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My go-to wine is a red blend from Trader Joe’s. It’s delicious, it pairs perfectly with dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and—perhaps most crucially—it’s $4.99. Suffice it to say that I would not call myself a wine snob. But I love wine. I love wine nights with the girlies, feeling cool when ordering a glass of orange wine with dinner, talking about wine with those who clearly know more about it than I do. And, as it turns out, Portland has a lot to offer wine lovers who want to know more but don’t want to feel winesplained to. Here’s where to go to find folks who make wine education accessible, affordable, and just plain fun.
Pairings Portland Wine Shop & Bar
455 NE 24th Ave., 541-531-7653, pairingsportland.com.
Step one foot into Portland’s self-proclaimed “weirdest wine shop,” and any preconceived notions you may have about the snootiness of wine will go out the window. Pairings’s wine philosophy? The shop pairs wines to...well, anything: Astrological signs, movie characters, dogs, frogs, your grandma...really, anything. Another green flag: The event offerings here are truly unmatched. Beyond the Pairing Basics class, which can be customized for small groups, the shop offers weekly tastings, a monthly wine club, events where wine is paired to characters from Dune, an “Up Yours Oscars” week pairing wines to “films led by women that the Oscars dissed”—I’ve never wanted to be part of a wine community more.
Mermosa PDX
1422 NW 23rd Ave., 503-446-3596, mermosapdx.com.
The moment I noticed the flyer posted in Mermosa PDX’s win- dow—”a snobbery-free wine club”—I knew I was in the right place. The newish BIPOC- and women-owned restaurant has been serving up Southern and Caribbean fusion cuisine along with Oregon-made mermosa bubbles since 2023. The Mermosa Club, which starts at $24.99 a month, includes one featured BIPOC- or women-made bottle of wine per month, as well as complimentary tastings, exclusive access to events like Sips N’ Sounds (i.e., wine paired with live jazz performances), and Beyoncé-themed brunches.
Sunday School Wine Society
What’s the deal with swirling wine? Why is Champagne so expensive? And WTF is orange wine? Sunday School Wine Society has the answers to all of these questions and more. For just $19 a month, curious wine lovers at any level of expertise have access to the breadth of knowledge—in the form of video lessons, an online wine library, cheat sheets, and buying guides—of Mallory and Martin, the chillest Sunday School teachers you’ll ever encounter. I mean, they seem to drink their wine with crazy straws, so...clearly, they don’t judge. They also host the Alt Wine Fest at Abbey Road Farm, which this year will be held on July 14, and will feature 35-plus winemakers, more than 100 “alternative” wines, tacos, a DJ, and more.
Ora et Labora
3928 N Williams Ave., 503-444-7482, oraetlabora.wine.
The husband-and-wife team behind North Portland’s Ora et Labora are proud wine nerds who pivoted from careers in education and journalism, respectively, to open a shop that reflects their own interest in ongoing wine education. Their approachable, well-curated shop is heavy on Italian and French wines as well as those from the Pacific Northwest, and offers a three-part Foundation Series that guides budding oenophiles through the basics of wine production, tasting, and pairing. More specialized explorations have included “Giant Effin’ Reds” and “Bargain Wines from Famous Regions”—a clear signal this spot takes a self-proclaimed mission to “[dial] down the pretension” very seriously. Ora et Labora’s wine-club member- ships, meanwhile, start at $55 for two bottles a month.
This story is part of Taster Magazine, Willamette Week’s new guide to the best of beer, wine and spirits in Portland. It is free and can be found all over Portland beginning Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Find your free copy at one of the locations noted here, before they all get picked up! Read more from Taster magazine online here.