Eric Ewers joined the team at Grasing’s as wine director in 2020. When the restaurant transitioned to takeout service due to COVID restrictions, Ewers had time to do a thorough inventory of the wine collection he’d inherited.
He was impressed. The deep collection of California wines included verticals of Williams Selyem Pinot Noir and bottles of Napa cult Cabernet Harlan dating to 1991. There were also plenty of collectible older Bordeaux. But Ewers also saw an opportunity to bring in new wines—second-growths, young Burgundies, a broader selection of California, a deeper dive into Italy and better representation from the Southern Hemisphere. Building on relationships and purchasing private wine collections offered additional rare gems. “It’s not about adding more where we were already strong. It’s about balancing where we were and where we had great potential to be stronger,” Ewers explains.
Four years and 1,000 new wines later, the list is among the most compelling in the world. Ewers insists he is only continuing the work of founding chef and proprietor Kurt Grasing. “Kurt is passionate, methodic and long term about this program,” explains Ewers. “He’s just such a genuine good soul. He’s engendered that in the people around him. And you can see it in his long-term, 20-year clients. They feel like family with him.”
Grasing opened his namesake restaurant in 1998 with the assistance of Narsai David, an inaugural Grand Award recipient. Originally from Oregon, Grasing worked at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, Narsai’s in Berkeley and the Pierre Hotel in New York. He joined Michelin-starred Le Gavroche in London and the Four Seasons in Boston before opening 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo, Calif., in 1986.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a charming community along the Pacific Coast in Monterey County, known for its white sandy beaches and “urban forest” of a walkable downtown with storybook-like buildings. There are galleries, restaurants, boutique shops and an increasing number of tasting rooms from nearby wineries.
Grasing’s fits nicely into the town’s atmosphere, situated in an ivy-covered building with a shingled, pitched roof and featuring a warm, contemporary interior. There are two dining rooms and a dog-friendly courtyard patio. The customer base is a mix of locals, travelers from around the world and plenty of people who visit regularly to play or observe golf at nearby Pebble Beach.
Grasing’s is a steak house at its core, with coastal influences and seasonal California cuisine. Executive chef Mario Garcia offers mouthwatering raw seafood options, including a local halibut crudo with pickled kumquats, fresh strawberries and jalapeño. Steak plates include perfectly cooked bone-in rib eyes and a succulent A5 Japanese Wagyu. Classic sides include an indulgent potato gratin and local asparagus served with foyot sauce and smoked trout roe. Local abalone is prepared meunière style with risotto verde.
With such a variety of flavors, the wine list can (and does) go in many different directions. Half-bottles include Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2019 ($40), Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020 ($100) and Antinori Toscana Tignanello 2019 ($145), while five pages of large-format bottles take in Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2014 ($425/1.5L), Continuum Napa Valley 2015 ($700/1.5L) and Ornellaia Bolgheri Il Carisma 2015 ($925/1.5L with the limited-edition artist label). Markups are modest, especially for wines under $1,000. The average bottle sold is priced less than $200.
Fifteen countries are represented in this program, with an emphasis on local wines. There are more than 3,100 selections, and the volume on hand averages 30,000 bottles stored in two cellars: one at 55° F for aging and daily service, and one at 45° F for sparkling wines and the by-the-glass pours. For the latter, a Coravin system serves rare wines such as 1963 Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman Port or 2006 Château d’Yquem. For spirits lovers, Grasing has amari from the 1950s and ’60s, pre-Prohibition whiskeys, and Armagnac from the 1940s.
The cellar is meticulously organized, with handwritten tags on each bottle and a database that’s updated daily. Ewers believes this attention to detail is crucial. “How you do anything is how you do everything,” he says, referring to the restaurant’s operation as a whole.
Ewers developed prior wine lists that achieved Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, most recently at the Broadmoor’s Penrose Room in Colorado Springs. As a rock climber and martial artist, Ewer takes a Zen-like approach to how he thinks about wine: It’s about being present, in the moment, and the synergy with the food.
“I realized that I was using wine to do that for people,” he explains. “This wine flavor combined with that food—that’s the tool we are using [to be present]. We are experiencing the moment. If we can make a memory, we can do good by the people.”
Grasing’s
Sixth and Mission Streets, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.
Telephone: (831) 624-6562
Website: www.grasings.com
