Weekly Tastings

DISCOVER INTERESTING WINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Our knowledgeable wine team is always here to share as much (or as little) as you’d like to know about the wines, winemakers and regions we’re featuring. Hope you can join us!

Our weekly tasting runs 12-3pm on Saturdays. Cost is $15. The tasting fee is waived with a purchase of any wine in the shop (not just tasting wines).

Please Note: Tasting wines listed below are subject to change.

JULY 2025:

August Top Picks
Saturday, August 2 (12-3pm)

Every month Portalis owner Jens Strecker selects his favorite wines for the season, and on the first Saturday of the month, we taste a selection of those wines.

For August, join us to taste: supreme Touraine Sauvignon (tastes more like Sancerre!), a Chardonnay from Mâcon-Chaintré (Burgundy), Savoie rosé (Gamay from the French Alps), a Toscana Rosso & a Côtes du Roussillon Grenache rouge (French border to Spain). Terrific lineup!

Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

August Wine Club – Pickup Tasting
Saturday, August (12-3pm)

On the 2nd Saturday of every month, we taste our wine club wines for the month.

Our August Portalis EXPLORES Wine Club theme is Tuscany (featuring a Vermentino & a Chianti) & our Portalis FLAGSHIP Wine Club features August Holiday in France, featuring wines from Pouilly-Fumé, Southern Rhône (vineyards pictured) & Roussillon.

This pickup tasting is for our club members to taste and learn about their wines prior to enjoying them at home. Everyone is welcome to join.

Cost for non-club members is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

Light Summer Wines
Saturday, August 16 (12-3pm)

The trend this summer was “chillable reds”. We got asked about it a lot. Truth be told, Old World countries traditionally chill their lighter-bodied reds. Must be some people experienced the delight of a chilled red, and the news went viral! At any rate, join us to taste a lineup of light summer wines, including whites & rosé: Vinho Verde (the classic light, low alcohol white!), Cortese (a white grape from Gavi — not all versions are light, but this one is), Vetriccie (a minerally Corsican rosé), and then two, fun, chillable reds: EZY TGR (a crazy blend of Early Muscat, Cab Sauv & Mencia, from the producer of Big Salt) and Unico Zelo Fresh A.F. (a Nero d’Avola-Zibbibo blend from Australia).

Super fun tasting. Hope you can join! Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

Wines for Grilled Steak
Saturday, August 23 (12-3pm)

What kind of steak you have matters! Richer cuts of steak (T-bone, rib-eye) need acid & tannins to cut the fat, creating balance on your palate. They also need bolder flavors and can handle higher alcohol and oak-enhanced notes in the wine. Leaner cuts of steak (filet mignon, sirloin) are happy with a more medium-bodied wine (but full is still okay). Important, though, is you still need the acid & tannins for balance.

Join us to taste a lineup of wines that would taste great with steak of the grill: Raeburn Chardonnay, Milou Rosé (our Wine of the Month), Big Salt Orange, Glassblower Cab, Janasse Côtes du Rhône Réserve.

Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

Southern Italy
Saturday, August 30 (12-3pm)

Join us for a little tour from Campania (near Naples), to Puglia (the heel of the boot), to Sicily (island off the tip of the boot), showcasing: Falanghina (Campania), Primitivo (Puglia), Etna Bianco & Nerello Mascalese (both from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily) and a yet to be named Rosato! Hope you can join. Super fun tasting!

Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

SEPTEMBER 2025:

September Top Picks
Saturday, September 6 (12-3pm)

Every month Portalis owner Jens Strecker selects his favorite wines for the season, and on the first Saturday of the month, we taste a selection of those wines.

Here’s his September lineup: Chateau Saint-Martin Les 37 Languedoc Blanc, Römerhof Riesling Kabinett (Mosel), our Wine of the Month, Domaine de La Chapelle Saint Victor Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rosé, Cavalchina Bardolino Rosso (Veneto), and Mas des Bressades Costières de Nimes Rouge (Southern Rhône). Fun tasting. Hope you can join.

Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)