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It’s Washington Wine Month! Check Out Ray’s Incredible Lineup

Join us this March to celebrate Washington wineries and the vineyards they source their grapes from, specifically those that have been certified Salmon Safe!

Ray’s Boathouse and Cafe are featuring wines by the glass and bottle from four fantastic Washington wineries in both our upstairs Cafe and first floor Boathouse from March 1-31. Come back throughout the month to taste them all and enjoy the best views in Seattle!

Cafe Featured Wines

  • Baer Winery Merlot ‘Star’ Stillwater Creek Vineyard, Royal Slope AVA WA 2017  (glass $16 / bottle $64)
  • Baer Winery ‘Royal Slope Rosé’ Stillwater Creek Vineyard, Royal Slope AVA WA 2020 (glass $16 / bottle $64)
  • L’Ecole No 41 ‘Luminesce’ 7 Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA 2020 (bottle only $68)
  • Woodward Canyon Chardonnay Columbia Valley, WA 2019 (bottle only $80)

Boathouse Featured Wines

  • Baer Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Artos’ Stillwater Creek Vineyard, Royal Slope AVA, WA 2019 (glass $25 / bottle $100)
  • Hedges Syrah ‘DLD’ Les Gosses Vineyard Red Mountain, WA 2017 (glass $18 / bottle $70)
  • L’Ecole No 41 ‘Luminesce’ 7 Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA 2020 (bottle only $68)
  • Woodward Canyon Chardonnay Columbia Valley, WA 2019 (bottle only $80)

Among our star studded lineup of featured wine is Baer Winery.  One of the original wineries to make juice in Woodinville, this small family owned operation has utilized the brilliance of expert winemaker Erica Orr.  They source the majority of their grapes from Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA.

Also in our lineup is one of favorite wineries from Red Mountain, Hedges. Not only are their estate vineyards certified Salmon Safe, they are also 100% certified organic AND biodynamic.  The incredible care they take to preserve and maintain the integrity of their land is reflected in the consistent quality and uniqueness found in their wines.  Enjoy one of the Red Mountains most delicious, funky, earthy, fruit forward Syrahs.

Lastly, two of the wineries that put Walla Walla on the map: Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole No 41.  Little needs to be said for these two behemoth wineries and their influence on Washington wine and its growth.  Any focus on Washington wine wouldn’t be complete without a taste from their cellars.

Cheers!

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Drink Salmon Safe Wine this August for WA Wine Month!

For the month of August Ray’s is thrilled to support the mission of one of our partners, local nonprofit Long Live the Kings, and promote Washington wineries using grapes from “Salmon Safe” certified vineyards!

Long Live the Kings works to restore local salmon and steelhead populations, and choosing to drink salmon safe wines is one small step you can make to positively impact our waterways and ecosystem.

A salmon safe certification means that the vineyard has taken big steps to help restore and preserve wild salmon habitats.

Read on for tasting notes from our Wine Director Chip Croteau who hand selected the featured wines, and enjoy them in our first floor Boathouse and upstairs Café all month long.

Learn more about the important work of Long Live the Kings and get involved or donate today at LLTK.org!

L’Ecole No 41 ‘Luminesce’
7 Hills Vineyard Walla Walla Valley, WA 2020
12 glass /45 bottle

Bright and mouth-filling displaying expressive aromas of citrus blossom and key lime with the refreshing flavors of melon, lemon and peach; perfectly balanced by the rich fruit profile of Semillon and the crisp, floral, and mineral notes of the Sauvignon Blanc.

Hedges ‘DLD’ Estate Syrah
Les Gosses Vineyard Red Mountain, WA 2016
13 glass / 50 bottle

A wonderful balance of sweet and savory, fruity and smoky. There is a hint of tart reddish blue fruits, some graphite, toasted spices, crushed graham cracker and rosemary shortbread with bright acidity and a long balanced finish.

àMaurice Estate Viognier ‘Sparrow’
Walla Walla Valley, WA 2018
80 bottle

Crystalized jasmine, honey and orchard fruit aromatics leap out of the glass.   Rich and mouth coating stone fruits and white flowers follow up.  Arguably the best domestic Viognier and maybe the best white wine in WA state.

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Salish Sea Chef’s Dinner at Ray’s November 14!

Sustainable Seafood Celebration is joining forces with five incredible Northwest chefs with a passion for seafood, for an evening focused on sustainable seafood practices and successes in the Salish Sea. Guests will learn about the many success stories of local seafood from excellent runs of Baker River Sockeye in 2019 to expanding tribal fishing practices and more. They will meet the people who are driving this forward and making changes from fishermen and women to chefs and activists.

Five featured chefs will create a multi-course dinner with each preparing one course that highlights local seafood including: Salish Sea Dungeness Crab, Baker River Sockeye Salmon, Salish Sea Halibut, reef net Salish Sea Pink Salmon, and fresh oysters.

Featured Chefs
Paul Duncan, Ray’s Boathouse
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins
Kevin Davis, Blueacre Seafood
Wayne Johnson, FareStart
Adam Stevenson, Copperleaf at Cedarbrook Lodge

Salmon Safe Wines
Brickhouse Vineyards Chardonnay Ribbon Ridge, OR 2016
L’Ecole No. 41 ‘Perigee’ Estate Red Seven Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, WA 2015
Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir Dundee Hills, OR 2018

“We’re extremely excited to share the many successes coming out of the Salish Sea with folks. We are facing perilous times in our environment and it’s important for people to see and understand that visible progress is being made and that our salmon and halibut runs can get stronger”, said Riley Starks, Salish Sea fisherman, founder of Salish Center for Sustainable Fishing Methods, co-founder of Sustainable Seafood Celebration.

The dinner event is Thursday, November 14 at 6 p.m. at Ray’s Boathouse in Ballard (in the Northwest Room) where the Salish Sea has been their backyard for 46 years. The evening will be co-hosted by Sustainable Seafood Celebration co-founders Riley Starks and Larry Mellum, owner of Pike Place Chowder.

Each chef will dine at a table with guests for more intimate conversation about protecting and nurturing the bounty of the Salish Sea and why sustainable fishing practices is important to them.

Tickets
Tickets are $125 per person and inclusive of multi-course dinner, salmon safe wine and gratuity. Reservations are required to attend and tickets must be purchased online by Friday, November 1, 2019. All guests must be 21 years of age and older to attend. Ticket proceeds benefit Sustainable Seafood Celebration and its partners in the fight to restore sustainable fishing practices, wild salmon runs and local waterways. Tickets available for purchase here.

About Sustainable Seafood Celebration
Sustainable Seafood Celebration is a nonprofit group launched in 2018. Its mission is to raise awareness of the fruits of the Salish Sea – encouraging efforts to keep our local waters healthy despite rapid population growth; rebuilding healthy populations of wild salmon from the Salish Sea; supporting the survival of the Orcas; and highlighting the successful results of good policy and responsible management. More at sustainableseafoodcelebration.org.

About the Salish Sea
The Salish Sea is one of the world’s largest and biologically rich inland seas. Its name pays tribute to the first inhabitants of the region, the Coast Salish. The Salish Sea is an inland sea that encompasses Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the waters off of Vancouver, B.C. The area spans from Olympia, Washington in the south to the Campbell River, British Columbia in the north, and west to Neah Bay and includes the large cities of Seattle and Vancouver.

About Riley Starks
A Washington native, Riley Starks took the less traveled fork in the road for the first time when he eschewed law school and bought his first fishing boat in 1973. He has been a commercial fisherman all of his life, and along the way explored other uncharted territory on Lummi Island by building Nettles Farm in 1992, buying and operating the Willows Inn in 2001, founding Lummi Island Wild, a reefnet salmon business, and finally owning and operating Nettles Farm B&B in 2013.

About Larry Mellum
Larry Mellum is the founder and owner of Pike Place Chowder in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. In the 1990s he and a partner opened the Charlestown Street Cafe in West Seattle where they held a weekly chowder contest that drew fans from all over the state and lead to first-place wins in several national chowder cook-offs. In 2003 Larry opened Pike Place Chowder where eight varieties of chowder are served daily. Four years later a second eatery was opened in the Pacific Place Shopping Center. In 2018 Pike Place Chowder’s New England Clam Chowder was acclaimed by Yelp, “The Most Popular Dish in America”.

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Drink Salmon Safe Wine for a Cause at Ray’s Thru Nov. 7!

 

Raise a glass to support salmon restoration at Ray’s Boathouse & Café this fall!

We are excited to announce our Salmon Safe wine promotion in partnership with Long Live the Kings! $1 from each glass or bottle sold from these special wine lists, will be donated to Long Live the Kings, a local non-profit and proud partner of Ray’s, that works to restore wild salmon and steelhead, and support sustainable fishing in the Salish Sea. Their programs―combining on-the-ground field work with scientific innovation and broad partnerships―help decision-makers advance salmon recovery.

The ‘Salmon Safe‘ certification for a vineyard reflects a grape growers commitment to vineyard management focused on the impact on water quality and salmon habitat.

This wine promotion will run in both the Boathouse and Café now through November 7th, each with different offerings. Scroll down to view the full menus and visit rays.com or call 206.789.3770 to reserve. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Boathouse Salmon Safe Wine Menu*

Hedges Family Estate Syrah
‘DLD’ Cuvée Marcel Dupont
Red Mountain, WA 2013
15 gls / 55 btl
Dedicated to Anne-Marie Hedges’s 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.

Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Gris
Eola-Amity-Hills, OR 2017
15 gls / 55 btl
A rich and textured pinot gris with nectarine, apricot and peach flavors set against a bright core of mouth watering acidity.  Elegant yet powerful.

Brickhouse Vineyard Chardonnay
Ribbon Ridge, OR 2015
16 gls / 64 btl
A very ‘old world’ and Burgundian style wine using 100% organic grapes and biodynamic farming. Lemon cream, yellow apple, nutty minerality and saline tinged wet stone.

Sokol Blosser Esate Rosé
Dundee Hills, OR 2017
13 gls / 50 btl
It may not be summer but it’s certainly still a great time to enjoy this rosé made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  Fresh strawberry, pink grapefruit and blood orange with a hint of pepper spicing up the finish.

Brickhouse Vineyards Pinot Noir
Les Dijonnaise
Ribbon Ridge, OR 2016
30 gls / 110 btl
From the opening aroma, the complexities compound, offering pepper, spice, cranberry, candied rose petal, red berry and cherry notes.  Sautéed herbs, underbrush and a stony minerality frame the elegant fruit flavors.

Chateau Ste. Michelle
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cold Creek Vineyard
Columbia Valley, WA 2013
16 gls / 60 btl
Inky black in color, this Cab is ripe, sexy, textured and with real density; it gives up lots of chocolate, caramelized plum, vanilla bean, and currant-like aromas and flavors.

àMaurice Cellars ‘Night Owl’
Merlot/Cab Sauv & Franc/Petit Verdot
Walla Walla, WA 2013
23 gls / 85 btl
Offering an exotic, complex bouquet of lavender, wild herbs, loamy earth and both red and black fruits, this estate grown blend is medium-bodied and elegant with a dark, meaty, chocolaty, earthy core.

Cafe Salmon Safe Wine Menu*

Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Gris 
Willamette Valley, OR 2017 12 gls / 46 btl 
Fresh citrus rind, grapefruit, white flowers and wet stone. 

Terra Blanca Chardonnay ‘Arch Terrace’ 
Red Mountain, WA 2017 11 gls / 40 btl 
Barrel fermented featuring yellow apple, ripe pears and creamy citrus. 

Hedges Family Estate Syrah ‘DLD’ 
Red Mountain, WA 2013 15 gls / 55 btl 
All the hallmarks of Red Mountain Syrah: earthy minerality, rich dark fruits, dried spices, cocoa, leather and smoke. 

Bethel Heights Vineyard Pinot Gris 
Eola-Amity-Hills, OR 2017 55 btl 
A rich and textured pinot gris with nectarine, apricot and peach flavors set against a bright core of mouthwatering acidity 

Brickhouse Vineyards Pinot Noir ‘Les Dijonnaise’ 
Ribbon Ridge, OR 2016 110 btl 
Pepper, spice, cranberry, candied rose petal, red berry and cherry notes with sautéed herbs, underbrush and a stony minerality. 

Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 
Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley, WA 2013 60 btl 
Inky black in color with chocolate, caramelized plum, vanilla bean, and currant-like aromas and flavors. 

àMaurice Cellars ‘Night Owl’ 
Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon & Franc/Petit Verdot 
Walla Walla, WA 2013 85 btl 
A complex bouquet of lavender, wild herbs, loamy earth and both red and black fruits with a dark, meaty, chocolaty, earthy core.

* Menus subject to change.