Portalupi Wine

Good wines and pretty good service. Cool vibe, 6 wine tastings for $ 10 is a good deal. Overall worth it

The best description for this Downtown Healdsburg winery would be «Run by college kids for college kids». We had purchased a wine and food pairing for four from Groupon. They were accommodating for our desired time, even on Valentine’s/Presidents Day weekend. We were served all food pairings at the same time and they poured (maybe) one ounce pours of six different wines. None of the food was cooked. For the most part I’d call each serving a deli piece of meat on a cracker. One of the wines was paired with Cheetos. Seriously! A bag of freaking Cheetos ??? — paired with a wine blend.
It was sad yet funny at the same time. I’m giving them two stars as a review. They did nothing wrong or objectionable — they just don’t have any concept of how to do a wine and food pairing. Their Zin was worth purchasing but the rest were uneventful.

Very relaxed environment, different from the others in downtown which can be more formal. I tried their food/​wine pairing. I have done these before & usually it’s a little more food, here’s it’s just a bit with each sip. They did pair my wine with Cheetos which was cool/​weird, lol!

Came here on a Saturday at five. Wanted to love this facility, since it is a mom and pops shop but was highly disappointed secondary to how rude one of the staff members was to us. We did the six tastings, in which three people poured for us. Usually in other wineries, there is one purer who is knowledgable of the wine, and there to build a rapport with the customers. I don’t know why we had three pourers… It was not very busy. No one was very attentive to us either. When we inquired where the grapes were grown, the elder gentleman was extremely rude. We thought he was being sarcastic but when asked about the wines he displayed the same lack of emotion and rudeness towards us. Never again. We don’t expect a friendship, but some respect.
Our favorite wine was the Barbera. Others were so-​so. Have had better in Sonoma County.
Side note: the girls that I was with, thought the younger gentleman was great «eye candy» he actually was the one running around like crazy taking care of all the customers
Btw, the Bathroom was under construction. This did not have an impact on our ratings at all…

I am giving one star just so I can write the review the tasting manager a younger girl with no common sense and a horrible attitude treated our group with disrespect and as if we were ignorant idiots. We were in a group and started at portalupi for winterwineland but will definitely never be back. One of our group members is a wineclub member but she is canceling that now too. Do NOT recommend you waste your time here.

Great wine great people. I’d go back again and again. Reasonable prices except product.

This family owned winery rocked my boat! The location of their tasting room is near the Healdsburg Plaza, so its easy to include in any stroll around town. The tasting room is classy, very clean, and cute. The staff is on the ball, and friendly. I so enjoyed our visit, especially hearing about Grandma!!!
The prices to taste here are reasonable, and they also offer «by the glass prices» for around $ 10 for a generous sized glass. Considering we were not looking to buy a bottle, that was a nice option. We tasted some, and ordered a glass each of 2 different wines. They have such a wonderful selection, it was hard to chose. My favorite was a Pinot Noir. Hubbies was a Zin.
We noticed another couple ordered a small plate that included some cheeses and salami. It was presented beautifully.
The thing about Portalupi that makes it extraordinarily special to me is the staff. Yes, the wine is great. There are lots of good wines in Sonoma County! The experience tasting there just made me feel like I was with a proud loving family sharing the wine their family has made for years. I felt like I was visiting friends with rich history in making wine. I felt like my friends were sharing their «art» with me. Yes, wine like this is true ART!
I will return with guests for sure. And hubby says that when his Mom visits, we are taking her wine tasting to Portalupi!

The staff are always incredibly friendly and kind! I moved away two years ago and stopped in and they still remembered me and what I liked to drink! Since I was flying out they very kindly found a box in the back for me to put my wines in so I could safely bring them back with me on the plane! Always so kind and helpful and cheerful along with knowledgeable about their product with the utmost professionalism.

Tasty wines. One Pinot noir was our favorite. Tasting room is decorated very nicely. Very friendly & great service. Wines are good, but not great.

This is our 2^nd time being here. Overall their wines are good. I’ve just never bought any here. We came by recently for the Wine & Food Affair event. They were serving their wines with a beef stew that was yummy! Their tasting room has an initial front area, but if you go towards the back they have 2 other sections — 1 with a TV and the other with a big dining room. They mentioned that you could rent that space out for corporate events. They are located in the Healdsburg square area. I would definitely recommend stopping by here if you’re in the vicinity! Very friendly staff members who are able to handle large crowds.

We spent an entire day/​night in Healdsburg on our 6-​day trek around the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. When first planning our trip, we were pretty overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. I headed over to Groupon to see if they had anything that sparked our interest and could help narrow it down. Portalupi was offering a wine & food pairing that I coupled with a promo code for a fab deal.
We arrived right on time and were greeted by Jane Portalupi herself! So cool to see the owners involved and active at their winery. We were seated in a small dining room and given an overview of our tasting and pairing. Carolyn then came around to greet us and get us started. We were blown. away. We had never really done a true wine and food pairing and Portalupi has picked perfect matches. My mom and I kept staring at each other, eyes wide open, not believing the bursts of flavor.
Even without the pairing, we still would have raved just as much about this place because of their wines. They offer a fab Charbono and a Barberra, both of which I am not too familiar with (and am never able to find!), but enjoyed. Their Old Vine Zin is probably one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted and it rightfully earned a spot in my Wine Shipper to come home with me! Another wine that earned a ticket to Tennessee was the Vaso di Marina, a fabulous red blend named for the owner’s mother that comes in a milk jug — SO. FUN!
Aside from the wines and the pairing, we just flat out loved this place from the start. The décor is sleek, modern and simple but so eye catching — a definite nod to Jane’s background in high end retail. Carolyn was absolutely delightful — perfect combo of sweet, funny and very knowledgeable. She mentioned she felt like family working at Portalupi and she definitely exudes a personal pride for the winery, the owners and their history.
Fabulous gem in Healdsburg. Don’t miss it!

We stumbled upon this awesome little tasting room on our way to dinner — what a cool spot. If I hadn’t already been sold on the milk jug wine bottles and delicious wines, Kevin’s unpretentious (and humorous!) customer service would have done the trick. If you happen to go on a Saturday when he’s working, you won’t be disappointed! I look forward to visiting again the next time I’m in Healdsburg.

Cool vibe and great wines. Went with a private tour and tasted some great wines with a tremendous food pairing. Of course their double gold Barberra is great, but we also enjoyed their reserve zin and the cool blend that came in a milk jug. Looking forward to coming back and trying the port.

I keep wanting to love this wine, but I’m just not a huge fan. They do have a great Pinot noir that I would purchase by the glass or bottle in the future, but the others are not my favorite.
We haven’t had the best luck at their tasting room getting the best service. I can’t complain too much because we have always been in great company, I just felt like we could have been attended to a bit more.

I was here for the Unilocal event. I work close by and this was my first visit. Big kudos for offering the Charbono. A very tasty and under appreciated grape in the US. Very inviting tasting room just off the square. I will be back to go through some more of their offerings.

Unpretentious wine that you may enjoy when in the city of Healdsburg. You can have a tasting — or enjoy the wine by the glass for around $ 10 a glass in a comfortable setting.
Their table wine is charmingly packaged in milk bottles. It is a blend of their Zinfandels. This is the Vaso di Marina. (This begs the question: Will I need to pay a corkage fee if I bring my wine in a milk bottle?)
The wine I enjoyed most was the Zinfandel from Serres Ranch, Sonoma Valley 2013. Just ask for «the late harvest» Zin if you go there. If you are in town for dinner, a pre-​dinner glass of this delicious wine would be a fine start! They sell the wine by the glass at $ 10 a glass.
If you join their wine club, they pair their wines with recipes for the main course to enjoy with the different wines. So, the late harvest Zin comes with a recipe for «Zinfandel and Balsamic Braised Lamb Shanks» which — like the wine — is rich and special. (Reading the recipe, I can see that it’s a serious undertaking!) I was given the recipe when I bought a bottle of the Zin.
The Pinot Noir they have a recipe for salmon patties that is pretty simple — and a nice way to eat the second half of a huge fish you boiled the previous day. Just take the leftover fish and combine with ingredients to build tasty patties. The Pinot will be a perfect beverage to enjoy with this food.
Where is this place? It’s a block east of «The Shed» — or two doors west of The Raven theater. North Street runs East and West. Something to ponder while you enjoy your Zin eh?

This is an update to my previous glowing review of Portalupi. As I had originally stated, the owners of Portalupi treat you not as a potential customer, but as a friend they are welcoming into their home. So it probably should come as no surprise that when I recently encountered a small issue with a bottle of wine I had purchased months earlier, Portalupi sent me a replacement immediately. Now, I already loved Portalupi, their wines and the winery owners. But now, I love Portalupi all that much more. They really understand how to take care of people and do so in a completely professional and genuine manner. Customer service, among other things, is nothing short of stellar at Portalupi. If you have not yet been to the Portalupi tasting room in downtown Healdsburg do yourself the gigantic favor of visiting ASAP.

Had a great experience here. No appointments necessary to stop in for a wine tasting. They have a small assortment of cheese, crackers and charcuterie available for purchase if you want to snack on something while you do your tasting.
For $ 15, they’ll also whip you up a platter with mixed cheeses, meats and snacks. Ours had crackers with olive fig tapenade, a few types of cheese, some prosciutto, salami and Cheetos. I loved the whimsy there — they call it «American cheese and crackers.»
The winemaker was there and talked us through his process of making wine and coming up with blends. They were so good, we couldn’t help but walk away with a couple bottles.

Girls Outing to Healdsburg
We did a Wine and Snack Pairing in the backroom with tables and chairs. The atmosphere was pretty and inviting.
2012 Vaso di Marina White Wine $ 25
Perhaps for young people or those who do not normally drink.
2012 Vaso di Marina Red Wine $ 28
Might go with Mac and Cheese or casual drinking just to get some reds for health reasons.
2012 Pinot Noir, il Migliore $ 38
Really liked it, woody with some kicks of root spices.
2012 Old Vine Zinfandel, Dolinsek Ranch $ 48
Loved it, so full and generous in flavor. If you like rich food this is the other half of the meal to complete it.

What a fabulous and an unexpected wine venue!
This place is small, but entering this wine spot, demands attention! It has a rustic industrial vibe to the walls and with a hidden back dining lounge. There’s a long and comfy, purple couch in the front to enjoy the wine here as well.
They sell their wines in their signature milk liter glass containers! It’s adorable!
The service was superb and attentive! She accommodated a large group of us at the hidden dining table in the back.
We got to pick 3 wines from the menu, for the tasting and they give you generous pours!
Vaso di Marina White Wine — had an aroma of jasmine and was very refreshing for a sunny outing! It sets the mood for the other pours to come!
Pinot Noir Summit — a lingering aftertaste, that leaves you wanting for more!
Their Double Gold Medal winner, Zinfandel Russian River Valley, brings on the finishing touch to any wine pours and takes home the prize, agreeably!
Portalupi was a nice additional wine pit stop on the way back home from a day at the vineyards!