15039 Mon Oct 24 15:23:00 -0700 2005 9 4 Pacific Northwest 0 37474 I just moved to Portland and I am now just discovering all the wonderful boutique wine shops in town. Coming from San Francisco, I am used to buying my wine at chains like BevMo. Does anyone have any recomendation on some of the local wine shops? I like mostly CA/OR/French wines. I drink reds and whites. I like Zins, Pinot Noir, Sav Blanc, and anything that tastes good. I usually like to spend $7 - $20 a bottle. Also, there seems to be a large number of wine tastings around town. Usually on Friday nights. Any recommendations on those. I've seen the listings in the Oregonian, but I find it a bit overwhelming. From what I've seen the prices seem a bit steep, $10 per flight of five or six wines. I live in SE, in upper Bellmont. Mon Oct 24 15:23:00 -0700 2005 0 netphemera 1 37476 Mt Tabor Fine Wines is closest to you, on Hawthorne and, I think 45th or something. Liner and Elsen probably have a more european/Or selection and they tend to get a lot of well known winemakers to do tastings, but yes, they are pretty steep pricewise. Everyday Wine up on Alberta is also a nice little wine shop with tastings, maybe a little lest expensive fees. I think if you're wanting to taste anything worthwhile you'll be paying a fee at wine shops. They have to make sure that people aren't coming just for free liquor, although some grocery stores, like Zupan's, do tastings as well. I'd say the best thing to do is just go to a new shop every time you want something and then decide which one suits you. That and get out to wilammette valley for some wine tasting. Thanksgiving weekend is a huge tasting event for all wineries with snacks and music and barrel tastings a lot of the time. It's crowded but a good introduction to what's out there... Mon Oct 24 15:43:19 -0700 2005 37474 0 Morgan 2 37480 I'll second the Thanksgiving weekend winery tastings. You can expect small crowds, but it's worth it, as some vintners aren't open to visitors year-round, and most of them will have bottles available that you won't find outside of their wineries. I'm one of those folks who likes wine but rarely buys it at a dedicated wine shop, purely due to the convenience of being able to pick up a bottle along with dinner at the same place. I've had good experiences and found some nice surprises through the wine stewards at Zupan's on SE Belmont, QFC on SE Burnside, and Fred Meyer on NE Broadway and also on SE 39th. Mon Oct 24 16:14:39 -0700 2005 37476 0 Sir Loins 3 37504 I'll second the idea that a lot of the local grocery stores have knowledgeable wine stewards. Jack @ Lambs Thriftway at Garden Home comes to mind. I'd also suggest trying E&R wines on SW Macadam as a shop that has knowledgeable staff and is willing to listen and suggest (vice pressure). I'll also suggest that you definitely plan on visiting local wineries during the Thanksgiving weekend open houses. Many in the upper Willamette Valley are only open 1 or 2 times a year and this is a great chance to get to taste their wares. Tue Oct 25 03:08:34 -0700 2005 37480 0 RM 1 37482 Vino, Vino, Vino. I love Vino in Sellwood. Bruce Bauer puts together a pretty good line up every week. You get to sit down and taste your 5 wines side by side. The 5 wines tasted are in your price range and there are 2 bonus pours of higher priced wines for an additional charge. The only warning I have is it does get busy. Mon Oct 24 16:35:06 -0700 2005 37474 0 Noodles1000 2 37483 I should also say, that because you are able to sit, lots of people bring cheese/snacks. A trip to Curds and Whey is always fun. Bread is provided. Mon Oct 24 16:47:47 -0700 2005 37482 0 Noodles1000 1 37487 I guess it comes down to whether you want the best tastings, or the cheapest. If you want the best Friday night tastings, two shops stick out: Liner & Elsen (NW 21st) and Mt. Tabor Fine Wines (SE Hawthorne). Liner & Elsen only does tastings on the 1st and 3rd Fridays, while Mt. Tabor usually does them every week unless they are closed for vacation. L & E is more European-oriented in general, and their tastings follow that focus, although they occasionally do NW or CA themes. And while the tastings at L & E may be $15-25 for the basic set of 5 wines (there are usually two bonus pours available for an extra fee), they always pour top wines and don't have low-end filler wines common at many shops. Friday night's tasting featured 5 Barbarescos, with retail prices around $40-60, for $25, as well as two bonus wines (an extra $15 for both), including the $100/bottle 2000 Giacosa Barbaresco. And their pours are large enough that you can share with your partner if you choose. Mt. Tabor is more NW/CA focused, but also has interesting tastings of Italian and Rhone wines, and almost always features good selections. Again, most tastings run between $15-20 for five wines, with extra bonus pours available as an option. While the tastings may seem a little pricey compared to other stores, both of these stores generally put out better wines than others and have more interesting themes, at least to my palate. There are also free tastings around town, often on Saturdays. Get on the mailing lists of the local shops as they usually publish their tasting schedule in the newsletter. You can also check the Tuesday Oregonian FoodDay for tastings. L & E always has free tastings on Saturday afternoons, featuring wines from their newsletter as well as occasional guest pourers from various wineries. This Saturday they had 6 or 7 wines from Arnaldo Caprai in Italy (including their upper end, $80/bottle 25th Anniversary bottling), as well as a few selections from their newsletter, all at no charge. Of course I'd suggest that you buy a bottle or two if you like their tastings and want to support the shop, but there's no pressure to do so. Marshall Mon Oct 24 17:44:06 -0700 2005 37474 0 Marshall Manning 1 37500 I am also new to town and haven't been to a lot of wine shops, but I like Carpe Vinum on Dvision near 48th. Michael Draper does tastings every Friday--$10 for 5 pours and $6 for 2 more premium pours. He sometimes does it by varietal, sometimes by region. It is very comfortable and he and his invite emails are informative. It is also close to where you live. Mon Oct 24 23:36:35 -0700 2005 37474 0 wiezy 1 37508 I happen to like Vinopolis in downtown Portland a lot. There is tasting schedule on their website. Right now there are tastings 5 days a week. I have been to a couple of the blind tastings on Sundays. Link: http://www.vinopoliswineshop.com/ Tue Oct 25 11:36:20 -0700 2005 37474 0 Calabrese 1 37523 A new, unpretentious wine shop opened in my "North Irvington" (ha!) neighborhood a few weeks ago. They are having a tasting on Sunday AFTERNOON. Hey, there's an idea. . . Here's the blurb they sent out: Just a quick note to let you know about our first monthly tasting, coming up on October 30th, the last Sunday of the month. It will run from 3-6pm and will feature affordable Spanish reds. This is probably the best place in the world to find great wine for everyday enjoyment. The various regions of Spain have been kickstarting their production of quality wines, at all levels. So nowadays you don't have to be wary of a low price tag. The cost of the tasting this month will be $5, for a series of wines. There will be at least four to try. I am stockpiling as many of these varieties as I can right now. If there is a wine that you find to be especially tasty, we will have special case pricing on all the wines. Case delivery is often as fast as the next day. Also, our new website is up and running. Check it out at www.labodegapdx.com. Hope to see you there, Amber and J.J. La Bodega Wine and Beer 1325 NE Fremont Portland, OR 97212 503.943.6099 Tue Oct 25 17:05:58 -0700 2005 37474 0 benschon