Lebanese Food Deserves Better Than This
Gresham · Portland · Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Nicholas Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Nicholas is a genuinely charming family-owned Lebanese spot with food worth crossing town for. But the wine list feels like an afterthought — a short, generic lineup with one nod to Lebanon and markups that make you wince. You come here for the hummus and kibbeh, not the wine.
The list is thin. There's a Lebanese entry in the Chateau Ksara Sunset — a nod to the restaurant's roots and the one genuinely interesting choice on the menu. Beyond that, you're looking at crowd-pleasing imports like a Doña Paula Malbec, and a sparkling rosé that reads more like an afterthought than a curated selection. No regional depth, no producer story, no Old World breadth to match the kitchen's ambition. For a restaurant cooking this well, the wine list is punching well below its weight.
By-the-glass specifics aren't well documented, but the short list suggests limited glass pour options. If the Chateau Ksara Sunset is available by the glass, that's your only interesting move. Otherwise, you may want to consider whether the wine is worth it at all.
Chateau Ksara Sunset NV — $33
It's the one wine on the list with a reason to exist here. A Lebanese producer served at a Lebanese restaurant — that's the move. The retail is $14 so the markup stings, but at least you're drinking something that tells a story.
Chateau Ksara Sunset NV
Most tables will default to the Malbec out of habit. Don't. The Ksara is a Lebanese blend that actually connects to what you're eating — and it's a rare chance to try a wine from the Bekaa Valley without boarding a plane.
Doña Paula Los Cardos Malbec NV
A $13 retail bottle marked up to $32 for a grocery-aisle Malbec that has zero relationship to the food on this table. You can get this at Trader Joe's. Order the Ksara or order water.
Chateau Ksara Sunset NV + Kibbeh
A Lebanese red with a Lebanese lamb dish is about as obvious as it gets — and obvious is right here. The earthy, spiced character of kibbeh and the soft fruit of the Ksara blend are from the same culinary universe.
The Bottom Line
Nicholas earns its reputation on the strength of its kitchen, not its wine list — steep markups on forgettable bottles make it hard to recommend ordering much beyond the Ksara. Eat here often; drink wine here cautiously.
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