Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery Old Port Tasting Room and Shop

The wine is good, but the tasting portions are extremely small. We were disappointed in the size of the pours. We could barely taste the wine with the portion size.

Nice place and people, I just really didn’t dig what they had to offer. Felt their wines were a bit too sweet or too tart depending on which wine. Their plain gin was okay, but their cranberry gin felt way off. Their rum was also a bit too proofy. To each their own, though, you may come in and love their stuff. The people serving all seemed very nice and knowledgeable.

Very pleasantly surprised by their blueberry port, which has no grapes in it. Has a nice blueberry nose with that classic port finish. And the «flagship» house gin is great as well. If I would have had more room in my luggage I would have bought a bottle.

Friendly staff, great location, and good value. $ 5 gets a great tasting and you can keep the glass!

This is a great tasting room we stumbled into and are so glad we did. The hostess was friendly and knowledgeable and provided us with some new ingredients for cocktails at home.

While walking around Old Port and poking in all the stores they have to offer, we came across this winery. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was or if appts were needed, but we walked in. The woman working the store was very friendly and greeted us right away. She offered us a tasting for $ 5 per person, and you were able to sample 4 selections (wines, dessert wines, and spirits) from their list. We opted to do this.
The woman pouring our glasses seemed very knowledgeable about the wines, and gave a brief description. We ended up purchasing a bottle of the cranberry smash, and later found out we were also given our sampling glasses, which was a nice surprise since I’ve done a few tastings and weren’t able to take the glasses home.
Nice wine selection, friendly staff, cute store.

I do not know much about wine, except that I love to drink it! I’m trying to become more knowledgeable about the wines I drink, what I do and don’t like, etc. «Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it». Experiences like the tasting at Sweetgrass yesterday are helping me become a pro ;)
For $ 5 you can come in and pick the brain of the staff while you indulge in four samples of your choosing. My friend had the genius idea of us each choosing four different samplings and trying each others (so we could both try 8 different menu options). The woman pouring for us seemed semi-​knowledgeable and was able to answer most of my friends intelligent wine enthusiast questions. I, on the other hand, was a very good avid listener. My questions, had I asked any, would have been more George Carlin-​esque «What wine goes with Captain Crunch?» I digress, I did learn some and had an excellent time sampling some new delicious wines.
Our favorite sampling was the cranberry smash dessert wine. It was delicious! I’m sure I’ll be back to purchase a bottle at some point ($ 16.00). Sweetgrass also will ship their bottles to you if you require this. The rhubarb smash was my second favorite. I tend to like the sweeter, fruitier options. Also, you get to keep the glass you try your samplings in if you choose. It’s a cute little souvenir!

Until today, every time I passed Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery… they were closed. Hundreds of times I’ve passed by to dark windows and locked doors. Today (on the day that I chose to start dieting and drinking less), of course, they were open. So I scratched my plans for fruit smoothies and came here instead.
The inside is rustic — all that wood and brick that makes downtown Portland so distinct; and, I love the big M A I N E sign on the wall (and if you stand just right you can capture a killer selfie through the mirror with it).
As others mentioned it’s $ 5 to taste (in a sweet little glass you get to keep!) four very, very tiny samples. I know, Maine alcohol laws, grumble grumble grumble. But there seems to be some confusion (with other reviews left here, myself, and possibly the woman pouring for us at Sweetgrass). When we went we were told that a) she could only serve one round of samples per person per day; so we couldn’t have any other samples after the four we purchased (which is a real bummer if you end on something you don’t like); and, b) if we had wanted to sample just one of the products when we initially came in, they still would have had to charge us $ 5.
Hunh?
Anyway, we tried (the first four were my choices, the second four were the choices of the friend I came with — PRO TIP: if you come in pairs or more, you can try more of the menu as long as no one in your party is a germaphobe):
1. + Cranberry Smash: THE WINNER. It’s like adult Ocean Spray. I could drink this all day, every day and have the happiest kidneys (and saddest liver) in the world.
2. — Blueberry Smash: I was really disappointed by this one. I thought it would have more blueberry notes to it, and I just don’t think it really did. Tasted like many other ports I’ve had in my life.
3. + Rhubarb Smash: My second favorite, for sure. The rhubarb notes are gentle as is the drink on a whole.
4. + Three Crow Rum: I have never smelled rum with such a beautiful butterscotch scent before. I would buy this just to breathe it in. I admit, the taste is VERY strong on it’s own, but I would 1000% percent order a cocktail with this particular rum the next time I was out at a bar.
5. +/​-​Bleujolais: Not a typo, by the way. It’s their fun play on a Beaujolais. It was good, subtle hints of blueberry on top of a very young tasting red.
6. — Blueberry Cabernet Sauvignon: Meh, kind of thin and unmemorable in my opinion.
7. + Apple: It tastes just like you would think/​hope an apple wine would taste like.
8. — Cranberry Gin: I can’t remember the last time an alcohol actually made me cough and sputter because it was so strong, but this one definitely did (take their advice and mix it with tonic). Then again: I AM NOT A GIN DRINKER. So if you like gin and cranberry, I’m sure you’ll fancy this. Just too strong for me.
I would suggest checking out Sweetgrass if you’re bopping around the Old Port. The staff really is very sweet and patient; you may make new friends from Arkansas or Germany also saddling up for samples; and, it’s a cool way to spend twenty or thirty minutes.

Constance is very knowledgable! 30 years experience and fun traveling the world learning about wine and spirits. This is a must see if you’re visiting Portland. $ 5 for tastings. Everything was delicious. Their world famous gin and their blueberry wines are extremely unique in flavor.

So what do you do if you’re in Portland and not a beer drinker? You go to Sweetgrass on Fore Street for a $ 5 tasting, get a souvenir glass, and probably go home with a few bottles of new beverages to quaff later!
You get a sample of four of their beverage menu items, so the thing to do is, go with a friend for the tasting so you can expand your selection of samples. But, it IS only $ 5, so if you don’t want to share, work your way through the list for another couple of Lincoln’s.
Personally, I enjoy all manner of adult beverages, but for those that don’t, or can’t drink beer, for what ever reason, Sweetgrass is an excellent alternative. They have a selection of fruit-​based wines that aren’t your typical grape-​based variety. While these are not MY favs, I have heard others cooing about them.
I prefer their dessert wines and distilled spirits. The have two gins, and a rum. both are excellent as they are without mixers. That being said, you can enhance your drinking experience if you pair a bit of their smashed cranberry with the Back River Gin. Two delicious flavors In harmony with each other. They also have a blueberry and maple dessert wines on hand fairly regularly. If you are visiting in the right season where the rhubarb or peach are available you are lucky! These go fast!
Many aren’t aware that Maine actually has over a dozen wine producers, including these guys. So worth a visit, Can’t recommend them enough.
The distillery itself is farther north in Union, Maine.

The $ 5 tasting was a great way to get to know Sweetgrass. Sweet wines really aren’t my thing, but the girl working suggested a few of their more dry wines which I enjoyed. She was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. The signature gin was the highlight of the tasting and I easily could have left with a few bottles had we not been headed to lunch. Great place to stop by when you’re looking for something a little different to do in the old port.

Four stars indeed!
Sweetgrass is a non-​beer drinker’s dream in a city of craft beer. I could have spent a ridiculous amount of money here, but I just found out I can buy it ONLINE!!! YES!!!
I strongly suggest you do the $ 5 tasting, as it’s a great way to sample their selections and you get the glass, which I’ve already used at home.
The staff was incredibly friendly and informative about the selection, and she helped guide me through the tasting menu. I love the fact that their beverages are made from (mostly) Maine fruits, which really come through in the brightest and appropriately subtle ways.
If you like gin, you definitely need to try their house gin. I don’t usually drink gin straight up, but I could sip on theirs all day. Their cranberry gin was also really good, but with a splash of tonic.
Definitely swing by if you appreciate gin and sweeter wine!

We walked in on a whim. The woman working was very sweet and accommodating. They have a nice selection of sweeter wines and gins. They use a lot of fruit in their spirits like blueberries and cranberries. We really liked the regular gin and blueberry smash which was similar to a port. You can do a tasting for $ 5 which includes 4 tastes and a glass; fantastic deal. This is such a fun little place to stop at and taste their stuff!

such a lovely place! $ 5 to sample some unique, tasty wines and you get a souvenir glass. my friend and i had a great time. the bartenders were super friendly and i’m glad we got to stop in! :)

$ 5 tasting that was intimate and delicious! Plus you get to keep the glass! So fun. We each got to try four beverages (wines, dessert liqueurs or liquor). The gin was amazing — highly recommended!
Everything is reasonably priced and reflects the tastes/​ingredients of the area.

Lots of tasting options for a reasonable price. They have wines, gin, rum, bitters, and liquors to try. Several wines were very good — we bought a bottle of the peach. Definitely worth a stop!