Sip D’ Vine

We were frequent patrons of Sip for years. But sadly, the owner’s snarky attitude, and the gossip and judgment of the regulars, killed our love of the place, too.

Just moved to Portland. This place was my first stop on my own and everyone was so welcoming. Wine selection was great and enjoyed the company.

Not to jump on the bandwagon but I think I will just because. I’ve only been to this place once and won’t be back. When I stopped in to look around but ended up not buying anything, I received a rather off-​putting remark as I walked out by whoever was working there at the time all because I ended up not buying anything. Like it’s my fault for attempting to patronize your store however didn’t find anything to my liking — news flash, businesses deal with this all time.
Lastly, how about the name and slogan — how freaking cheesy can you get. I’m a Multnomah Village resident and have to drive by this place during my daily commute and cringe every time I see that idiotic name and slogan.
No thanks — I’ll go to John’s Market or even Fred Meyer for my wine. This place along with Acapulco’s Southwest Gold need to do us a favor and leave the neighborhood.

The motto of this place is «not your stuffy wine shop.» It should be changed to, «we may not be stuffy, but we are certainly pretentious, judgmental and carry attitudes you won’t want to deal with.»
Walked in here after a day of shopping in the village with my mom and 1-​year old son to have a glass of wine. I noticed an area towards the back that said «no minors beyond this point,» so I asked the lady working (who didn’t even bother to welcome us in) if it was OK for my son to be in here. She responded with, «He can’t be at the bar area, so as long as YOU are OK with it, then yeah.»
In other words, the woman questioned my parenting because I had brought my son into a wine shop. Really? In 2014, in an area promoted to families, I can’t enjoy a glass of wine with my mom and child? What if Deschutes or Sasquatch or any other establishment that serves alcohol judged everyone that brought a child in? Think they would last long?
After holding back from telling her to go F herself, we immediately walked out.
Don’t bother with this place. There are plenty of wine shops in Portland that won’t judge you.
I won’t ever be back. I will also make sure to tell every person I know, to never even entertain the idea of going to Sip D’Vine.

Perhaps not the warmest place in attitude but the lady working (owner?) was helpful in picking out some wines for me to try. I’ll be back to try some flights and see how that goes as I do like the atmosphere inside.

I didn’t want to write this review. I really didn’t. It’s been gnawing at me, and I was given courage by noting that 6 out of the 10 reviews here mention the same issue.
We are done with Sip ‘d Vine. We’ve been coming in for a couple of years, working at getting to know the owners. Here’s the thing: the owners are at once the best and worst features. The wine selection is smart and well-​curated, which I think they both have a hand in. That’s the best part. Here’s the worst: Jill has a (apparently legendary) attitude. Described by others as snarky and rude. We overlooked it even when that was difficult, because we liked the concept and presence of the place. Also, because Dan is a great guy and fun to interact with. But he’s clearly not in charge.
The final straw was over Labor Day weekend. My brother and sister-​in-​law were visiting from the east coast, and we were proudly showing them all the places we love here. We went into Sip ‘d Vine, and within 5 minutes Jill had managed to insult both me and my brother. Along with a hefty dose of the aforementioned snarky/​rude thing. We left as soon as we could, and as we walked down the street my brother turned to me and said «so tell me why you go there?» I really didn’t have a good answer. Maybe because we liked the idea? Maybe because it’s the only such game in town (in Multnomah Village, that is)? Maybe because the wine selection was great? Maybe because we thought familiarity would breed something other than contempt? I had nothing to say, but I was plenty embarrassed.
In any event, I note that there are few recent reviews. But I expect I’ll get hate comments for this review. Maybe folks would rather say nothing than post a critical review of a local small business, especially the only one of its kind in the Village.
I disagree. I think we need to speak up. Maybe someone will see these reviews and see an opportunity. Tell you what, if someone opened a wine bar at the other end of main street, and they treated people nice, Sip ‘d Vine would fold within a month.
Sorry folks, but that’s the truth and I know it’s hard to hear and I know that even if you have a musical act that I can’t resist, I’ll never be welcome there again. Or for the first time. My fondest hope is that you see this as an opportunity to turn it around.

Interesting wine selection. Dreary, dark interior. Bad slash cheesy décor. I can never tell whether the proprietor is being snarky or not, and I don’t particularly care for that sort of thing. Overall, we’ve been here and I’m sure we’ll be back.

Proprietor seemed to be put out to be serving us. No mention of wine flights, only full pours in tiny glasses — no way to swirl the wine to enhance the nose, nor tilt to look at the color. No offer of food, no dump bucket, overall simply not customer friendly. Fail.

Sip is one part wine shop, one part wine bar, one part local bar. They have a fantastic selection and the owner is extremely knowledgeable about wine. If you can tell her what you like, she can make great recommendations. She has yet to steer us wrong.

Wasn’t sure what to make of the place the first time I walked in. Thought I would pick up a bottle, or maybe do a tasting, but found that you can be served wine, too. Works for me.
The shop specializes (and carries only) northwest wines, and the owner clearly knows her stuff. The many wines I have sampled and purchased from this shop have been the best I’ve ever had. I have learned how much I like wine, what types I prefer, and much more from this place. I have become spoiled — I often turn my nose up at wines from other regions now.
There is a quirky Portland vibe to the place… A cast of regulars deserving of a television show. The owner is a character herself, and you have to be able to get that to enjoy it (not everyone does, but it takes a sharp mind to see a sharp mind). I have found it – without exception — a pleasure to soak up the atmosphere (and some of the finest wine around) in there. The owner, bartenders, and regulars are down-​to-​earth, non-​snobby wine enthusiasts who will make you feel welcome if you make yourself available to that. On the occasions I have engaged some of them, I have found them personable and helpful. Occasionally (as you might expect from an establishment serving alcohol), someone gets carried away and needs to be put in their place. If you wind up irritated in here, it’s really your own fault. It’s quirky, as I said — embrace that, ye Portlanders!
And if you enjoy a little raw, out-​of-​the-​way blues music, get on their mailing list. They are frequently host to some outstanding artists and performances worthy of a larger venues, but you get a cozy, intimate experience here that cannot be beat.
Overall, you will find this the best place to get the best wines at reasonable prices. And the atmosphere is just icing on the cake.

Yikes! Rude and not helpful. I was the only customer in the store, and still the gentlemen couldn’t be bothered to help me find a particular wine. He instructed to me to «go ahead and look around for it» while he sat behind the counter and watched. I wouldn’t go back on a bet!

Absolutely awful! Rude, rude, rude! Won’t be coming back…

My experience here was very disappointing, considering that I thought the place was very cute and would be a great spot of the wine group that I organize.
I met some friends for a tasting, and since I have experience with wine, they were looking to me for help when ordering. The owner, I’m assuming, says in a rather snotty voice, «why do you keep looking at her, I’m the one that picked out all the wines here».Strike one.
I don’t remember the winery we were tasting, I just remember that the wines were horrible. There were ⁴⁄₅ whites for $ 6 and 2 reds for $ 5. When I asked if I got a discount if I ordered them all, I got this look like I must be insane. Strike two.
Once we made it thru the wines, we decided to order glasses of something else. Not a bad idea, because we figured they couldn’t get worse. The wine was fine, but the glasses… they were the small, 3, maybe 4 oz glasses… so when served a red wine, it was filled to the top! No place to swirl, or smell or anything! Even the water was served in one of these horrible glasses! I’m sorry but a wine shop that doesn’t serve wine in proper glasses?! Strike three and then some. Will never go back.

Shared a 6 wines for $ 18 sample last evening (Sunday) with the Mrs. There is a cozy little wine bar you can sit at or you can sit around comfortable tables or on the couch. It seems that the samples come from a different vineyard and change every so often. They don’t serve any food, but we were informed that you could bring in some cheese, crackers, or any other food that basically didn’t stink the place up. You could (of course) buy an individual bottle to drink and if you are on a wine budget they had a section labeled under $ 15.

I stopped by this cute little wine shop in Multnomah Village over the weekend for an event they were hosting. Once a month they are showing classic movies… this month it was the Marx Brothers’ «MONKEY BUSINESS». I just haaaaaad to go.
The shop is set up similar to a small café with lots of interesting merchandise, wines, wine accessories several tables for two as well as a cozy couch. There is a bar in the middle of the store where what looked to be a bunch of regulars were enjoying a glass of vino and each others’ company.
To be fair, I barely had time to order one of my favorite wines before the movie started. I was impressed they had it and enjoyed my glass of heaven as I enjoyed the movie. The owner of the shop seemed quite knowledgeable of wines of all regions and price ranges.
I will definitely come back here for another movie and perhaps even one of the live music events.