Champagne-forward omakase hiding on Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill · Seattle · New American · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Violet’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Violet doesn't try to be everything — it's tight, intentional, and leans hard into bubbles in a way that feels genuinely considered rather than accidental. For a cozy American omakase spot on 12th Ave, the Champagne selection alone is punching well above the restaurant's weight class. You open the list expecting safe house pours and instead find José Dhondt and Billecart-Salmon sharing the same page.
The list skews heavily toward sparkling, with a Champagne section that covers real ground: grower producer José Dhondt Blancs de Blanc sits alongside the more recognizable Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve and Drappier Carte d'Or, plus a Jane Ventura Cava Brut Natur for those who want fizz without the Champagne price tag. The red wine side is thin but deliberate — Corliss Syrah from Walla Walla and a Powell & Son GSM from the Barossa give you two serious, food-friendly options that hold up against a multi-course tasting format. There are obvious gaps: no white Burgundy, no Italian to speak of, minimal depth beyond a handful of bottles. But what's here is chosen with a clear point of view, and that counts for something.
Glass pours run $12–$17, which is honest pricing for Capitol Hill, and the Drappier Carte d'Or at $17 by the glass is one of the more legitimately good house-level pours we've seen at this price point in Seattle. The by-the-glass program appears limited in total options — we don't have a full count — but the range seems to mirror the bottle list's sparkling-forward sensibility. If they're rotating the glass program with any frequency, that data hasn't surfaced, which suggests it may be fairly static.
Drappier Carte d'Or Champagne Brut — $17/glass
At $17 a glass for actual Champagne from a solid house, this is a legitimate deal. Retail on this bottle runs around $12, so the markup is fair and you're getting real fizz — not just something with bubbles — to kick off an omakase.
José Dhondt Blancs de Blanc Champagne Brut
Most tables at Violet are going to gravitate toward the Billecart-Salmon because the name is familiar. José Dhondt is a small grower-producer from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger making serious blanc de blancs that most casual wine drinkers have never encountered. It's the kind of bottle that makes the table stop and ask questions — in the best way.
Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Reserve
At $100 a bottle on a ~$70 retail bottle, the markup isn't outrageous, but Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve is everywhere and you can do better on this list. The José Dhondt is right there. Unless you're ordering for someone who only trusts labels they recognize, move on.
Corliss Syrah Walla Walla 2012 + Grilled New York Steak
A decade-plus Walla Walla Syrah from Corliss — one of the region's more serious producers — is exactly what you want next to a grilled steak. The wine has had time to settle into something savory and structured without losing its fruit, and it holds its own against seared beef without one steamrolling the other.
The Bottom Line
Violet isn't a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one — especially if you want to drink Champagne through a tasting menu without getting gouged. For a small neighborhood omakase spot, they've made better choices than most restaurants twice their size.
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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El Dorado Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's set up squarely in one, and the list reflects that self-awareness. Fair pricing, smart local representation, a few genuinely interesting outliers, and the full list available by the glass make this a reliable stop for a well-poured evening in Sonoma. If you're after a deep cellar or something truly adventurous, look elsewhere — but if you want to drink well without stress, this delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Siren has a wine list that punches above its weight in a few key areas — particularly the by-the-glass whites and the Champagne bottle program — but the markup structure means you're spending real money to access it. If you're the kind of diner who wants to order Furmint on a Tuesday night in Atlanta, this is one of the few places that makes that possible, and that alone earns it a spot on the shortlist.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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