GRAPE EXPECTATIONS: CHEZ CÉLINE SOMMELIER TEAM DIVES DEEP INTO WIDE WORLD OF WINE WITH NEW REGIONAL MONTHLY SHOWCASES
Sommelier David Lawson Pairs Unique Finds from Celebrated &
Lesser-Known Regions with Dishes from
Head Chef Margaux Herder at Fraserhood Hotspot
The team at award-winning Québécois restaurant Chez Cèline is inviting guests to raise a glass and say “à votre santé”by partaking in an ongoing series of Monthly Wine Showcases at the beloved neighbourhood hotspot located in the heart of Vancouver’s Fraserhood at 4298 Fraser Street.
The program sees the restaurant’s team of sommeliers cultivate an ever-changing list of wines that hail from celebrated and lesser-known regions around the world and closer to home and are thoughtfully picked for their potential to pair perfectly with dishes from Head Chef and Co-Owner Margaux Herder.
The program, which debuted in June with a spotlight on Burgundy and Beaujolais before shifting its focus to standout examples of Rosé and Orange wines in July, is the brainchild of Co-Owner, General Manager and Sommelier David Lawson, who will turn his late-summer focus to Natural Wine in August and Wines from Jura, Savoie and Islands in September before curating new lists for autumn.
August leans into the beauty of the boisterous natural wine movement of Québec, where Lawson honed his nose and palate working at Montréal’s Joe Beef under the stewardship of the acclaimed Vanya Filipovic, who was named North America’s Best Sommelier by the 50 Best Organization in 2025. To that end, the August list at Céline will offer a stunning array of natural wines from around the world that have been prominently featured at bars and restaurants across Québec for years.
In September, Lawson and his team will shift their focus to the wines of Jura, Savoie and island wineries from far-flung regions via a list titled ‘Les Inconnus’ (the unknowns), showcasing wines from places that typically have perfect late summers that lean into cozy fall weather perfect for harvesting plump grapes. Guests can expect unique finds from Jura, the oldest and smallest wine region in all of France and home to some of the best cheese on earth, Comté; its southern cousin, Savoie, known for its beautiful sloping hills and charming and rustic vineyards in the shadow of the French Alps; and little-known islands around the globe with commercially viable wine regions.
“Every wine that we bring in for any iteration of our menu is always meant to complement Chef Margaux’s offerings and enhance the dining experience of every one of our guests,” says Lawson, who for six years was previously the Sommelier at Chez Céline’s Michelin-starred sister restaurant, St. Lawrence. “At Céline, we champion wines made with intention from all regions and love to celebrate the efforts and expertise of those winemakers. We aim to delight and surprise guests with a steady stream of oddities and rarities and introduce them to the absolute vastness of the wine world. There are easily 3,000 plus grape varieties actively used on our planet to make wine, so let’s dig a little!”
The new monthly wine showcases come hot on the heels of a number of accolades earned by Chez Céline this spring and summer, including gold for Best French Restaurant and bronze for Best New Restaurant at the 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards; the No. 10 spot on the 2026 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants and No. 60 on the latest annual compilation of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants; and Best New Restaurant in the 2026 Georgia Straight Golden Plates
Opened in the spring of 2025 on the corner of Fraser & 27th, Chez Céline is a charming enclave that channels the edgy charm of Montréal, effortless elegance of Paris and communal warmth of Québéc’s beloved casse-croûtes and is led and co-owned by four key St. Lawrence alumni: Chef J-C Poirier, Designer Dara Dammann-Poirier, Herder and La
RESERVATIONS
Reservations for Chez Céline can be made via OpenTable here..
For more information or to stay up to date on all the latest news, visit chezcelinerestaurant.com
ABOUT CHEZ CÉLINE | Opened in 2025 and nestled in the heart of Vancouver’s Fraserhood, Chez Céline is a sister restaurant to Railtown’s Michelin-Starred St. Lawrence that welcomes its guests with the edgy charm of Montréal, the effortless elegance of Paris, and the communal warmth of Québec’s casse-croûtes. This kitchen of honest cuisine gears its menu toward fun dining, not fine dining — simple, soulful dishes leaning into a generous sense of joie de vivre — while the adventurously curated beverage program juxtaposes wines that feel alive on the palate with unapologetically unfussy cocktails. Chez Céline is a true neighbourhood restaurant in every sense of the word, where memories are waiting to happen.
4298 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC V5V 4G2 | Open for Dinner Tuesdays to Sundays 5 p.m. to late and Brunch Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | chezcelinerestaurant.com | Instagram: @