Bar Nina
Wine bar · Vernon
1719 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Highlights
Cozy subterranean wine bar with global pours, grilled cheese
Cozy subterranean wine bar with global pours, grilled cheese
"The subterranean Alberta wine bar known as Les Caves is, as of August, Bar Nina, a dimly lit hideaway for natural or fortified and aromatized wines that also has a small, curated menu of snacks and plates to soak up the pours — think homemade chicken liver mousse, havarti-cheddar grilled cheeses, and Spanish conservas like piquillo peppers stuffed with tuna. Cheese, jams, and Marcona almonds are available to graze on, too." - Paolo Bicchieri
"What was once Les Caves — NE Alberta’s intimate, subterranean wine bar — is now Bar Nina. With former co-owner Jeff Vejr stepping away to focus on other projects, co-owners Ksenija Kostic House and John House of Ovum Wines have fully taken over the joint, keeping beloved touches like the fun “mystery pour” option and the cult-favorite grilled cheese sandwich while tweaking the wine list and adding new snacky food options like Spanish sausages. Ovum’s signature and summery muscat, gewurztraminer, and riesling mash-up Big Salt and its sister wines are served outdoors, as they should be, at the seasonal Big Salt Bar in the open-air former Les Clos space. The indoor wine bar and tasting room area pours Ovum’s small-production Oregon whites, Spanish and Portuguese imports from La Luz Selections, and enticing finds across the wine-world spectrum, including Georgian oranges and French bubbles." - Zoe Baillargeon
"Alberta’s subterranean wine bar is the ideal secluded spot for couples. There isn’t a bad seat in the house when drinking cool, off-the-beaten-track wines found here. Winemakers/owners John House and Ksenija Kostic pour small-production wines from old-world regions, with an emphasis on Germanic white-grape varieties out of Oregon wine countries from their label Ovum. In summer months and during pop-ups, guests can also make their way upstairs toward the open-air Big Salt Bar, which features the namesake label’s more experimental bottles." - Katrina Yentch
"Slink down the small alley off Northeast Alberta to discover a wine lover’s Shangri-La in Bar Nina (formerly Les Caves) — and its above-ground sister bar Big Salt Bar. The intimate underground space is an excellent date night venue: quiet, warmly lit, and impeccably furnished. A cozy raised alcove offers an even more private spot to the physically dexterous. The bartenders love to talk wine, and the wine list here is curated with care, with a particular passion for Southern and Eastern European wines. The small kitchen offers classic bar snacks and an unbeatable grilled cheeses." - Nathan Williams
"The coziest place to drink vermouth in Portland is likely the little cave carved into the wall at this subterranean wine bar. Tucked off Alberta Street down a nondescript alley, the winemaker-owned Bar Nina, formerly known as Les Caves, often has a cool, distinctive list of glass pours, vermouths, and grilled cheese, housed at candle-lit tables or bar seats; however, those dextrous enough to climb into the nook should reserve it, so they can cuddle up on the couch and share a bottle of Khikhvi." - Carrie Uffindell
