Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar Review by Joe Schell

Bricks make up the buildings and a tinge of sea salt hangs in the air where 20th Ave NW and Ballard Ave NW meet. Here, nestled among the street-side trees and second story apartments, is Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar, providing the subdued balance this area needs. Other bars in the area don’t offer much more than a bastion for rockabilly (long live The Tractor!) and the drunken underbelly. Classy and couth antics are far from the norm.

Opened four and a half years ago, Portalis breathes sophistication with an atmosphere that would calm the most savage beast, while boasting a wine selection that would rouse even the slightest Dionyitic tendency. One third of the shop hosts dining tables and local, rotating art. The remaining two thirds of the shop displays a long, elegant bar to your right and three aisles of extensive wine racks to your left. Lain about the shop are found objects, including an old dodge tailgate and a collection of old trunks and buckets. Halfway along the ceiling of the bar are two skylights filled with myriad multicolored empty wine bottles, creating a spectacular mosaic of light.

As you might imagine, the wine list is extensive, with 30 wines available by the glass at any time. On my last visit I sampled several different varietals, starting with the Izadi 2003 Rioja Crianza Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain, then moving on to the Chateau Patache d’Aux 2004 Medoc Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot from the Left Bank of Bordeaux, France. I ended with my favorite of the night (wishing I had started with it) the Arnold Palmer 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. All of the wines were delicious, but the fuller body of the Arnold Palmer was a clear choice for me.

I’ve dined at Portalis several times and my favorite seat in the house remains at the bar. Perhaps it’s the small lamps that light the bar in a low glow, casting only enough light to meet the shadow edge of the next. Possibly it’s the rows of glimmering wine glasses that line the wall behind the bar, refracting light amid the shop. Or maybe it’s the menagerie of antique decanters, varying in shape and color, which lines the top of the cupboards, creating a pleasant distraction as you sit back sipping your wine of choice. Whatever it is, it keeps me coming back.

The service and overall ambiance meld together well, too. The easygoing staff is approachable and friendly—far from the pretentious wine snobs you may expect to find (or that I’ve experienced in other shops). Our waitress, Laurie, told us a bit about herself as some Damien Rice and Iron & Wine played quietly in the background. A grad student, working six days a week toward a Sustainable Green MBA, she still managed to smile and make small talk with her customers—something to be commended.

The food menu is not to be overlooked. With a loose Tuscan theme, the menu is made up of rich and deep palette excursions. A couple of food and wine pairings at the top of the menu help get you started. It may be unorthodox, but I prefer to separate the two. I started with the Frissee and roasted beet salad w/candied walnuts and Oregon bleu cheese—simple, yet delightful. For the entrée I had the spinach and sausage lasagna w/smoked Gouda—very rich, but I couldn’t manage to put my fork down until it was gone.

Not only is it a fine wine bar and restaurant, but the wine on the racks I mentioned earlier is all for sale. Four-hundred, to be exact, and hailing from all over the world, including the most renowned areas of France, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many local regions including Oregon, California and many great bottles from here in Washington State. Their catalog of wines available is very readable and reminded me of a notebook you would expect to find in the possession of a Sommelier, with extensive lists and descriptions, matching you with the locations, varietals and distinct flavors you may be looking for.

As I sat and sipped on my last drink, people were beginning to filter out into the street and chairs were put up on the tables. I found myself smiling as the staff giggled and danced to the Bee Gees while closing down the bar. I’m not really sure why I was smiling. It might have been the fact there just aren’t that many places in Seattle where you can eat and drink from an epicurean menu and listen to the blue-eyed soul of the Bee Gees.