Renowned Iron Chef and restaurant owner Masaharu Morimoto has partnered with Treveri Cellars, located in Washington’s Yakima Valley. Treveri will provide Morimoto-branded sparkling wines in restaurants throughout the continental United States and in Tokyo, Japan.

“As a boy, my family loved watching Iron Chef,” says Treveri Cellars winemaker and senior vice president of sales, Christian Grieb. “We’re just thrilled to be doing this project with Chef Morimoto.”

Treveri, which produces sparkling wine exclusively, already offers its wines at several Morimoto locations. Additionally, Treveri national sales manager Peter Mastrogiovanni has a connection with the director of operations at Morimoto restaurants.

The genesis of the partnership began in earnest, however, when Treveri representatives attended the opening of Morimoto’s Momosan restaurant in San Jose. After meeting Chef Morimoto, they subsequently discussed exploring a partnership.

“My promise was we’re not going to craft something that doesn’t goes well with the cuisine,” Grieb says.

To fulfill that promise, Grieb brought dozens of base cuvées and wines at different dosage levels to try alongside food from Morimoto’s menu. The goal was to find something that paired well with a wide assortment of dishes.

“We tried to be as empirical as possible to pair this cuisine with Washington State sparkling wine and really find something that was unique and compelling,” Grieb says.

The final result was two wines. The first is a sparkling rosé made from Pinot Noir. The second is a brut sparkling Riesling. Both are zero dosage.

“We always talk about how well Riesling does with Asian fusion food, and that proved out while at the table,” Grieb says. Fruit for the wines is organically grown and comes from the Naches Heights appellation.

The wines are made exclusively for Morimoto and are called Dream. The front label shows a Japanese character for ‘dream’ as well as a representation of bubbles. In addition to the Morimoto restaurants, the wines will be offered at select retail locations.

“I think it’s a great win for Washington wine,” Grieb says of the partnership. “They can be in high-end dining and create something compelling that works really well for programs. It’s a tip of the cap to how good the quality is here.”

Treveri Cellars launched in 2010. German-born owner and head winemaker Juergen Grieb first came to Washington in 1982. He has been making wine in the state ever since. Treveri is one of the few wineries in Washington dedicated to sparkling wines.

Morimoto, meanwhile, has several restaurant concepts. They include Morimoto, Morimoto Asia, and Momosan. Altogether, there are over 20 locations.

Treveri has other restaurant partnerships. One is with The Butcher’s Daughter, a “plant forward” restaurant with locations in Los Angeles and New York City.

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