Grapes & Soda Awards

Grapes & Soda Restaurant Review:

Vancouver's first natural wine bar is tidily snugged next to its older sibling, Farmer's Apprentice Restaurant. In a switch from the usual restaurant offerings, Grapes & Soda's snacks, small plates and cheese, and charcuterie are designed to pair with the wines and cocktails. Start with the burrata with fava tips, asparagus and verjus and a glass of Italian Angiolino Maule Masieri Bianco, or perhaps the organic beef tartare with beets, berries, cubeb pepper and watercress accompanied by the Noella Morantin 'Cot a Cot' from the Loire. Cheese makes a lovely ending, as does the sorrel sorbet served over honeyed yogurt with juniper and meringue matched with the Green Collins (G'Vine gin, sorrel, lemon and soda). Current global selections hail from BC, Wisconsin, Italy and France. If cocktails are your thing, try the pretty Petalo Blanco made with pisco, gin, Wild Rose, lemon and cava syrup. Most of the wines are available by the glass. No surprise to also find topnotch service.