365 Things To Do In Portland, Oregon

When I first moved back to Portland, Oregon  the first place I landed was a pretty wine bar called Vino Paradiso.  It's a low key Pearl District wine bar that is big on experience and not on attitude.  One of the owners is member of a wildly popular Portland music group - Pink Martini.  When talking about his goals for the wine bar, he told me that he wanted a place where people could learn about the wine in a comfortable environment without the snooty-ness you might expect elsewhere.

Vino Paradiso is great.  The space is bright and exhibits artwork of local artists.  An impressive glass wine room sits right in the center of the space.  Just the other day, I stopped by for one of their selected wine flights and a tray of cheese and meats. It's a great way to test your taste preferences, and for a great deal, too.  Most of their current flight selections are $11 or $12 (3 pours).

A full dinner menu is offered, in addition to some great prix fixe menus and a happy hour menu.  Their daily happy hour which runs from 4-6pm features great food at $6 and $2 off specialty cocktails and glasses of wine.  From time to time, winemakers will stop by for dinners and education events, and you can quickly transform into a well educated wine-o in no time at all!

Vino Paradiso
417 NW 10th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209

Chef - Paul Losch
Sommeliers: Timothy Nishimoto, Thomas Champine