While it’s primarily a wine shop, this spacious store in St. Johns doubles as a small wine bar for in-person imbibing of by-the-glass pours or full bottles. There’s a strong emphasis on Oregon wines, as well as a good selection of imports, mainly from Europe. With a friendly owner and a relaxed environment, it’s a popular haunt for residents of St. Johns, and worth the trip for those outside the neighborhood.

This sultry, deep-blue wine bar and restaurant is a jack of all trades, with indoor and outdoor dining, a bottle shop, and wine delivery. Thursdays through Sundays, diners can pore over pasta and light Italian fare from chef Patrick McKee, with casual and comforting red sauce dishes on Wednesday evenings. Both in the bottle shop and on the dine-in bottle list, diners can also find an exceptional collection of natural wines, from Willamette Valley heavy-hitters like Swick to elegant Slovenian whites.

What was once Les Caves — NE Alberta’s intimate, subterranean wine bar reminiscent of wine caves with its compact underground tasting area and hole-in-the-wall seating nook — is now Bar Nina. With former co-owner Jeff Vejr stepping away to focus on other projects, co-owners Ksenija Kostic House and John House of Ovum Wines have fully taken over the joint, keeping beloved touches like the fun “mystery pour” option, the grilled cheese, and moody interior design while tweaking the wine list and adding new food options like Spanish sausages. Ovum’s signature and summery muscat, gewürztraminer, and riesling mash-up Big Salt and its sister wines are served outdoors, as they should be, at the seasonal Big Salt Bar in the open-air former Les Clos space. The indoor wine bar and tasting room area pours Ovum’s small-production Oregon whites, Spanish and Portuguese imports from La Luz Selections, and fine wines, natural wines, and rare bottles from around the world.

With its bentwood bistro chairs and Francophile wine menu, Heavenly Creatures whisks patrons away to the romantic wine bars of Europe without leaving Northeast Portland. Created by chef Aaron Barnett and sommelier Joel Gunderson, the team behind St. Jack, this sophisticated bar and bottle shop feels like a softer, more intimate version of the beloved French bistro. Although full bottles can be purchased to enjoy on-site (with a $15 corkage fee), the focus is on by-the-glass pours of producers that would normally only be available by the bottle. French wine regions like Burgundy are highlighted, but other Old World countries like Italy and New World winemakers from close to home in the Columbia Gorge or down under in Australia make notable appearances. Diners won’t be left hungry either, with Heavenly Creatures pairing pours of Alsace riesling or Beaujolais gamay with potato chips and Camembert “cheese whiz” or Euro-centric dishes like Italian crudo or French rillette spread.

Featuring a thoughtfully curated wine list from Stacey Gibson, an esteemed sommelier whose resume includes stints at Momofuku’s Má Pêche and co-owning Park Avenue Fine Wines, as well as imaginative small plates like dirty rice arancini from ex-Olympia Provisions chef Joey Gibson, Parallel makes for a lovely new addition to Portland’s wine bar scene (Portlanders may already be familiar — it formerly operated in town as a pop-up). Joey’s dishes are developed specifically to complement Stacey’s vino selections; snacks include pairing-focused small plates or wine bar mainstays like charcuterie boards and tinned fish.

This hardcore-goofy wine bar is often worth a visit for its themed and pop-culture-referencing wine tastings, from flights inspired by zodiac signs to pairing wines with characters from popular TV shows (what would Rhaenyra Targaryen from House of the Dragon drink?). That being said, the crew here isn’t playing around — as silly as the bar gets, every person pouring knows the story behind each bottle, and there’s a strong commitment to featuring natural wines. Along with its unstuffy, imaginative approach to wine education, a wide variety of bottle price points tie into Pairings’ mission to make wine accessible and fun for all. With indoor and outdoor seating, the shop welcomes visitors to try a flight, bottle, or some wines by the glass.

Arden closely rides the line between a wine bar and a full-fledged restaurant, which makes sense considering owner Kelsey Glasser is an experienced sommelier and wine educator. Along with its menu of Pacific Northwest fare, dining in Arden’s sophisticated and polished dining room means an opportunity to try a diverse range of wines including unique and rare bottles from Willamette Valley and Old World winemakers. In addition to the daily menu, Arden also offers themed winemaker dinners, featuring menus curated to complement the vintner’s offerings, and monthly guided wine club tastings with Glasser. 

As beloved for its stunning balcony view overlooking East Burnside as it is for its wine collection, Noble Rot makes for an excellent date night, especially in warmer months. Aside from its bountiful wine selection, which has earned it a James Beard nomination for outstanding wine program, the upscale restaurant grows produce on the rooftop, which goes into much of the menu. Walk-ins are welcome, but making a reservation is the best way to go, especially for larger parties or during the summer.

Feeling like an earthy wine cave with its black walls, low lighting, and hanging plants, this friendly, welcoming wine bar on Montavilla’s main drag boasts an impressive 400-plus bottle collection from producers as close to home as the Pacific Northwest and as far afield as Portugal, with the international selection mainly focusing on European wine regions. Aimed at creating a comfortable environment where diners can relish and expand their wine knowledge sans judgment, patrons can grab a glass, split a bottle, or do flights before catching a movie across the street at the Academy. Vino Veritas also frequently hosts live music nights and wine classes where visitors can learn more about unfamiliar varietals or regions. Outdoor dining is available as well.

Saddling up to the blue-topped bar in this slender, minimalist slip of a wine bar, drinkers will find exactly what they love about Nil’s next-door sibling bottle shop, Ardor: an exciting mix of the obscure, culty, and up-and-coming in the natural wine world. In keeping with the trendy natty wine crowd, Nil is undoubtedly cool with colorful lighting and genre-jumping DJ sets. If the compact indoor bar area is too congested, join the crowd milling around outside and grab a seat at one of the picnic tables while enjoying a bottle or by-the-glass pour. New wine options pop up regularly, always with something new to discover and obsess over.

Along with Nil and Ardor several blocks up, Sunnyside wine bar Company is helping Southeast Belmont become Portland’s go-to avenue for atmospheric natty wine. The interior captures the casual, chill vibe of a friend’s converted garage with cinderblock walls, patterned rugs, and fold-down chairs, but adds in stand-out touches like a glowing, backlit countertop menu and elegant, non-traditional stemware to elevate the space to a sleek, sophisticated bar and bottle shop. Company offers fresh by-the-glass options each week including Georgian oranges to Oregon reds, as well as full bottles to-go or to-stay. If feeling hungry, diners can also grab bar snacks like furikake Chex Mix and chicken katsu nuggets from the Snackies food truck outside. Company offers indoor and outdoor seating, rolling up its garage door on nice days to open up the indoor dining area. Make sure to watch out for entertainment at the bar, like “vino and vinyl” evenings.

No cocktails, just wine; that’s the shtick behind this stylish bistroesque winery restaurant in Southeast Portland. After years of collaboration on different projects, Jeff Vejr’s wine program and chef Joel Stocks’s French Riviera-inspired fare is the perfect marriage of the pair’s talents. Expect glass pours and bottles from Vejr’s Oregon winery Golden Cluster, as well as European options that dovetail nicely with Mediterranean- and French-influenced dishes like prawn-and-shrimp-filled crepes and fresh oysters on Wednesdays.

Not to be confused with Division Wines, urban winery Division Winemaking Company has its own tasting room and bottle shop at the Wine Yard space in SE Portland, where it makes its own wines right in the back. Visitors to the sunny tasting room can sample an array of options from winemakers Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe’s diverse portfolio of Oregon wines with flights or sit back with single glasses or full bottles. But, it’s the Wine Yard’s frequent events that also make it a real draw, with the production area transforming into a party space for tastings from other wineries, food pop-ups, and more.