Wine
I grew up thinking wine was sour swill that populated Gallo jugs, which my dad would pour in a jam jar, add three ice cubes to, and sip leisurely after work in front of the telly. In college, wine was more expensive and packed far less of a punch than a plastic liter of Popov charcoal-filtered vodka, so I paid it no heed. Then someone introduced me to “wine country,” where the bold, the beautiful, and the quaint wineries opened their doors and vineyards to wine lovers and wine philistines alike, sharing their elegantly bottled wares, explaining things like terroir and nose and boquet and swirling and presenting the spit vs swallow debate in a whole new light. I discovered lesser known European varietals and the beauty of a shockingly good under-$10 bottle. I explored dusty wine shops, tiny wine bars, even the Loire Valley. It was a slow and sometimes unsteady journey from wine ignoramus to wine vivant, but the dark ages of a charcoal-filtered buzz in a plastic bottle have been vanquished. Here are the best places in town to sip, swirl, sniff, and purchase your favorite and soon-to-be-favorite wines.
Wine Bars
Bar Avignon
- Location: 2138 SE Division St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.517.0808
- Hours: Mon-Thu 4-11pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-12am, Sun 4-10pm
- Fare: Domestic and international wines, beer, cocktails, small plates, dessert
Every Day Wine Bar
Evoe
- Location: 3731 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.232.1010
- Hours: Wed-Sun 12-7pm
- Fare: Local and international wine, beer, small plates, sandwiches
GEM Wine Cellar and Wine Bar
Kir
Metrovino
- Location: 1139 NW 11th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.517.7778
- Hours: Mon & Wed-Sat 5:30-10pm, Sun 5:30-9pm
- Fare: Domestic & international wines, 80+ glass pours, full menu, dessert
Noble Rot
Oregon Wines on Broadway
- Location: 515 SW Broadway, Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.228.4655
- Hours: Mon-Sat 12-8pm
- Fare: Pacific NW wines, cheese plate
Pour Wine Bar
Southpark
Thirst
- Location: 315 SW Montgomery St. Portland (Riverplace) Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.295.2747
- Hours: Tue-Thu & Sun 3pm–10pm; Fri-Sat 3pm–11pm
- Fare: Pacific NW, CA, and foreign wines, cocktails, spirits, cheese & charcuterie, full menu
Vinideus
Vino Paradiso
- Location: 417 NW 10th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.295.9536
- Hours: Tue-Thu 4-10pm, Fri-Sat 4-11pm, closed Sun
- Fare: Pacific NW & international wines, beer, cocktails, full dinner menu
Wine Unwind
- Location: 1019 NW 11th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.946.8482
- Hours: Tue-Thu 10am-3pm & 5-8pm, Fri 10am-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 1-8pm
- Fare: Local and international wines, snacks, cheese, charcuterie, paninis
Wine Shops
Beaumont Market
- Location: 4130 NE Fremont St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.284.3032
- Hours: Daily 7am-10pm
- Fare: Nearly 500 Pacific NW & international wines, beer, meat, produce, specialty food items, gifts
Blackbird Wine Shop
Cork Bottle Shop
- Location: 2901 NE Alberta St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.281.2675
- Hours: Mon 12-6pm, Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12-5pm
- Fare: Hand-selected international wines, 100 wines under $20, beer, chocolate, olive oils, gourmet specialty food items
Every Day Wine Bar
Foster & Dobbs
Garrison’s Fine Wines
GEM Wine Cellar and Wine Bar
Great Wine Buys
John’s Market
Liner & Elsen
Martinotti’s Cafe & Deli
Metrovino
- Location: 1139 NW 11th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.517.7778
- Hours: Mon & Wed-Sat 5:30-10pm, Sun 5:30-9pm
- Fare: Domestic & international wines, 80+ glass pours, full menu, dessert
Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
Oregon Wines on Broadway
- Location: 515 SW Broadway, Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.228.4655
- Hours: Mon-Sat 12-8pm
- Fare: Pacific NW wines, cheese plate
Pastaworks City Market
- Location: 735 NW 21st Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.221.3002
- Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm
- Fare: Italian, Spanish and hard to find OR wines, pasta, cheese, charcuterie, produce, specialty grocery items
Pastaworks Hawthorne
- Location: 3735 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.232.1010
- Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm
- Fare: Italian, Spanish and hard to find OR wines, pasta, cheese, charcuterie, produce, specialty grocery items
Pastaworks Mississippi
- Location: 4212 N Mississippi Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.445.1303
- Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm
- Fare: Italian, Spanish and hard to find OR wines, pasta, cheese, charcuterie, produce, specialty grocery items
Portland Wine Merchants
Square Deal Wine Company
- Location: 2321 NW Thurman St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.226.9463
- Hours: Sun/Mon 12-6pm, Tue-Sat 11am-7pm
- Fare: Small estate-sourced wine from Europe, South America & the US
The Meadow
- Location: 3731 N. Mississippi Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.288.4633
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm
- Fare: OR pinot noirs, small producer wines from Spain, Italy, France, Austria, and Portugal, aperitifs, digestifs, accessories
Vino
Vinopolis
- Location: 1025 SW Washington St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.223.6002
- Hours: Mon-Wed & Sat 10am-6pm, Thu-Fri 10am-8pm, Sun 12-5pm
- Fare: Largest retail wine merchant in Oregon, with over 2000 different international and local wines
Wine Unwind
- Location: 1019 NW 11th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.946.8482
- Hours: Tue-Thu 10am-3pm & 5-8pm, Fri 10am-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 1-8pm
- Fare: Local and international wines, snacks, cheese, charcuterie, paninis
