Parallel, Portland’s Newest Wine Bar, Caters to Grape Novices and Nerds Alike | Eater Portland

"I visited Parallel, a new Sandy Boulevard wine bar run by wife-and-husband team Stacey and Joey Gibson that uses wines like Spanish mencia and a mineral-driven white from the Loire Valley as reference points for a menu of small plates and charcuterie boards. They flip the usual pairing script—Stacey gets excited about a wine and Joey builds dishes around it—so pairings are presented as creative suggestions rather than hard rules; examples include the Parallel salad, an amped-up Caesar with Worcestershire-cured egg yolks paired with a Kelly Fox chardonnay, and dirty rice arancini based on a fruity-nosed Italian red blend. Joey tests pairing tenets in subtle ways (for example, substituting smoked paprika for cayenne in chorizo to preserve the palate), and the program reflects his background at Roman Candle and Olympia Provisions. Stacey brings a heavy-hitting but approachable wine sensibility from her work at Momofuku’s Má Pêche and Corkbuzz Wine Studio and from co-owning Park Avenue Fine Wines; at Parallel she emphasizes approachability, a focus on smaller producers and sustainably farmed wines, and geographic diversity. The list includes sparkling and red-heavy bottles plus 12–15 wines by the glass, sherry by the glass, and classic cocktails with playful food elements—like an espresso martini dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a martini with anchovy-washed Aria gin." - Janey Wong