PDX Wine Crawl: Top Three Wines by the Glass in Southwest Portland

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Friday, October 17, 2014

Tom Champine, GoLocalPDX Contributor

If you're in the mood for some wines by the glass, there are plenty of options for the Portland oenophile. In this series, we're breaking it down by city quadrant to highlight the best places to down some fine wines in the city. 

Last week, we looked at Northwest Portland, and found some great options for a neighborhood wine crawl. This week, we've set our sites on Southwest, including Downtown Portland, and found some great wine destinations. 

Southwest/Downtown  

Southwest and Downtown Portland has loads of great places to grab a drink, and a bite. For some reason, I find myself downtown a lot more in the Fall and winter (Holiday Shopping? Catching a show at the Schnitz? Taking in the festivities at Pioneer Courthouse Square?). It’s charming to walk through our city when the evening is cool, don’t you think? And even more charming to punctuate the walk with a wine or two en route. 

Grüner (527 SW 12th Avenue, 503-241-7163) This sexy restaurant by Chris Israel features a modern approach to old world European cuisine. The menu is creative, and tasty. But the focused wine program here deserves your examination. General Manager/Wine Director Gregory Cantu is well versed in the wines of the cool growing regions of Western Europe, and our own back yard. He selects wines that are unique, yet will support Grüner’s cuisine (regionally appropriate, elegant, bright). Try the sparkling Riesling, by Dr. Loosen, from Germany’s Mosel region ($11), or a Swiss Chesselas, by Chateau d’Auvernier ($15), or the perfect Gamay by Maison Angelot, from France’s off the radar Bugey region ($10).                 

Southpark Seafood (901 SW Salmon Street, 503-326-1300) In the heart of Downtown Portland, this Pacific NW seafood restaurant is a great place before or after a show, tp meet friends, or dine alone at the bar (guilty!). This wine program is flexible in its ability to appeal to casual wine consumers and wine nerds alike. A glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, by Ampelidae ($8) is a great place to start. And I love a well made Alsatian blend, here by Leon Boesch, Alsace, France ($8.75).  The incredible, if not legendary, $5 Happy hour is worth memorizing. 3-6, and 10-Close EVERYDAY. Wine, Cocktails and bites, all 5 bucks. Whoa. 

Little Bird Bistro (215 SW 6TH Avenue, 503-688-5952) Ever hear of this place? Just kidding! This French bistro by Portland’s James Beard award winning Gabriel Rucker has a sharply honed wine program that will not exhaust you, but only inspire you. I love the Premier Cru Chablis “Fourchaume”, by Domaine de la Meuliére ($16) and the northern Rhone Saint Joseph, by Nicolas Badel ($18, syrah). Though the focus for this article is wine, I'd be remiss if I didn't also recommend one of the craft cocktails here too. 

When not eating and drinking around Portland, sommelier Tom Champine works in Oregon’s wine country at Raptor Ridge Winery, performing national sales and market development. 

Banner Photo Credit: iStock 

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