Chocolate and Fortified Wine — Portland's Quirky Power Couple
Downtown · Portland · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Bar of Chocolate’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bar of Chocolate does something almost no one else in Portland is doing: it leads with dessert and fortified wines like they're the main event, not an afterthought. The dry wine section is short and clearly secondary, but that's not why you're here. You're here because someone decided Port and dark chocolate should have a room of their own, and honestly, they were right.
The fortified and dessert wine category is the whole story — Port, Madeira, Sherry, Tokaji, Muscat, and an Austrian Steindorfer showing up to represent the sweet wine world with genuine range. Portugal and Spain anchor the list, but Hungary and Austria give it just enough depth to feel considered rather than slapped together. The dry wine selection is thin: Kim Crawford, Josh Cellars, Dark Horse, Apothic — crowd-pleasing grocery store staples that feel like they wandered in from a different restaurant. If you came hoping for a serious Burgundy or a nervy Gruner, you'll want to recalibrate expectations fast.
Somewhere between 12 and 20 pours by the glass, with the by-the-glass program clearly designed around the fortified and dessert category. The Bartenura Moscato and Veuve Clicquot round out the sweeter and sparkling end of the spectrum. Rotation appears limited — this is a set-and-forget list that leans on its concept rather than seasonal updates.
Veuve Clicquot Brut NV — $18/glass
At roughly $18 a glass against a $55 retail bottle, the Veuve markup lands around 196% — the most restrained pricing on the list. In the context of this wine bar, a glass of Champagne with a chocolate pairing is a genuinely fun move, and it's the one pour here where the math doesn't sting.
Steindorfer
An Austrian producer on a Portland dessert wine list is the last thing most people expect to see, and almost everyone will walk past it. Steindorfer specializes in sweet and dessert wines from Burgenland — this is your ticket off the beaten path and exactly the kind of pour the rest of the list is missing.
Dark Horse Chardonnay 2022
A $9/glass pour on an $11 retail bottle is a 491% markup on a wine that retails for less than most people spend on lunch. Dark Horse Chardonnay has no business being the reason you spend money here — if you want dry white wine, go somewhere else. If you're at Bar of Chocolate, commit to the concept.
Bartenura Moscato + Artisan chocolate pairing
Moscato's low alcohol and honeyed stone fruit sweetness don't fight the chocolate — they lean into it. Bartenura runs sweeter and aromatic, which makes it a natural match for milk chocolate or fruit-forward dark bars. It's the most accessible gateway into what this place is actually trying to do.
The Bottom Line
Bar of Chocolate earns its Wild Card badge not by being a great wine bar in the traditional sense, but by fully committing to a niche that almost nobody else is working — fortified and dessert wines as a destination experience. Skip the dry wine section entirely, order something from Portugal or Hungary, and let the chocolate do the rest.
East End · Portland · Sushi / Japanese
Mr. Tuna isn't a wine destination — it's a great sushi spot that happens to have two sensible, well-chosen bottles and a local can that makes the experience feel intentional. Come for the hand rolls, drink the Vinho Verde, and don't overthink it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Bayside · Portland · Seafood
A fast-casual raw bar with a wine list that punches well above its category — the French-only focus is a feature, not a limitation. If you're eating oysters in Portland, this is where you want to be drinking.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Deer Isle · Portland · Seafood Fine Dining
Aragosta is the rare case where the wine program matches the remoteness of the drive — you come all the way out here and find a 3,475-bottle cellar waiting for you. Yes, send your friends. Send everyone.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Old Port · Portland · Seafood, American
Scales is playing a different game than the tourist-trap seafood spots on either side of it — the wine list is genuinely Old World-focused and well-matched to the food, which is rare and worth noting. If you're eating clams and mussels on the Portland waterfront, this is where you want to be doing it with a glass in hand.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arts District · Portland · Seafood, Californian, Contemporary Mexican
Regards isn't trying to be a wine bar, but whoever built this list understands exactly what the food needs and went hunting for it. If you're in Portland and want a bottle that actually earns its place on the table, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West End · Portland · French and Spanish
Chaval is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood brasserie in Portland — the list is small but curated by someone who actually cares, with pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. If you're open to going off the beaten path (xarel-lo, South African grenache blanc), this is a genuinely rewarding room to drink in.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southwest Atlanta · Atlanta · Wine Bar
BOSK is quietly doing something interesting in a neighborhood that most Atlanta wine lists ignore completely, and that alone earns it a look. We need more data on specific bottles and pricing before we can tell you exactly what to order, but the concept is right and the vibe is genuinely welcoming. If you're in Southwest Atlanta and want wine without pretense alongside cauliflower bites or a BLT with candied beef bacon, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Acworth · Wine Bar
Broken Anchor isn't going to satisfy anyone hunting rare bottles or obsessing over markups — but that's not who it's for. If you're in Acworth and want to drink local wine in a room where trivia night is a real possibility, this is your place. We'd send a friend here with the right expectations firmly set in advance.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
West Cobb · Marietta · Wine Bar
unWine'd & Tap fills a real gap in West Cobb — a genuinely social wine bar with solid food, good energy on a Friday night, and a staff that seems to care even if they're not Master Sommeliers. We'd send a friend here for a low-stakes date night or a girls' night out, with the caveat that you should explore the list before anchoring to the obvious picks. Reservations on weekends are non-negotiable.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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