Curing my whine with wine:

(Written last week, but finally posted today)

We have come to a new chapter, in this here blog. The fruit trees finally blossomed, the tulips have bloomed. The afternoon sun now melts the ice from our windshields before we have to get in our vehicles every morning. It is Spring, and the thing I like best about Spring, besides the sunshine, is the wine. All Winter long, I have been drinking Cotes du Rhone, Tempranillo, Cabernet and Sangiovese. With the first chirps of bird, I rush to my favorite wine bar and ask for a Rose, which is exactly what I did yesterday after work and a jog around the waterfront esplanade. A reward, if you will.

What occurred to me while I was sitting at the bar, tasting the light, refreshing hint of berries and snacking on mixed olives and pimiento roasted pistachios, was how much I absolutely adore wine, and yet I do not have an in depth knowledge of it. It also occurred to me that I have found one wine bar that I love and just stopped there. But, like good wine, there are so many varieties on the wine bar - especially in Portland. This city loves it's wine.

And so, with the buzz in my head, I decided that I will pay a visit to every wine bar in the city of Portland and review it. In the process, I will learn about wine. I will come away from this experience with a better understanding of what makes a good wine, as well as what makes a good wine bar. Obviously this is all my opinion, and is mostly in order to gain experience, but it is also to share with you, dear readers (whoever you are), my findings and to make recommendations on the very best wine bars in the city.