Portalis Wine Shop

What a gem! We were introduced to Portalis through the wine club, which was a perfect wedding gift! Everything we tried was wonderful, and really turned us into legit wine afficionados! The tasting notes that accompanied each month's selections were so interesting and helpful. Jens is super friendly and we really enjoyed the wine tastings pre-COVID. Portalis carries a lot of unusual and hard to find wines. Definitely one of our favorite wine shops in Seattle!

Super staff to help with all my needs. I was planning a wedding and got expert advice and choices. As plans changed, the Portalis team was supportive and flexible. The wines they helped me with were just what we needed for our events.

One of my favorite secret spots in Paris is a wine shop. The particular wine shop I am thinking of is tiny and serves a multi-course meal, and epic food pours out of a pint sized kitchen. Here, one dish is better than the last. It goes without saying the wine they pour is excellent.Portalis on Ballard Avenue is a Seattle wine shop, and while we have only ever come here for drinks, and not for food, it feels to us like another secret spot all the same.A handful of tables at the front of the shop, dimly lit with flickering candles, and behind that a full bar with stools sits alongside a wine shop with stacked bottles in wine cellar formation. Portalis is a good quiet spot to grab a glass of wine before dinner, or a Jameson or port after dinner. Its melllow, unassuming, casual, wine forward. It happens to be far more low-key than some of the hyper, fun, loud activity on Ballard Avenue, making it a nice (sshhh!) spot for couples or friends hoping for a conversation & ambiance. A little secret spot worth sharing.

This place was awesome!! We had a Pinot Noir around the world wine tasting and then we spent a few hours at the wine bar enjoying the wonderful wines they have with a cheese plate.It was such a relaxing environment with great wine, great food and really nice people that work here. Wonderful service!!!

This was my introduction to wine bars. One of my friends recommended we try this place. She had been here before and knew there was no corkage fee on Wed. So, off we went. It's a tiny lil place and we took a quick perusal of the menu before going shopping for a bottle. We settled on a pinot noir and hunkered down with a few plates and the pork tenderloin. I think we were more hungry than interested in the wine.The crostini wasn't very good and was extremely salty. The salami sandwich was good, but not necessarily a nice mix with the wine. The tenderloin was both good and perfect with the pinot. I do wish they had a few more items on the menu to choose from. Cool place, with a long brick wall running the length of the store. Since it opens to the street, it can be a bit noisy but it's a fun place to spend an evening with good friends.

Portalis is super comfortable- there is an awesome lady who usually is at the wine bar area and she is great about helping you pick out a wine. I am really good at picking out local wine but when it comes to non local wines I am a bit lost. I am dying to come back for dinner sometime as I had some serious food envy of the gentleman next to me the other night at the bar. I am so sad they are closing down the tasting area and I plan to enjoy the location a few more times before they move into more of the wine distributing business. I have picked up nice bottles of wine here as wedding gift and I know I will miss it greatly!

I've been going to Portalis for years. I used to work in the local wine industry. Since Portalis specializes in imports and is a haven for small family vinyards -- this place is a marvel for me. The service is excellent - Jens and Julie are very knowledgeable but low key - letting you make your own discoveries unless asked. They are also wonderful people who share their love of culture and wine (as well as craft beers!) readily if you are open to dialogue. I suspect their wine club deals are very good because they have various sales making the more expensive products accessible and these sales are numerous - indicating a vibrant trade is in full swing. Today it is a rare thing to have such fine imports available at affordable prices. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will get a monthly reminder of their tasting schedule featuring beautiful wines. There is a small fee which is waived with a purchase. I'm always glad to see a small fee, it indicates high quality offerings and keeps the focus on quality rather than quantity.These people lack pretense, are generous and dedicated to their business. It is no wonder they have survived multiple decades and a pandemic. Drop by any day but Monday.

I live in California and wanted to send a case of quality craft beer to a buddy who lives in the Salmon Bay Park area. WA is not the easiest state for shipping alcohol and like some other states, they require signature upon delivery. As a result, I initially ordered through a large wine-beer retailer who has a Seattle store and could make a local delivery. They charged a delivery fee which was fine but also "required" a tip for the driver. They made one attempt and since my friend was not at home, they refunded my purchase price and the tip but kept the delivery fee. That was it, no notice to come and pick it up, no further delivery attempts.I found Portalis Wine Shop which was near my friend and has a huge selection of craft and imported beers as well as an impressive wine selection. The folks that own Portalis couldn't have been nicer. They don't have any regular means for gift wrapping but made an effort to make the case-box look like a Xmas gift and didn't charge for it.Also, since my friend is so close, they offered to just drop it off on their way home, again without charging. My friend wasn't at home so they continued to follow up and contacted him to coordinate another attempt. 5-star service from just good folks!I wish I lived nearby so I could be a regular customer.

I can not recommend this place enough. We've been going here for about 3 years and are in no way experts. The staff here is amazing. They are patient, knowledgeable, more than happy to help (or let you do your thing!). I've gone in and asked for recommendations based on food we're going to be eating for dinner, flavors that sound good, or just said "I don't know help plz" and they have never disappointed! My parents are pretty knowledgeable about wine and I recommended this place to them - it's their new favorite spot. I know grocery stores are convenient but I will make an extra stop just to go here and support this business. To the staff - because of your assistance, my friends think I know about wine - so thank you.

Portalis is the wine shop everyone wishes their neighborhood had, so we are lucky to have them here in Ballard/Crown Hill.You'd never know from the unassuming exterior that this cozy place is crammed so full of such a wide spectrum of choices, from finer to every day vintages, local and imported, old to new world, red, wine, sparkling, dessert... There's something here for every budget and any palate, so browse the rows at will or speak to one of the proprietors for the friendliest service you can imagine. They have a selection of good beer on offer, as well.There is no pretentiousness here, either, which is a blessing for those of us who know little about wine but appreciate a great bottle. Portalis will search for particular vintages, too, if it's not already on their shelves, and will make special orders if at all possible.Watch for their free and frequent wine tastings in the side room, which are great for discovering new wines and vintners to add to your go-to list. Know, too, that if you're a regular customer they will add you to their "frequent buyers" list for additional discounts. There's even parking in back with a handicapped-accessible ramp in to the shop, because Portalis has thought of EVERTHING.