SE Wine Collective
SE Wine Collective invited me to come in and see the wine making process and enjoy some food the other night and I am so glad I went. I already knew they had great wines, but I didn’t realize that most of those wines were being made right there at SE Wine Collective! They have 10 winemakers, making 9000 cases of wine a year.
I had the opportunity to try 4 of the wines made here by 4 different wine makers and each one was excellent, completely different from each other, but excellent. I tried the following:
- Gamine 2013 Syrah
- Division 2014 PINOT NOIR
- Stedt 2015 OR Rose (Gamay Noir)
- James Rahn 2015 Hyland Riesling
As you can see from the photos I also enjoyed an incredible meal while visiting SE Wine Collective. In fact, it was hands down the best meal I’ve ever had in Portland. I took my friend Sally and she agreed that it was the best meal ever. Joining us for dinner was cofounder and co-owner Kate Norris. She spent a year in France learning how to make wine and I must say it was a year well spent. The wine she makes is incredible.
Chef Althea Gray Potter
The food was just as good as the wine. Chef Althea Potter is a cooking ninja and I think she might be the best kept secret in Portland. She was kind enough to visit the table and tell us about each dish. It was fascinating to learn where she gathers her ingredients. Here in Portland there is a Beginning Urban Farmers program near SE Wine Collective where they teach people how to run a thriving farm in an urban environment. It is here that she gets her vegetables. Fun fact: they are the only restaurant currently purchasing from them. How cool is that? If all of that wasn’t cool enough, it turns out that Chef Potter makes her own Stracciatella cheese. The cheese is pictured in the top photo of the post and it’s mind blowing. You must go here if for no other reason than to eat this cheese.
Their egg flight was unbelievable too. I do not know what is in the deviled egg mix, but wow. As you can see they are each topped with something fun: beets, peppers, trout, and prosciutto. You can get all four for $7 or for $5 during happy hour.
All happy hour items are $5. Happy hour is from 4-6 PM. You can also get $8 featured wine during happy hour.
Below was another happy hour item we tried the Farm lettuces salad. Notice the edible flowers in the salad? Chef Althea sources edible flowers and herbs from another local spot, The Side Yard. She uses local ingredients as often as possible like Jacobsen sea salt and Bee Local Honey.
This here is the $17 Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with romesco, roasted potatoes, chickpeas and salsa verde. Now, for those of you who have dined with me, you know I always get the pork. They had no way of knowing this since they had never met me. This was the same pork dish everyone else was getting and is on the menu. This pork dish was phenomenal and it is priced cheaper than comparable dishes I’ve had at other places in town.
And of course we had to have dessert! We were totally stuffed, but somehow managed to put this away no problem. It is the Half bake chocolate chip cookie with salted caramel ice cream for $11.
Update 5/23/17- I stopped in for another spectacular meal and want to share the photos. Again, everything we had was wonderful. The meal kicked off with a deviled egg flight and asparagus & ricotta toast. They always seem to have some sort of seasonal toast.
Smoked carrots – $13
Pork Shoulder – $19 Every single time I have had pork here it has been excellent!
Panna Cotta – Not only was this dessert good, it was gorgeous. I love the way everything this serve here is plated so beautifully.
About SE Wine Collective
The entire experience from start to finish looks like it was wonderful. I would definitely like to go there the next time I am in Portland.
I love going to SE Wine Collective. In the summer they put out rocking chairs and its a great spot off division to just sit and relax. I’ve also had those deviled eggs! Delish. I need to get back there after seeing this post- I miss it
Very impressed they make their own Stracciatella cheese! I’ve always been a fan there about how their atmosphere is so pro-local and a fuller wine tasting experience than the normal wine tasting room
I’ve been meaning to check out SE Wine Collective for quite some time. I REALLY need to get in there after seeing all this wonderful food!!! Looks amazing.
Looks amazing and sounds like my kind of night
You make me want to move to Portland! These wines and foods look incredible
Wine collectives are cool because they’re a resource for smaller wine makers to come together (or do their thang separately) even if they don’t have the means to have their very own vineyard. Way to support a local group!
That deviled egg flight looks amazing. I seriously always underestimate the ability to dress up a deviled egg. I have know about the SE Wine Collective for a few years but have yet to actually try the wines made there or learn much about them. I didn’t realize that there were so many different wines/winemakers as part of the collective. I love the idea of the support a collective can give someone just starting out. I have written these titles down and plan on purchasing them for my next dinner party!
I’m so happy to hear you had a great experience. I used to love that place, especially when Josh was there in the front of the house. But the last couple times I tried to go there I was greeted with some not so hospitable staff :( It’s rubbed me the wrong way and I haven’t been back. I always loved the wines they had and the great food. I think I’m almost ready to give it another try!
Everything sounds amazibg, from the egg flight to the dessert. Yum.
Looks divine. Pork and salted caramel dessert=pure heaven!
Wish I lived close enough to go enjoy that. Let’s put it on the list for when I visit you!
So glad you had a wonderful experience there! I really admire what they are doing. Urban winemaking done well!