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Pourtal: A Tour of Santa Monica's Newest Wine Experience
Santa Monican's don't have to drive to Culver City anymore to experience enomatic wine machines pouring fresh, unique wines. Say hello to - Pourtal.
Pourtal opened a little over a month ago with little-to-no announcement saying, "Hi, we're here," but this PR move is paying off because everyone wants a piece of the Pour. The brain child of Stephen Abronson and acclaimed Sommelier, Peter Birmingham, Pourtal is an unpretentious venture into wine "edutainment," says Abronson.
While most wine bars are overwhelming and you don't know which wine to try, Pourtal breaks it down into categories more than just - White, Rosé, Zin. For instance, this round of 40 samplings, which last 3-4 weeks, is Greek Wines. There are 3 sections broken down as follows:
"Fruit Bombs"
Their other circular wine section is pouring selections from last month's samplings called "Three's Company." Being in Santa Monica, the guys couldn't resist this pun or the flight of "Pinot Envy" - Pinot's aged 2, 5, and 12 years to give samplers a sense of how Pinot's are different. As you can see, they're having a lot of fun with coming up with theme's and urge customers to give them suggestions they may have.
Cool Stuff Alert!!! Pourtal uses the card system with some major improvements. Make sure to hold onto your card because it will track each and every wine that you taste. You can then go to the Pourtal website and input notes for others to read and search around for what your friends enjoy. Stephen is working out the kinks and hopes to have this service ready in a few months.
Oh, did I mention the Pourtal cards pro-rate pours? It's very annoying to have $1.07 or $.65 left on a card, so just keep the card in, and pour a bit more.
Pourtal is a welcomed addition to the 100 block of Santa Monica. With Robata Bar next door, Bar Pinxto across the street, Sushi Roku around the bend, and Ye Olde King's Head across the alley, Pourtal is among an elite group forming the new social scene of Downtown Santa Monica.
Pourtal
104 SANTA MONICA BLVD
SANTA MONICA 90401
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