Alu Wine Bar: Heaven in Oregon?

I have a new form of depression. While I love living in Walla Walla, I know that Alu is a good four hour commute, and this is deeply saddening.

There we were, the Terroirists core crew, in Portland for one night. The night was good until our final stop at Alu, and then the night became epic (and that’s a good thing). Tucked away in a cozy aluminum house on MLK Blvd., it’s a place that could be overlooked, but it’s also the wine nerd’s fantasy.

The wine list is largely made up of earth-friendly wines; some are organically grown, others are biodynamic. There’s a nifty key in the menu to display which qualities each wine holds.

Alu's Bar

The drinking started with Jeff, the amazingly knowledgeable and charismatic owner, providing us with a sample of a Sicilian red wine made from the grape, Frappato. Never heard of this grape? Neither had we. Light in color – like a cross between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo – the nose on this wine completely caught me off guard. I had visions of frolicking through wildflower and lavender fields in the floating mountains of a far away planet. Simply put: the nose was out of this world, and it probably still is.

Still visibly shaken from this experience, I decided to order a glass of Marzemino – yet another obscure Italian variety, and I was not disappointed. After departing the lavender fields this wine took me to a world of gigantic beasts rumbling through mountains of titanium in search of fresh meat to roast over a bonfire on the shores of a vast purple sea. Oh yeah. I wish this glass of wine could never end – this is my paradise. I learned the meaning of life, and Alu is the keeper.

Back to reality; both of these wines had a very distinctive finish with subtle saline qualities. I can count the other wines I’ve had with equally moving “minerality” on one hand. The best thing about the Marzemino is the $25 bottle price – and that’s after the bar markup, which in general seemed quite reasonable.

Atmospherically the bar is very warm and inviting. There’s a downstairs area (the cellar) full of comfy seats and couches. We spent the entire night upstairs at the small, peaceful bar, but downstairs seemed as though it would be a more social environment and a lot of fun. Something to try on the next trip to PDX. There’s also an outdoor area which isn’t exactly ideal this time of year.

From the warmth of the LED bar to the exotic wine list, Alu is an absolute must if you are at least partly interested in wine. They do offer cocktails as well, but this is a wine blog. I could have spent the entire night there trying one killer wine after another, but all good things must come to an end. Luckily, next time we venture into Portland Alu will still be there in all of its glory. One day in the near future I will return to Alu, and until that day I can only dream about it – and cry.

Visit their website here: http://www.aluwinebar.com/