Southern France meets South Seattle
Nestled in the southernmost area of Seattle is a lovely getaway where patrons can walk out of cloudy Washington and step onto the sunny shores of Southern France and the Mediterranean. This magical place is “Princess and Bear Wines”, a wine bar that imports wines solely from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, and offers over 150 different labels, spread across 40 L-R domains, making it the only wine bar of its kind in the United States!
P&B was started in 2021 by two long time Seattl-ites, Carol Bailey and Steve Medwell, a husband-and-wife duo who lived in the Emerald City for over 40 years until they decided to retire in France and send their love of wine back to the city that made them. Carol (the princess), a lawyer, and Steve (the bear), a surgeon, hung up their law and medical careers and joined many other citizens of the world in one of the most exciting wine regions in Europe, Languedoc-Roussillon, which extends from the border of Northern Spain, around the Mediterranean Sea to Provence.
Carol and Steve, now living full time in France, taste hundreds of wines a year and form relationships with the local winemakers to cultivate an amazing menu of the best bubbles, whites, rosés, and reds the region has to offer. With lofty standards and a desire to captivate their wine members, they keep their selections fresh and unlike a membership at a local winery that offers the same wines year after year, P&B members have an ever-changing selection, giving them the opportunity to find new loves they didn’t know they needed. Carol, a world-educated chef, also includes meal recipes with each bottle that will pair perfectly based on the terroir the wine came from. The saying “what grows together, goes together” is a perfect way to describe her pairings and makes for an easy dinner and wine selection with family and friends.
Their selection has some other fun niches too. All the wineries they work with are either certified organic or employ sustainable growing techniques, two things which are near and dear to Carol and Steve when it comes to taking care of the land. They also work primarily with small independent, and mostly women winemakers. This preference simply reflects the state of winemaking around the world as more women take over the family business from their father’s and grandfather’s but are putting a beautiful new spin on their family’s craft.
When I visited the tasting room recently, I was greeted by the lovely Ioana and Erica, who are equally sweet as they are knowledgeable about all things Languedoc. During the 5-glass tasting flight, Ioana not only spoke about the wines and the vineyards they came from, but pulled out a small map and showed me exactly which towns they came from, as well as a backstory of the winemakers and their methods. This attention to detail and passion for each bottle in her tasting room is unlike any other I have experienced, especially when she has over 150 to remember! Erica, always quick to identify an empty glass that needs refilling, had an equal love for her selection and spoke to the variations in wines over the years and how the tiniest difference in blend can really redefine an experience. We capped off our time together with a delicious pair of dessert wines (one is pictured above) and I left with a masterclass worth of knowledge simply because they were both so passionate about the wines in their care.
So, if you are looking for one of the largest selections of Southern France’s best vino, a fun neighborhood wine bar, or a new experience with wines that will move you, see my friends down at Princess & Bear wines and fall in love with wines you never knew existed!
Princess & Bear Wines
309 S Cloverdale St
Seattle WA
Tasting Room Hours:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - 1:00pm to 7:00pm
Sunday - 1:00pm to 6:00pm
Closed Monday through Wednesday