Vino

My wife and I went to this establishment a few weeks back and thought they had a great wine selection. When we brought our selections to check out, they said they did not take American Express, so we could not make the purchase. We wish they did, because they are close to my business, and it would be so way to pick up wine for my wife and I. But we need to go somewhere else now, because we love using our AMEX card.

This great wine store offers tastings almost every Friday eve. You get 5 different wines ($ 10 – 25) for $ 10. You bring your own food! The owner Bruce knows his stuff!

Great Shop, best wines I’ve ever bought (but I’m an amateur)
Loved this place, stopped on a lark to kill some time a couple weeks ago, realized it was free wine tasting Saturday and found a bunch of great wines at excellent prices. I ended up with six bottles and can’t wait to go back.
It was a little hard to ask questions with all the «Nashville» gossip going on, but we’ll be back for more wine and bottles soon.
I did join the mailing list, it’s full of good info and wines I want to try, but takes a while to read.

Vino has all the trappings of awesome:
–Cute local shop
–Fun selection of wines
–Affordable selections and special occasions wines. Better put, wines to fit most peoples budgets
–Free wine tastings on weekends
–No corkage on wine bought and consumed in the store
–Friendly
–Encouraged to bring in cart food and have a really upmarket experience on a humble budget
The list goes on. I saw a sign here about the free tasting and though. Why not?
I was greeted by a young lady who was both friendly and knowledgable. She was fun without being overbearing. So it made tasting in a smaller space fun and easy.
There are tables inside and a larger space outside where I’m sure the warmer weather brings crowds. It was too bad I discovered this place in the winter.
You can buy by the bottle or even glass. There are plenty of wines to discover and I took a few stories back with me. I tried a nice gamay from Oregon which hit the spot.
It is open Sunday at Noon. Free tastings Saturday and Sunday! Unilocal lists them as closed Sunday but now you know different. A real treat if you find yourself in the area and like me enjoy a little (ok ok a lot) of vino with your cart meal.

I really wanted to like this place… especially because they allow people to bring in food from the food carts and enjoy it there if you buy wine. The experience was pretty blah from the beginning. It was obvious from being in there for about an hour that the owner does have some regulars that come in. Now to these folks, he seems to treat them nice enough… offering wine tasting (which they seem to be offering to everyone who came in the store-​from what I heard they do the tastings on the weekends).
My husband and I went there in hopes of finding a great wine shop since we purchase anywhere from 2 – 3 cases a month. From the start it was obvious that the man there (who I think is the owner?) could care less about your business if he didn’t already know you. But hey, we all have bad days, right? So we gave him the benefit of the doubt and purchased two glasses of wine to enjoy with our meal. TIP: DO NOT buy wine by the glass there. Take it from expert wine tasters and people who DO know A LOT about wine, the glass pours were really not glass pours at all. I would say maybe a slightly larger «tasting». So basically, you know when you go into a winery and the pourer gives those few extra dribbles in your tasting glass to taste, well that’s what it was like. (And yes, I know what the pours are with the different size glasses…) So if you’re planning on going in with your food to enjoy a glass of wine… do yourself a favor and just buy a bottle to enjoy there. (Here in OR, we don’t have to finish the bottle. We are allowed to take home whatever wine is left in the bottle.)
With the dismal experience so far, we still hoped our experience would get better. So, after we were done, we went up to do the tasting he was offering that day. My husband asked for the tasting and the man handed him a glass and COMPLETELY ignored me. Why? not sure… because I was standing right next to my husband when we asked for the tasting. Hmmmm, anyways neither of us could have been bothered enough to say anything. After all, we figured he’s being cheap because his business is suffering and needs to «cut corners» or maybe he assumed we knew nothing about wine and couldn’t possibly be future customers to care enough. (Hmmm… I wonder if his customer service would have been different if he knew we had just opened up a 20 yr old bottle of Château Lafite Rothchild recently.)
Anyways, we still ended up buying a few bottles of wine because we wanted them… not because he deserved our business. Sadly, we won’t be recommending this place to our family and friends. (…And let me tell you, we get asked on a regular basis for wine recommendation and where to go because of my husband’s knowledge and experience with wine!)
Lastly, the wine selection is not great. They do have an assortment from different areas, but if you’re looking for a good selection to choose from… go elsewhere. For atmosphere… don’t expect a cozy «wine bar» type of feel for when you sit to enjoy your meal either. It’s definitely not that. As for prices of the wine, it’s not horrible, but not great. I would only get there what you can’t find easily at other places. But from what we saw, most items can be purchased online or other places for less.

I’ve known Vino proprietor Bruce for over 6 years now, and used to frequent his shop in Sellwood before he moved to the SE 28^th location. His low key, über knowledgeable approach fits Portland perfectly and I can’t remember ever disliking wine he’s recommended. Friday night tastings are a bargain at $ 10. Grab a table, bust out your cheese and cracker selection and meet new people thrilled to be doing exactly the same. We buy all our weekly quaffing wine here, though he has a number of more special occasion bottles on offer if your budget allows. It feels great to support a local business, and when the owner is as passionate about what he does as Bruce is, you just can’t top that.

Vino has been our go-​to place to sip good wines carefully-​chosen by the owner, Bruce, for close to ten years! Bruce is the best! He’s friendly, welcoming, he knows his wines, and he’s also always up on the latest happenings in the neighborhood, as well as, the world. You must sign up for his weekly newsletter to know what I mean. Vino is the place to go (and go early to grab a seat either inside or out) to gather with friends with your own appetizers and a flight of wine (plus the bonus pours if you’d like) and just shoot the breeze, meet new people, laugh, etc. And have I mentioned the women who pour the wine? They are just brilliant and I have never witnessed them mixing up a wine. As they say, behind every successful man (or wine store owner), is a bevy of women. Go to the Vino website to learn of the Vino location and hours, and of the fabulous selection of wines about which Bruce knows it all. Really.

This is my local neighborhood wine shop and I’m so glad I discovered it. There’s a good selection, with a great range of prices. Best yet is the free wine tasting on Saturday and Sundays. They usually pour four wines, and there’s always (at least every time I’ve been) at least one under $ 15 that I usually enjoy. I like to stop by on my way to a dinner party and get to pick out a bottle (from one they are pouring) that I’ve actually tasted.

Wine! ok Tastings on Friday and Saturday! Yes please! they have the most enchanting little garden beside Vino where you can sit and bring your cheese and crackers and do a tasting of different wines from around the world. Every weekend has a certain kind of wine and it changes. I think i just missed Malbec’s Darn it! i do love some good Argentinian wine! You can also buy cases or order your favorite wine here and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable! I cant get enough!

Bruce is an Icon among his regulars at Vino. Professional, friendly service without being pretentious or snooty. The assortment of wine spans the globe and the selections are organized into convenient little book cases so that you can easily find what you are looking for.
Vino offers Friday Night Flights and periodic tasting events. The difference in the tasting events at Vino is that it isn’t a weekly recurring event. Bruce only does tastings when he has something special to share. I recently went to an ’09 Bordeaux tasting mainly focused on ‘Right Bank’ wines and purchased a very nice Pauillac for only $ 39.95.
It doesn’t hurt that Vino is only a few steps away from Grilled Cheese Grill!

Writing a review of Vino is tough, because it is hard to objective about it. In the pre-​kids days I was a Vino regular. Every Friday night, my friends and I took over a table, piled it with cheese, crackers, olives and cured meats and spent three hours sampling Bruce’s wine picks for the week.
I still love to go, even though the visits have to be more infrequent these days. Oh the realities of babysitters and bedtimes.
Trust me, Bruce is an amazing guy with a really great approach to wine. If it tastes good, drink it. He has wines in every price range, and the weekly Friday tastings are a great way to try many different wines for only $ 10. If that isn’t in your budget, then stroll in on Saturday, and they pour out four tastes for free.
I truly love this place and think it is the most welcoming wine shop in Portland, and the newish location is great, with a big patio and large backroom so there is lots of seating, just save a seat for me. I bring good snacks.

It’s easy to create a snobby wine shop that is overly impressed with itself. It’s much harder to create a place that both aficionado’s and novices can enjoy, feel welcome, and acquire real ‘finds’ at reasonable prices from almost every major wine region. Bruce has done all of this and more.
This is my favorite local wine shop. The weekly Friday night wine tastings feel more like wine parties. There are free tastings on Saturdays, and they are often filled with visits from local vintners. And finally, they provide expert advice on everything from special occasion bottles to those that you will open for no other reason than ‘it’s Tuesday’.
Kudos to Bruce for making wine snobbery tolerable (and fun) again!

Awesome Friday wine tastings, 5 glasses for $ 10! Each week is a different theme and they also have free bread though you can bring in your own food from outside such as from the foodcarts right next door!
I’m young and by no means a wine aficionado but the staff and owner area always nice to me and willing to chat if I have questions about the wine.

A place for wine enthusiasts and above. As a wine novice I felt out of place and mildly unwelcome. I know what kinds of wine I like, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris… but as someone in jeans and a t-​shirt who was sweaty from biking, I felt like I shouldn’t be there.

The new location on 28^th is as funky and fun as the old Sellwood location — with a better bathroom!
The $ 10 Friday night tastings are always a hit, introducing me to delicious and affordable bottles I might have otherwise overlooked.
Bruce is fantastic — always friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help you with a special order.
The free sips on Saturday afternoon are a nice way to meet some like-​minded folks in your neighborhood and find the perfect bottle to go with dinner.

Vino is the place to learn about your neighborhood (Sellwood) and be welcomed warmly each time you walk in. Vino is the place to bring out-​of-​town guests to get a feeling for what makes Portland the place where highly civil, intelligent, mostly unassuming people live.
Vino is where I developed my wine tasting palate and confidence.
I’m so very very sad that Bruce Bauer is having to move from our little spot to another, now more fortunate, neighborhood. It rarely seemed as though it was business and almost always felt like community that made Vino THE place to be on Friday nights, all seasons of the year. Will I drive to his new place? Of course. But his absence from Sellwood leaves a huge hole.

What a cool little neighborhood wine shop!
Vino sits down on a quiet little street corner in Sellwood, but this unassuming shop serves up a might fine selection of wines from appellations all over the world. I am of the impression that the owner has tried everything he offers for sale, as many of the description carts are written (well written, I might add) in a very personal and entertaining tone.
The shop is cool, dog friendly, and welcoming. The selection is similar to that of Mt. Tabor Fine Wines in that there’s a smattering of stuff I was familiar with yet quite a few niche French, Italian, and Spanish picks with which I am unfamiliar (and haven’t seen much of at the larger wine shops). Definitely a boutique collection of carefully selected wines.
The owner is very nice and friendly, willing to help out with a selection or even for us to come sit and eat the cart food we bought across the street at Garden State. That may seem crazy, but after lunch wine shopping is enjoyable, and hey, I walked out with a very intriguing bottle of Couteaux du Languedoc at what seems to be a reasonable price. I am pretty excited to try it.
Next time you’re down in this little neighborhood stop in and check out Vino. On Saturdays they even offer wine tasting (I hear). I may have to come back down on a weekend for this reason alone!
Cheers to good wines selected and sold by good people.

Joshua C. said it all. Fantastic place to drink /​buy /​learn about /​share wine. Fridays are a great time to taste and visit (strangers quickly bond at community tables) and Saturdays are the perfect time time to taste… for free with a more sober outlook… talk to Bruce about what you like, and buy great wines for your cellar /​wannabe cellar.
I’m thinking wine snobs may prefer to go elsewhere, while those who want great wine and great value need look no further. If you go when it’s quiet, don’t be scared off; there’s gold on them there shelves.

I’m a huge fan of Vino. And the wine shop too!
One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is to stop in for the FREE wine tasting. Bruce pours a generous taste, so while I’m sipping away I have time to peruse his shop. I inevitably leave with 4 – 6 bottles, all of which I might add are incredibly well-​priced. Being that I enjoy my nightly bottle of red, I love to find tasty buys between $ 9-​$ 16 that are really good. This is one of the reasons I love VINO — Bruce is unpretentious and has a knack for finding delicious deals. At the same time, you can find that special wine if you’re in the mood to splurge.
And to top off the experience, there’s always good conversation to be had among the locals at Vino, and it usually revolves around food and new restaurant openings — what could be a better complement to a wine buying experience?!
PS — be sure to sign up for the weekly e-​newsletter. I read it regularly, not only for the wine, but for the satirical commentary on current events, and the shared camaraderie from someone who drinks as much juice as I do.

I’ve been thinking (off and on for a whole three minutes now) about how our favorites offer insights into who we are. So what might «Vino» being my favorite wine shop say about me?
Community rocks.
You don’t need to read too many of my reviews to know I love Sellwood. It’s laid back and all the shop owners (especially around SE Lexington & SE 13^th) know each other (not just each other’s names, but really know and care about each other). And even better if you take the time to get to know them, they make the time to get to know you. Kyle at Musical PDX. Kevin and James at Garden State. Debbie at Tilde. Bruce and Chopper at Vino. It’s like Cheers (the neighborhood version). I love that Vino is more than a shop, it’s a gathering place. Everyone in this hood knows it’s the place to be on a Friday night. $ 10 themed wine flights with generous pours. But not done in a stand around a bar and sip fashion, here there’s tables, chairs, multiple glasses, and an invitation to bring your food. Saturday’s are also great days to stop in here since there’s always free tastings of wine to sip as you shop.
Foodies rock.
It’s fun popping in and chatting with Bruce about life, food, wine, dogs, music, whatever. His blog (
) has got some great PDX food finds and makeable recipes, I owe him big time for suggesting Alba Osteria (
) perhaps my favorite Italian restaurant outside of Italy. Additionally Bruce’s weekly email detailing the Friday/​Saturday tasting menus and special wine deals is a great informative read.
Value rocks.
I love discovering things that are under priced, under valued, or both. Bruce is a master at stocking such finds. He cuts through any pretentious elitist ridiculousness and sells stuff that’s simply affordable and good. I’ve yet to walk out with anything that didn’t end up being both great tasting and a great value. Copain Syrah L’hiver. Pillar Box Red. Château De Brague Bordeaux Superior. Mas Des Chimeres Coteaux du Languedoc. Bibi Graetz «Casamatta» Sangiovese. Sineann Red Table Wine. Grochau Cellars «Toute Suite». Of course true value can be found here in the generous discount offered to those purchasing 6 – 11 bottles and gets even better for those buying 12 or more (one day I’m going to wise up and take advantage of this).
Uniqueness rocks.
Love small places with lots of personality. Vino’s got kind of a southern European countryside eclectic vibe to it. It’s just off the main street, chill, and got that color on the wall plus red brick warmth to it. It’s a space where comfortable lingering is not only possible, but encouraged.
Dog lovers rock.
Not only did we feel welcome here, so did Maddie. Love that aspect of Sellwood (and the northwest in general). I’ve obviously still haven’t got over the coolness of being able to take our dogther pretty much anywhere we go.
Vino rocks.
While I still miss the Thursday night tasting crowd from my favorite shop back home… Vino’s definitely filled in nicely whenever need arises to restock my wine cabinet. Just like searching for a wine that’s a great fit, PDX has many options to sample. For me, Vino’s got everything I’d want in a wine shop-​except a cold dark cellar accessible only through a trap door in the floor (silly, I know) and a location within walking distance of my house (hopefully we’ll one day rectify this by moving to Sellwood, who knows?). Anyway, give it a try, you might even discover a new favorite.
Great Values. Great Tastings. Great Shop. Great Owner. Great Neighborhood.
Great Pictures? (anyone got a D300 or a 5D they feel like donating?)