I recently visited Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery and had a very enjoyable experience. One of the…read morebiggest draws was their $1 tastings, yes, just one dollar for a taste of their ciders, wine and spirits, which is really fun and makes sampling without commitment super easy. The service was great, our server, Courtney, was exceptionally friendly, helpful in guiding us through the selection, and made the whole experience relaxed and enjoyable. I want to note, as a point of context, that in September the production facility of Sweetgrass's main operation in Union suffered a devastating fire. Despite that, the Portland tasting room remains open and functioning, which is a testament to their resilience. On the tasting side the variety was solid, and the $1 price point made it easy to try a bunch of things. The ambiance is cozy and inviting. If I were to pick one improvement, I'd say the tasting pours felt a bit light compared to some other spots I've been to....not a complaint, just an observation given the price point and expectations. In all, Sweetgrass is a strong pick if you're looking for a laid-back, local winery/distillery stop in Portland with friendly staff (shoutout to Courtney) and wallet-friendly tastings.

Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery is a farm winery and distillery that opened in Union, Maine in 2005…read more It was founded by husband and wife Keith & Constance Bodine. Keith has been in the alcohol business since 1992, and he earned his MS degree in Food Science and Enology. Constance has been called the heart, soul and brains behind the business. She spends most of her time in the fields, gardens and barns that produce the various ingredients used for making their wine and spirits. Sweetgrass is Maine's first farm winery & distillery; using over 70,000 pounds of Maine-grown fruit and grain each year. The distilled spirits are hand crafted in old world tradition with a copper alembic, still capturing the full flavors of their gin, rum, and traditional apple brandy. A secondary tasting room and retail shop opened on historic Fore Street in the Old Port section of Portland in February 2014. In September 2025, a debilitating fire destroyed the Union facility. The Old Port location remains open, but the future of the Union location remains uncertain. My extended family and I visited Sweetgrass's Portland location this past summer while we were vacationing in Maine. While exploring Old Port, we walked past their window and I said, "Hey, this looks like a cool place!" We went inside and signed up for a tasting. For just $10, customers can choose any five wines, ciders or spirits to taste. The five that I chose included "Maine Hard Imperial Cider" (Dry Cider), "Blueberry Smash" (Semi-Sweet Dessert Wine), "Back River Gin", "Cranberry Gin", and "Apple Brandy". The latter was easily my favorite of the tasting, but unfortunately they had no more bottles for purchase. I plan on ordering some online in the future. I am so happy that I discovered the Old Port tasting room by chance. I felt really bad when I learned later on that the Union location burned down. I'm happy to hear that no one was hurt and I hope that they are able to rebuild.

A low-key, really great local spot! They have rhubarb wine that is brewed on site. My partner and I…read morereally enjoyed our flight of wine to try a wide variety. FYI: there's a good amount of parking and seating inside (though not really ideal for a group larger than 3.

**This is just a temporary update!***…read more I just wanted to send a little digital love to Eighteen Twenty Wines during the current state of the world. They partnered up with Mill Cove Baking and The Cheese Shop of Portland to put together these little wine, cheese, and cracker pairing care packages. I got one this weekend: the Piquenique (their strawberry rhubarb wine -- probably one of my favorite drinks in the state of Maine; it legit tastes like pie!) with goat cheese and salt crackers. I placed my order online obscenely late at night, and it was delivered directly to my door the next afternoon. I mean, that's pretty fantastic. It was a completely seamless transaction from the moment I clicked on their website to the brown bag on my porch! Thank you for being so innovative and adaptive during these times! I never thought we'd live in a day and age where Maine was fine with business owners coming to your house to drop off alcohol, but here we are and I'm all about it!

My first experience with tasting mead, I had no idea what to expect. Walking in we were greeted by…read morea great guy with so much knowledge about the company and mead in general. We decided to go for the flight, 4 samples of mead for $10. Lavender lemonade was interesting, light crisp flavor. My favorite flavor was the iced tea mead... refreshing and light. Our group tried a bunch of their flavors. We ended up buying a few bottles to bring home.

Okay. Wow. We…read morewalked by this place when exploring the town and figured why the heck not. We were greeted by the friendliest worker that was clearly passionate about his work. He explained the company in full detail and walked us through the fermentation process. We decided on the guided mead tasting per his recommendation. We liked the dry. But the cranberry, DAMN YALL. Obviously had to buy a bottle to bring home. No complaints on the apple cyser or the lavender lemonade either. Apple cyser tastes like adult apple juice and lavender lemonade is absolutely crisp in the best way, the mint aftertaste is just an added bonus. I'm interviewing this weekend and this just added an extra bonus for moving to Maine. Fingers crossed the interview goes well just so I can come back here.

Had a lovely Galicia Spain wine flight (can also make alterations for other wines on the menu if…read morepreferred) with thorough explanations provided for each wine and the process involved for creating the wine and mixture based on the region. Intimate lowkey atmosphere with peaceful music for a quiet speaking ambiance, absolutely will recommend to others on their visit to Portland!

We have been to Grippy many times over the last few years and absolutely love the vibes! A wine bar…read morebut more an experience, from the walls of wine to the knowledge of Lindsey this spot is spectacular. Further, I reached out to Grippy to procure a pairing for a private dinner celebrating a Birthday. Lindsey went above and beyond to coordinate with the Chef, find a great mix of wines that paired PERFECTLY with all courses we had! Cannot give a higher kudos and recommendation for Grippy Tannins to anyone looking for a wine stop in Portland!

Great atmosphere and the staff is always friendly and eager to tell stories of old. We originally…read morebegan going to the winery in Lincolnville and we were so excited when the o e at Thompson's point opened! We've now been regulars there as well. It's wonderful when the atmosphere, the wine and the service are excellent!

Amazing store. We popped in for some fish, but came away with wine, cheese, and some other goodies…read more They have specialty items that are not found anywhere in Portland. This was like being in a bigger city! The cheese bar was open, and we were served a few delicious cheeses with full explanations. We of course ended up buying cheese to go with the wine we were not planning on purchasing. Then I found the wine, wow, what a selection. These are not the supermarket wines, these are excellent selections made by people that know what they are buying. Something unique, delicious, and bold. I loved it. It was pricey, but the service was excellent (until we went to the fish counter - maybe a bad day?). But everyone else in the store was very helpful, kind, and were smiling. The prices were a bit high, but the location is pretty, well organized, clean, and again - very helpful staff.

Amazing selection of fresh fish, frozen specialty proteins (like way steak), huge wine selections…read moreand cheese. George and staff very pleasant and accommodating. A nice find. Will return.

This spot produces Ricker Hill hard cider and those ciders were some of the first hard ciders I…read moretried many years ago. Despite that, this was my first actual visit to their tasting room. It's very much off the beaten path but an absolute worthy spot of taking a detour for! The dirt roads were very well maintained though I must say. Once you arrive they have a giant parking lot and then once inside you step into a beautifully designed rustic space. If the weather is nice they have some absolutely stunning views you can take in outside while enjoying your beverage. During our visit, I will say a large portion of the space was in use for a party/event. Despite this the staff were very warm and welcoming to our party and even tried to create a private lounge like space for us. I very much appreciated the effort they put to make us feel welcome. I wish the weather would have been a little nicer to enjoy outside! I got their vanilla hard cider while my wife got their blueberry hard cider. Both were phenomenal. They also offer flights for only $10 and even have suggestions for some mixing of ciders including a fan favorite mix of blueberry and maple to create a blueberry pancake. I have had this blend previously and it is amazing! A spot worth adding to your list to visit for the breath-taking views and delicious drinks!

can't recommend this place enough…read more incredible views, wine, ciders, and drinking/viewig area. didn't get the cider donuts, only regret. Thanks for an amazing time. Service on 6/20/2026 was amazing. Incredibly kind lady.