Wine Tasting in Portland (without a car)

In case you haven’t heard, our region is pretty famous for its incredible wines – most notably Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.  The wines of the Willamette Valley are often compared to the highly regarded wines from Burgundy, France.  We’re at a similar latitude to Burgundy which means a fairly similar climate.  Additionally, winemakers in Oregon use a lot of same techniques as French winemakers to create a similar style wines.  Not to get too wine-geeky on you – the bottom line is that the wines from around here are delicious!

You can visit Oregon wine country easily by car.  It’s about an hour outside the city to the vineyards surrounding Dundee, Newberg, McMinnville, etc, and most wineries have tasting rooms to sample their goods.  For anyone without a car or who doesn’t want to spend an entire day outside of Portland, there are plenty of options to taste Willamette Valley wines right in the city.  Portland boasts tasting rooms and wine bars that will satisfy your craving for a day of wine tasting.

Wine Bars

Start close to home at Lolo Pass!  Our wine list features our favorite local producers from the region (plus some California and Washington gems).  We keep all our prices low so you can enjoy high quality wines without breaking the bank (Oregon wines can get $pendy).  Try our rosé flight which features four Oregon rosés made from different grapes using different techniques.  Our bar is open 4-10pm daily.

Noble Rot – Just down Burnside from Lolo Pass, you’ll find this rooftop restaurant and wine bar.  The views are almost as good as ours.  Full dinner is served alongside an impressive list of wines.

Les Caves – If a bar could embody the word cozy, this is it.  Les Caves is a jewel box of a bar that takes the word underground literally.  Their prices are really reasonable for great glass pours and some fun bottles.  Ask the proprietor Jeff for a recommendation of try one of his own wines.  He usually has some older wines on the list that he’s bought at auction or other unnamed sources.  There’s also a mystery pick available to try something new and different.  If you’re hungry, choose from a list of grilled cheese options.  Try to get the couch up in the nook – reservations required.  There’s also an outdoor spot attached called Le Clos.

Stem Wine Bar – This women owned and managed wine bar is on Mississippi Ave in Northeast Portland.  They’ve got a globally focused wine list with plenty of by the glass options to satisfy.  We’re partial to their flights where you can taste some examples of French and Oregon wines together or just some of their favorite Oregon Pinot Noirs.  They have a lot of natural wines on their list so be sure to ask about some of the innovative things local winemakers are getting up to.  Food is limited to snacks like a cheese or nut flight.  They’ve got a large outdoor patio space.

Tasting Rooms

Enso Winery – Enso is just a stone’s throw from Lolo Pass.  Their vine covered urban winery space will transport you out of Southeast Portland.  All of their wines are made with WA, CA and OR sourced grapes and are available in flights or by the glass or bottle.  Light bites are available for snacking.  Enso is open daily.

Erath Winery – This is one of Oregon’s oldest wineries.  Dick Erath was a pioneer in planting grapes in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s!  Their tasting room in the Pearl neighborhood of Northwest Portland is open daily.  Reservations are recommended.  Tastings start at $25.  Be sure to ask if they have any very old “library wines” to sample.  Their wines date back to 1972.

Teutonic – Teutonic makes wines with Willamette Valley’s lesser used varietal that are more typically found in regions like Alsace, France or part of Germany – things like Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Meunier.  Their tasting room in Southeast Portland is open Thursday-Sunday 2-6pm.  Reservations are recommended.

Helioterra – This woman-owned winery offers wine tasting experiences in the loft of their winemaking facility in Southeast Portland. They also offer wines by the glass or bottle at their wine bar which is open Wednesday through Sunday.

The Crick PDX – This downtown tasting room features the wines of Abbey Creek Winery, helmed by Oregon’s first Black winemaker Bertony Faustin.  Faustin makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from fruit grown in the hills of Southwest Portland.  Make a reservation for a 90 minute tasting for $20.