Best Wine Bars in Bend, OR
It’s hard to stay away from Bend, Oregon for very long. As a hub for outdoor activities in Oregon’s beautiful high desert and only 3.5 hours from Portland, we visit as often as we can. It comes as a welcome bonus that after a day of hiking we can return to town and enjoy some great bars and restaurants.
While Bend is rightly famous for the Ale Trail, we would like to introduce a new concept that we affectionately call the Bend Wine Walk. Not only does Bend’s wine scene deserves some of the attention lavished so heavily on its hoppy counterpart, there are many tasting rooms, wine bars, and bottle shops within easy walking distance that will tempt both locals and tourists into trying more than one. We’ve grouped the wine bars in this article based on neighborhood so that you can try out the Wine Walk on your next trip.
West Bend
We recently heard a local describe the west side of Bend as “highly desirable.” We can confirm that the pants get pretty fancy in this part of town. However, we were pleased to find that the wine bars here had a decidedly neighborhood feel without any stuffiness. Go ahead and wear what you have on when you try out these relaxed spots in West Bend.
Flights Wine Bar
Seating: Indoor and outdoor.
Wines: Half glasses, glasses, bottles, and flights. Spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic options also available.
Cost: Wide range of price points available. Glasses from under $10 to 30, flights $14-30. No corkage fees on bottles!
Snacks: Flights has a full food menu that is closer to a restaurant than a bar. There are light snacks like chips and nuts as well as charcuterie boards, soups, sandwiches, and eclectic plates running the gamut from steak tartare to cauliflower steak.
Happy hour: Weekdays 12-5 and all day Wednesday - enjoy discounts on wine, beer, and snacks.
Flights Wine Bar was designed to be an inviting space where you can unwind after a long day. We stopped in after a full work day, then hours of driving from Portland, and we found that it provides just that. This tucked away little wine bar on the west end of Bend is all about creating an intimate and cozy atmosphere, while still offering seriously good wines. Choose between multiple flight options featuring reds, whites, Pacific NW, and international wines. Flights are curated with care and rotate monthly. This wine bar also doubles as a bottle shop. There aren’t corkage fees, although you save 10% on bottles to go. With a generous selection of glasses and half glasses available, there is room to explore before committing to a new bottle.
Portello Wine Café
Seating: Indoor and outdoor sidewalk/patio with heaters available.
Wines: Wine by the glasses and bottles to go. Beer and cocktails also available.
Cost: $10-15 for glasses of wine.
Snacks: Full food menu for lunch and dinner.
Happy hour: Tues-Fri 4-6 PM. Also look for the $6 wine special, where all glasses are $6 Monday night and Wed-Sat for lunch.
Portello Wine Café brings the elegance of a wine bar to the casual charm of a sidewalk café. While reclaimed brick and living room furniture provide warmth to the interior, we were drawn to the outdoor tables surrounded by maple trees.
Olives are brought to your table as a matter of course when you’re seated. For a meal, try out a mix and match bruschetta board or the rotating seasonal ravioli. The glass list is large and offers a bit of everything, from staples like Willamette Valley Pinot Noir to my glass, a dark and highly tannic Georgian Saperavi, to sparkling wines and ports.
Old Bend (Downtown)
Located right in the heart of town, these venues sit comfortably among tempting restaurants and shops, as well as being an easy distance from Drake Park and the Deschutes River. Take your time and have a look around as you enjoy the wine bars of Old Bend.
Good Drop Wine Shoppe
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio. Room downstairs available to rent for private events.
Wines: Glasses and bottles. Beer also available.
Cost: Glass pours around $14-20 and one anomaly for $50. Wide range in bottle prices from under $20 to over $200. There’s a $15 corkage fee on bottles under $40.
We didn’t expect to stay long at this unassuming little bottle shop, but honestly, we had the most fun here of anywhere on this list. With one table and four seats inside, Good Drop fills up quickly and people start getting cozy as soon as more than one group enters. We met some tourists from Minnesota shopping for a special to-go bottle and a local enjoying his regular happy hour ritual. The owner showed up while we were there and had us feeling like family by the time we left.
Wine-wise, you can’t go wrong with the carefully chosen bottle selections sourced from around the world. Good Drop aims to please all tastes from popular crowd pleasers to unusual and unique bottles. We’d recommend it if you’re looking for something specific or if you’d like a suggestion on the wine that will become your new favorite.
FERM & fare
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio with heaters available. Seating is first come, first serve, no reservations.
Wines: Glass pours and bottles.
Cost: Glasses around $10-20. Wide range of bottle prices from under $20 to over $200. There is a $15 corkage fee for bottles consumed on site.
Snacks: Small menu of rotating upscale small plates.
It’s safe to say that October 2020 was not the most promising time to open a new bar, but FERM & fare beat the odds and is thriving in its location near Drake Park in the heart of Old Bend. By design, this bottle shop and wine bar encourages exploration. The glass list rotates every couple weeks based on, in the words of the owner, whatever is inspiring him at the moment. It’s a great place to ask for suggestions when you want to try something outside of your usual go-to regions and varietals. FERM & fare specializes in organic, sustainably grown wines, so go ahead and feel good about splurging on a bottle, either in the shop or to go.
The Wine Shop and Beer Tasting Bar
Seating: Indoor and outdoor.
Wines: Flights, glasses, and bottles. Generous beer tap list and cider available as well.
Cost: Glasses around $10-15. Wide range in bottle prices.
Snacks: Charcuterie and cheese options.
Many wine bars have a token beer option or two, but The Wine Shop and Beer Tasting Bar in downtown Bend has a full tap list of craft brews that will warm the hearts of the beer lovers in your group. If you’re looking for wine, you will still have options aplenty. With over 600 bottles sourced from around the world, there is a ton of exploration potential. Best of all, The Wine Shop offers 2 oz tastings of their wines, so you can try them out before committing to a glass or bottle purchase. Buy bottles to go or enjoy them in The Wine Shop and Beer Tasting Bar’s cozy tasting room.
The Box Factory (near the Old Mill District)
This hip-as-they-come neighborhood has an impressive concentration of wine bars that are all more or less around the corner from one another. The patio game here is strong here, with fire pits and twinkle lights for blocks on end. Visit a food cart, grab a glass of wine, and watch the dogs go by.
Stoller Wine Bar
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio. Reservations available.
Wines: Glasses, flights, and bottles. Beer also available.
Cost: Glasses around $10-20, bottles around $30-50.
Snacks: Cheese, charcuterie, and small plates.
Having visited Stoller Wine at their vineyard in Dundee, we were excited to see a tasting room in Bend. It’s one of the newest wine bars featured here, having just opened its doors in 2021. Our visit there did not disappoint. The tasting room is one of the most visually striking on this list, with its sunny lofted space and heavy wooden rafters. The large and open patio is also a treat on a sunny day. If you’re new to Stoller, consider trying out a flight of wines produced from their vineyards in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, an area known for creating phenomenal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wines at Stoller typify what we love about this region and will have you feeling like you’ve been transported to wine country.
Bledsoe Family Winery
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio with firepits. Reservations are recommended but not required.
Wines: Glasses, flights, and bottles. Beer also available.
Cost: Glasses around $14-20, flights $20, bottles around $30-60,
Snacks: Nuts, olives, cheese, charcuterie. Outside food welcome.
Although Bledsoe Family Winery is owned by Bend resident and former NFL player Drew Bledsoe, don’t expect anything like a sports bar feel in this farmhouse-chic tasting room. Bledsoe brings delicious Walla Walla wines to the high desert of Bend. On a nice day, enjoy a crisp rosé or a fruit-forward Syrah on an Adirondack chair by the fire pit. Longing for Pinot? It shouldn’t be long now. Bledsoe is expanding into the Willamette Valley with just that goal in mind. In meantime, spoil yourself with a fantastic Walla Walla Cabernet or Chardonnay. Trouble deciding? You can’t go wrong with a tasting flight. The tasting fee is waived with a two bottle purchase, which adds to the already considerable temptation of bringing something home.
Elixir Wine Company
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio.
Wines: Glasses, flights, and bottles. Beer also available.
Cost: Glasses around $8-15. Bottles from under $20 to $60+.
This fine wine importer and producer is headquartered in Bend, and its wine bar there is great spot to relax and slow down after a long day of work, paddle boarding, or whatever has you feeling thirsty. Try out one of their wines either in the cute and comfy indoor tasting room or on the sunny patio by the garden. You won’t find any mass produced wines here. Elixir sources its wines with care from family-owned vineyards around the world, from the Willamette Valley to South America and Europe. You can try anything from their portfolio at Elixir. Flights rotate regularly and the tasting fee is waived with a bottle purchase.
The Bend Wine Bar
Seating: Indoor and outdoor sidewalk with firepits.
Wines: Glasses, flights, and bottles.
Cost: Glasses $8-20, flights around $20.
Snacks: Nuts, olives, cheese, charcuterie, chocolate.
The Bend Wine Bar is a small-production winemaker as well as tasting room. They source grapes from small family vineyards in Oregon and Washington to create their wines, each of which represents a single vineyard. You may recognize these wines from The Portland Wine Bar in downtown Portland or The Winery at Manzanita at the Oregon Coast. Look for the distinctive black dog (in honor of the owner’s dog) on the label. We’re fans of the 2020 Pinot Noir, which we first tasted out at the coast. We enjoyed the Bend location just as much. It’s laid-back and fun with a roll-up garage door adding an industrial feel to a casual and trendy space.
Va Piano
Seating: Indoor and outdoor patio. Reservations available but not required.
Wines: Glasses, flights, and bottles. Beer, cider, hard seltzer, and hard kombucha also available.
Cost: Glasses $10-25, flights $25, bottles $24-100+.
Snacks: Charcuterie and chocolates.
Va Piano Vineyards is the second tasting room on our list that offers Walla Walla wines, although it was the first of its kind to open in Bend. Located in the Old Mill District, it is only a ten minute walk from the Box Factory and is still very doable as part of a wine walk. If you haven’t been, the Old Mill District is worth a visit. Set along the Deschutes River with lots of green space, this mall/park/entertainment venue is a fun afternoon. Va Piano occupies some prime real estate there, with views of the Deschutes River from its grassy lawn. Enjoy a flight of fantastic examples of Walla Walla specialties: Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot, while taking in the views. As a bonus, the tasting fee is waived with a bottle purchase of over $30.
Enjoy the wine bars of Bend and cheers to your next adventure!
With love,
Emma
