Sky-High Views, Surprisingly Serious Wine List
Old Town · Portland · Asian Fusion · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Departures’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Perched on top of the Nines Hotel, Departures looks like it should be coasting on rooftop vibes and tourist traffic — and maybe it does a little. But the wine list is bigger and more considered than the setting suggests, clocking in at well over a hundred bottles with a clear Oregon-forward identity.
Oregon anchors the list where it should, with local producers like Laurelwood showing up as solid representatives of the Willamette Valley. California and New Zealand round out the New World presence, but the real curveball is the Austrian contingent — a nod to the kitchen's acid-forward, aromatic flavor profiles. The Clos Saron Albarino-Verdelho blend is the kind of left-field pick that signals someone, somewhere, actually cares about this list. Gaps exist — this isn't a deep-cellar situation — but for a hotel restaurant above Portland's Old Town, the ambition is real.
Fifteen to twenty-five by-the-glass options is a strong showing, and at a rooftop spot you'd expect them to just dump grocery-store pours in stemware and call it a night. That's not quite what's happening here. The breadth suggests they're rotating across styles, though the program reads more static than active — don't expect a lot of surprises week to week.
Laurelwood OR '20 — $54
Oregon Pinot at $54 in a hotel restaurant? That's not embarrassing yourself. Laurelwood is a legitimate local producer, and this bottle will carry you through the duck bao without blowing up the check.
Clos Saron Albarino-Verdelho
Most tables at Departures are ordering whatever Pinot or Sauvignon Blanc they recognize. The Clos Saron Albarino-Verdelho blend is a weird, wonderful Sierra Foothills oddity that nobody expects to see on a rooftop menu — and it's exactly the kind of high-acid, aromatic white that was made for sashimi and bao.
Any generic California Cabernet on the list
The research data doesn't name a specific bottle, but hotel rooftop lists universally park a predictable California Cab at a 3-4x markup in the back of the list as a check-inflator. If you see it, keep walking — the Oregon section is doing more interesting work for your money.
Clos Saron Albarino-Verdelho + Yellowtail Sashimi
The blend's citrus drive and saline edge cut right through the fat of the yellowtail without steamrolling the fish. It's the kind of pairing that makes you wonder why you ever drank Pinot Grigio with sashimi.
The Bottom Line
Departures earns its Wild Card badge — it's a hotel rooftop that could have mailed it in but didn't, and the Clos Saron alone justifies a trip up the elevator. Markups keep it from being a regular habit, but for a special night out in Portland with someone to impress, the list holds up.
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St. Jack is the rare Portland restaurant where the wine list earns as much respect as the kitchen. The French-Oregon axis is well-executed, the staff knows what they're talking about, and the pot lyonnais format alone is worth the trip.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Portland · Mexico City–inspired tacos and small plates
Tope is a Wild Card in the best sense — a rooftop taqueria that's quietly assembled a natural and low-intervention wine list worth paying attention to. If you're eating here and only drinking mezcal cocktails, you're leaving half the story on the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Portland · Texan–Pacific Northwest, Wood-fired American
Bullard Tavern is the Wild Card badge in its purest form — a smoked-meat joint that snuck in a genuinely considered wine list without making a fuss about it. Send a friend here if they think good wine and good brisket can't coexist.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown/Waterfront · Portland · Seafood, Pacific Northwest
King Tide earns its Wild Card badge by hiding a genuinely curious, well-priced wine list inside what could easily have been a forgettable hotel seafood room. If you're eating oysters on the Willamette, you could do a lot worse than Domaine de l'Écu in your glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Concordia · Portland · New American
Dame is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip on its own. Send your friends here — just tell them to skip the safe picks and trust the list.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Buckman · Portland · Russian/Eastern European
Kachka is the best argument in Portland for drinking wines you've never heard of — the list is adventurous, the staff backs it up, and the food was built for exactly these bottles. Send every curious wine drinker you know.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Aspen · Asian Fusion
Jing isn't a wine destination, but the list is smarter than the room gives it credit for — an Alsace and Austria-leaning selection that actually makes sense with the food is worth acknowledging. Just go in knowing the markups reflect the zip code, not the pour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Asian Fusion
Tenku Avenue gets the format right — all glass, no bottle minimums — but the list itself plays it too safe for a kitchen that presumably takes more risks than this. Go in knowing what you want, grab the Acrobat or the Blank Stare, and don't let anyone upsell you into the Belle Glos.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Helena / Cedar Street corridor · Helena · Asian Fusion
Mustard Seed Helena isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a solid neighborhood spot with a California-forward list that works with the food and won't wreck your bill. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink reasonably well, not remarkably well.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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