The International District’s Only Natural Wine Shop Shuts Down

Eater Young Gun Suzi An has closed her hip natural wine shop Vita Uva, which operated inside dynamic Vietnamese restaurant Pho Bac Sup Shop in the Chinatown International District. The mostly bare shelves of her former wall space were a giveaway that something was up, and An confirmed she’s transitioning the shop into a less physical form.

“Vita Uva is now just a wine club so that I can have time to focus on different things,” said the former creative director of operations for Junebaby and Salare, though she declined to provide details on those different things at this time. “Maybe in the future I’ll pop up elsewhere.” Meanwhile, interested customers can email her at drink@shopvitauva.com for more info on custom orders, and keep an eye out for updates on the club’s website.

Vita Uva — translated literally as “life grapes” — focuses on wines that are made with much less intervention than conventional wines, leading to bold, unusual flavor expressions even from familiar grape varietals. It also championed the uncommon pairing of Asian food and wine, occupying a wall space in Sup Shop’s main dining area (instead of the 65-square-foot extension originally planned) with shelving, a rolling ladder, and a vintage counter, providing a rare wine outlet in the neighborhood.

Sup Shop is an offshoot of the Pho Bac chainlet, considered Seattle’s original pho producer. Three of the founders’ children, including Yenvy Pham, opened Sup Shop with modern decor and menus featuring imaginative options like pho rolls (pho noodles fried in a brown-rice wrapper), prawn ceviche, and whiskey drinks with pho aromatics and broth chasers.

• Vita Uva [Official]
• All Coverage of Vita Uva [ESEA]
• Pho and Natural Wine Come Together at Last in the International District [ESEA]
• Eater Young Gun Suzi An Leaves Junebaby to Pursue Passion for Natural Wine [ESEA]
• Suzi An Is Making Restaurant Dreams Come True [E]