View from the Queen Anne Hill

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07/25/07 - Exploring Seattle and The Local Vine

We we in Seattle for a quick overnight trip, and this time, we explored a new neighborhood, at least for us, Queen Anne Hill. Seattle Center was our usual turning point on our urban wanderings, but this time we wandered past the stadium and up the hill. It was a climb worthy of San Francisco as we passed a series of increasingly upmarket apartment buildings and condos. As we approached the oversized antenna on the top, we found a charming little staircase through an Northwestern garden that lead to another level, a huge parking lot, an apartment building, and yet another huge radio tower.

The walk down was spectacular, with Seattle's version of the painted ladies, perhaps a quarter of them being remodeled, and some spectacular views of the city and the sound.
We made our way down to the city below, following the back streets and taking little staircases when we could. We staggered into Belltown, and collapsed at a recently opened wine bar, The Local Vine. It was a pretty place, with big glass windows, high ceilings and a fantastic wine collection as you can see in the photo to the right.

It is often tricky to get a good glass of champagne in Seattle. The Hyatt hotel doesn't serve beverages in their lovely lobby, and most restaurants don't serve more than one or two types by the glass. Our best bets have been Cafe Campagne and the Sorrento Hotel. The local vine had seven or eight types of champagne (and sparkling wine) available. We tried two:

  • Gossert Brut Excellence - a wonderful, rich champagne with an extra bite and a magnificent nose
  • Gonet-Medeville Extra Brut Rose - an unusual pink champagne with a fascinating kumquat note
We were quite impressed with the champagnes. The rest of the extensive wine list looked fascinating, and the food menu, mostly small plates, looked promising. Even better, they serve all afternoon. This might be a great place for a pick me up.

The wine selection at The Local Vine

Keywords: seattle, restaurants, wine