Great Portland Wine Bar ~ with a Bonus Oscar Prediction

We heard about Pairings Portland wine shop more than a year ago from a Twitter comrade, but since it's on the east side, it took us forever to get across the river and visit. Better late than never!

The owner, Jeff, prides himself on a sense of humor, quirkiness, and a fun, approachable take on wine. He's a little obsessive (in a good way) about pairings. He'll pair wine to Harry Potter or other characters, to songs and bands, to movies and TV shows, to moods, dog breeds and astrological signs.
The day we were there, he had a tasting flight that was pairing wines to the ladies nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. 

Cate Blanchett (Carol) was represented by a rose described as "elegant, hidden, a classic, cool, elusive".

Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) was represented by a rose brut described as "inspirational, bubbly, entrepreneurial, persevering".

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) was represented by a blanco described as "assured, compassionate, modest, coupled yet solitary".

Soris Ronan (Brooklyn) was represented by a grinolino d'asti described as "young, beguiling, homesick, faithful".

Brie Larson (Room) was represented by a montefalco rosso riserva described as "strong, isolated, unexpected".

I haven't seen any of these films, so I have to make my Oscar Best Actress prediction based on my favorite tasting among this group. Before I spoil that segment of the show, I'll share that Jeff gave us a little taste of one of his own creations, a wine cocktail he named "Doctor Greg". It's a wine and vermouth combination that smells clean - almost like fresh laundry, but on the tongue it's fruity and herbaceous - very interesting.

Ok, unlike the Oscar broadcast, I won't make you wait 3 hours for the Best Actress winner:

I predict Brie Larson! The Fongoli Montefalco Rosso was just divine!