sparkling Wine at Ray’s Feb. 19-Mar. 4

Oysters Unshucked

We’re kicking off our 45th year celebrating the simple joys of cool, refreshing oysters on the half-shell paired perfectly with crisp sparkling wines.

From Monday, February 19 through Sunday, March 4 in the Boathouse and Café enjoy a variety of local Penn Cove oysters served individually, by the duo, or as a half-dozen with an assortment of sparkling wines from all over the world available by the glass, half-bottle and bottle.

Café oyster varieties and featured sparkling wines include the following and pricing is: $3.75 for one, $7 for two, $20 for six.

  • Compass Point. Samish Bay, WA – Crisp, sweet, plump meats with a medium-high salinity and a mean finish
  • Purple Mountain – Moderately deep cups with firm, plump, sweet meats, a hint of mineral and a moderately high salinity.
  • Rock Point – Creamy texture, sweet flavor, medium salinity and a cucumber finish.

Cafe Sparkling Wines include the following with pricing by 3oz, 6oz and bottle:

  • Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé, Crémant d’Alsace, FRA NV $5 / $10 / $37. Tart red currant, rhubarb and strawberry come together in a very refreshing and well rounded rosé
  • Agusti Torelló Brut Nature Gran Reserva, Cava, ESP 2011 $8 / $15 / $54. Aromas of butter and toasted bread lead into flavors of ripe stone fruits, bright yellow apple and hints of lemon.
  • Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, CA, USA 2013 $10 / $19 / $75. Fresh aromas of green apple, pineapple and grapefruit; nuances of fresh-baked brioche and lemon zest on the palate
  • Pol Roger Brut Epernay, FRA NV $73 (bottle only). An elegant Champagne, with a smoky, minerally underpinning and subtle flavors of poached pear, toast, candied lemon zest and ginger

Menu subject to change.

Make your reservations for the Café at 206.782.0094 or online; and in the Boathouse at 206.789.3770 or online.

We look forward to seeing you as we Shuck & Sip in honor of 45 delicious years!