New Wine Bar in Alberta Arts District from Owners of Ovum Wines
Portland, Ore. (September, 2024) — Portland’s vibrant Alberta Arts District welcomes a fresh new addition to its thriving hospitality landscape. The owners of Ovum Wines, Ksenija Kostic House and John House, are proud to announce the opening of Big Salt Bar, located at 1719 NE Alberta Street. This new seasonal wine bar is set to become a local favorite, offering a relaxed and lush ambiance on the ground level, directly above their intimate subterranean wine bar, Bar Nina, formerly known as Les Caves.
Big Salt Bar is the new home ofBig Salt wine, an iconic bottling available across the country. The bar will exclusively serve the full lineup of Big Salt wines, including the popular white, orange, and pink bottlings. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy Big Salt Reserve, a limited-edition, acacia-aged wine available only in magnum, with just 300 magnums produced. In keeping with the bar’s mission to offer fresh, vibrant wines, Big Salt Bar will feature a rotating barrel wine served on tap. The inaugural offering is Ezy TGR, a chilled red wine pulled directly from barrel in late August.
Ksenija Kostic House and John House met in college and moved to Oregon after Ksenija received an offer to work harvest at Chehalem Wines in 2007. John began his career in the wine business shortly thereafter. The wife-and-husband team founded Ovum Wines in 2011 to focus on white wines that reflect the unique terroir of Oregon, particularly Riesling and Gewürztraminer. As Ksenija puts it, “Riesling is always extraordinary.” Together, they started Big Salt in 2016, a label that has seen enormous success across the country.
“We are fortunate to receive so many requests to taste Ovum Wines and Big Salt, and to now be able to receive people on Alberta Street,” said John. “For us at Bar Nina, we’re excited to be able to share the wines that inspire our winemaking at Ovum, but also to share some time capsule wines:—your birth year wine may be waiting for you at Bar Nina,” he continued.
Big Salt Bar and Bar Nina share a food menu that celebrates classic wine bar fare with creative twists. The fan-favorite house grilled cheese from its days as Les Caves remains on the menu at Bar Nina and is available at Big Salt Bar as well. New items include a house-made chicken liver mousse with Pavement plum jam, sobrassada with honey, and Rioja sausages—an exclusive import. As a nod to Ksenija’s Serbian roots, the menu also includes goat cheese with fennel pollen and ajvar, a roasted red pepper sauce.
Big Salt Bar is lush and intended to feel transportive, with a bubbling fountain and leafy plants filling the space. The outdoor space features white chairs and tables covered with blue and white oilcloth tablecloths, as well as soft lounge seating, creating an inviting atmosphere reminiscent of a Mediterranean veranda in summer. Seating 14 guests comfortably, Big Salt Bar will be open through the summer and early fall, weather permitting.
While Big Salt Bar offers a bright and airy experience, Bar Nina below provides a more intimate atmosphere. Named after Ksenija and John’s first-born daughter, Nina, who was named after the iconic Nina Simone, Bar Nina is an underground wine bar located in a 100+ year-old basement that once served as the boiler room of the original Victoria Theater. This hidden gem seats 18 guests and is accessed via an alley and a flight of stairs.
The wine list at Bar Nina features selections that inspire the winemaking at Ovum Wines, leaning into the classics like Chablis, Sancerre, Chianti, and Champagne. Wines are served in elegant Gabriel-Glas stemware, with many sourced through exclusive importing relationships that John has cultivated over the years at his wine import company, La Luz Selections.
Bar Nina will have a rotating selection of wines from the 1980s through the 2000s. Currently on the menu is a 1999 Gran Reserva Rioja available by the glass ($25), as are 2006 André Clouet Champagne ($30) and a 1980 Kopke Port ($22). The full menu can be found here.
Big Salt Bar is open at 5 pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Bar Nina is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm, and Sunday from 4 pm to 10 pm.
For more information, please follow @barninapdx.
About Ovum Wines
Founded in 2011 by Ksenija Kostic House and John House, Ovum Wines is dedicated to producing exceptional white wines that reflect the unique terroir of Oregon. With a focus on Riesling and Gewürztraminer, Ovum Wines has gained a national reputation for crafting wines that are true to their origins and full of character.
