Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Reat.
Angie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Angie Reat, co-owner and self-appointed General Chaos Coordinator of Portland Wine Company, an independent, winemaker-owned urban winery in Southeast Portland. Portland Wine Company is our home, and Love & Squalor is our first (and national) brand.
It all starts with my husband, Matt Berson. He started Love & Squalor with Riesling and Pinot Noir. I met him at a wedding in 2007, where he was proudly pouring his Dry Riesling while shucking oysters. I fell for the wine, the charm, and, I’ll admit, the oysters. I love them, too.
I came from graphic design and brand strategy, but Matt’s talent was always striking to me. I decided my time, expertise, and desire to create something were better spent growing our family business, so I gave up my design clients and put everything into it. I still bring the designer’s eye to the work. Our voice is warm, direct, witty, and proudly anti-corporate.
In the early years we made our wine in the Willamette Valley. Matt was making wine at other wineries, and we couldn’t afford to make it in the city. The name Portland Wine Company was always the inspiration, though. We spent four years looking for the right building and finally found it in 2018, just a few miles from our home. I love bringing the valley to our community here in Portland. These days our space hosts a Trashy Book Club, guest winemaker nights, blending parties, book launches, and an annual oyster and sekt party.
I’m proudest of The Great Grape Stomp, which we just held to celebrate Love & Squalor’s 20th anniversary. It was Portland’s first grape stomp competition, with 20 teams, costumes, live music, and a couple of TV spots. It’s technically only my 19th vintage, but it felt like the right way to mark the milestone. As for the biggest lessons, there have been too many to name. That would take a whole book.
I also try to strengthen the community around the business. I lead communications for the PDX Urban Wineries Association, and I serve on a board or committee for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding our winery home was a full-time job on top of my actual full-time job. For four years, while I was running sales and the wine club, raising a little one and contracting for Nike, I was also hunting for a building. In 2014 we were sure we needed about 10,000 square feet, and we assumed we’d lease. But Portland was booming and landlords knew it. There was no money for tenant improvements, and we were terrified of pouring everything into turning a warehouse we didn’t own into a winery, only to have the owner sell the building out from under us.
Our broker finally told us to think outside the box: go smaller and find a way to own. We did. We bought the building in 2018, and it was a huge burden on the business until we opened in the fall of 2019. Four months later, COVID shut us down. Owning that building turned out to be the best decision we made. I honestly don’t think we’d have survived the shutdown if we’d been leasing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
About Portland Wine Company (revised)
Portland Wine Company is an independent, winemaker-owned urban winery in Southeast Portland, and the home of the Love & Squalor wine label. My husband, Matt Berson, is our winemaker. I handle everything else: operations, marketing, events, customer service, and social media.
What we do and what we’re known for
We make Willamette Valley wine in the city. Matt started Love & Squalor with Riesling and Pinot Noir, and those are still our foundation: a Dry Alsatian-style Riesling and Oregon Pinot Noir, made with growers we’ve known for years, including Sunnyside, Temperance Hill, Gemini, Arlyn, Ribbon Ridge, and Sunny Mountain. But we get to experiment, and we do. We make a skin-contact Gewürztraminer and a pet nat sekt, and we change our rosé every year. This year it’s a Rosé of Meunier. If you’re new to us, start with the Riesling or Pinot, then let us talk you into something weirder.
Our tasting room isn’t a typical one. It’s more of a community lounge, comfortable and open to walk-ins Thursday and Friday from 4 to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 8 pm. There’s music, tables for board games, non-alcoholic drinks for anyone who wants them, and a general living room vibe. It’s a place to hang out, not just taste. We also host a Trashy Book Club, Spin the Bottle guest winemaker nights, Library Wine spotlights, blending parties, book launches, and an annual oyster and sekt party. And we’re known for events that are a little ridiculous in the best way, like Portland’s first grape stomp competition, held for our 20th anniversary.
What sets us apart
We’re independent and winemaker-owned. There are no investors or corporate owners, just Matt, me, and a 20-year legacy.
We own our building. It’s small, which made it hard to find, but it roots us in our neighborhood.
We bring the valley to the city. You get the Willamette Valley experience a few miles from downtown, without the drive.
We keep things playful. Our tone is friendly, plainspoken, and a little irreverent. We’d rather make you feel at home than lecture you about wine.
What I’m proudest of, brand-wise
I’m proudest that the brand feels like the people behind it. After 20 years, Love & Squalor still has personality, and customers show up for the community as much as the wine. The Great Grape Stomp was the clearest proof: people dressed up, formed teams, and treated a winery like a neighborhood party. My design background shaped how it looks and sounds, but the heart of it is Matt’s wine and our shared stubbornness about doing things our own way.
What I want readers to know
Come as you are. You don’t need to know anything about wine to feel at home here. If you do, you’ll find serious wine made by people who care – we can talk your ear off about nerdy stuff if you ask, or not if you don’t!!!
Buy the wines here: https://shop.portlandwinecompany.com/
Join the Wine Club here: https://www.portlandwinecompany.com/wine-club
Read our blog: https://www.portlandwinecompany.com/news
Follow our fun: https://www.instagram.com/portlandwinecompany/
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Outside of the wine world, I love art, crafts, history, and design. I’m an avid quilter and have been a member of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild for nine years, serving on its board for the past four. I also spent six years on the board of AIGA Portland, a professional business association for graphic designers, illustrators, and art directors. Most recently, Matt and I have taken over the Portland Urban Wineries Association, which has been bringing Portland’s urban wineries together for more than 25 years. Matt is president, and I’m the secretary. For much of that time, the wonderful folks at Hip Chicks Do Wine kept the organization going, and we’re excited to carry that legacy forward. Check out the Portland Urban Wineries Association and all the great wineries doing their thing right here in Portland!
Pricing:
- 2024 Love & Squalor Gamay Noir Willamette Valley $32 (20% off for club members on pick up day)
- 2021 Love & Squalor Pinot Noir Reserved $48 (20% off for club members on pick up day)
- 2022 Love & Squalor Dry Riesling Willamette Valley $21 (20% off for club members on pick up day)
- 2024 PET MATT Sparkling Rosé of Dolcetto $32 (club members always get 15% off all bottles all year)
- 2024 Love & Squalor ‘A Frayed Knot’ Skin Contact Gewürztraminer $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.portlandwinecompany.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portlandwinecompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portlandwinecompany#
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@portlandwinecompany?si=tUCPW0zghxXxMjGJ
- Other: google: https://maps.app.goo.gl/f9Fsa9irZMi1MAXw5
