Story and photos by JANAY WRIGHT • The Bulletin

The Bend Wine Bar’s label and logo are inspired by founder Mark Proden’s black lab, Pinot.

Pinot’s likeness is imprinted on the wine glasses and wine bottles and stretched across the canvases hanging in the shop. It’s a welcome theme in a town that loves its drinks almost as much as its dogs.

Most wines at this wine bar are poured exclusively from The Winery at Manzanita, the home of Proden’s Oregon wine production.

Opt for one of five curated wine flights to sample several of the local wines. Or leave it up to chance and allow the cards to decide — pick three cards at random from the deck on the side table with a mystery flight ($20).

For the same price as the mystery flight, I chose one based on the recommendations of the woman behind the bar. She poured a sampling of Blanc de Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, all from The Winery at Manzanita.

The 2020 Blanc de Noir was my favorite — it tasted just like champagne. The Grenache red wine, with grapes harvested in 2019, was on the lighter side with a spicy, smokey flavor profile. And the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon was the most full-bodied wine of the three, with tannins visible at the bottom of the glass.

To accompany the flight, I asked for a half order of the charcuterie board ($10.80, entire board $18). It was a neat assortment of Castelvetrano olives, Olympia Provisions salami, organic artisan cheese, Valencia almonds, dried tart cherries and rosemary crackers, which I substituted for gluten-free crackers.

The olives had a sweet, buttery flavor. The salami was chewy with generous marbling. The organic cheese had small eyes and a delectable creaminess for a hard cheese. And the Valencia almonds, covered in rosemary and salt, were rich in flavor.

Service

The service was helpful and knowledgeable without being intrusive. The server was also willing to be flexible with the menu offerings to suit my preferences.

Atmosphere

I sat at the counter just under the roll-up garage door. It was fashioned from a live edge slab of juniper, a beautiful natural surface on which to enjoy the wine and charcuterie.

The Bend Wine Bar opened in April and is located next to Avid Cider in The Box Factory.

More info

Location: 550 SW Industrial Way #194, Bend

Contact: bendwinebar.com, info@bendwinebar.com

Hours: 2-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Price Range: $7-$72 per menu item

Cuisine: Wine bar