The Wild Bunch 2026: Five Years Old This Year in Portland

Crowds from years past, probably the same at The Wild Bunch 2026. — Photo credit: The Wild Bunch.

The Wild Bunch 2026 is a wine fair dedicated to making wine more accessible and welcoming—and in March it celebrates its fifth year of life. It was started by Dana Frank in 2020, and has become one of the most anticipated wine events of the year. It takes place in Northwest Portland and tickets are now available. Here’s what you can expect.

Some History

You probably know Dana Frank as one of the founders of Dame, which closed at the end of last year. After she left Dame in 2017, Dana opened Bar Norman, which closed in 2024. She is behind High Five Selections, which imports Austrian wines. They helped bring Austrian Wine Week to life, too, which was held most recently this past September in both Portland and Chicago.

The Wild Bunch 2026: The Mission Stands

On their website, they outline their mission: “To celebrate and make accessible the dynamic world of ‘natural’ wine, while also setting aside dogma and exclusivity.”

The dedication to importing Austrian wines and the interest in natural wines is compatible, as Austria is one place where natural wines are abundant.

So What Are Natural Wines?

Natural wines are wines with no to low intervention. This article in Food & Wine has a nice explanation:

“Humans have intervened with wine to impact everything from flavor to appearance with conventional fining, filtering, degassing, and mass production. The elimination of manipulation is all about understanding and potentially appreciating what’s not happening—viticulture free of herbicides and pesticides and winemaking free of the more than 50 additives, from synthetic yeast to liquid oak extract, approved for use in Europe and the U.S.

“Everything in natural wine occurs naturally, and the fermented grape juice is produced with traditional practices—the term may be trendy, but the methods are actually ancient.”

The Wild Bunch 2026: The Fair

They are serious about giving The Wild Bunch attendees great bang for their buck.

What You’ll Find: Overview

This event showcases 70+ wineries and importers from around the world that embrace natural wines and related growing techniques. This includes organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming, as well as “minimal interventions in the cellar, and an overall commitment to letting grapes be grapes without losing their sense of place and deliciousness.”

What You’ll Find: Food

Along with the wineries and importers, you are in for a treat with their food vendors, which include:

Hayward. Located in Carlton in the Willamette Wine country, they offer “New Northwest Cuisine.” On a personal note, I am eager to head down their way for a meal.
Astral. This celebrated Mexican restaurant was in residency at Duality Brewing for a time but are currently looking for a new home. They named their food project after the 1968 Van Morrison Album, “Astral Weeks.”
Alea. This McMinville bakery and cafe makes naturally-leavened breads and offers a seasonal menu.
Wellspent Market. These fine folks are behind the annual Tomato Fest and support other events the focus on seasonality. They sell locally-made items at their shop on SE Division, next to Lauretta Jean’s.
Puff Coffee. Founded by Stumptown founder Duane Sorenson, you’ll find them in a little solo building on SE Stark.

You can purchase food and drink separately from your ticket to the event.

What You’ll Find: The Wineries, Cideries, Importers, and Parties

Here’s the list of the 2026 participants when it comes to wine, cider, and importers. Those who are from Oregon are in the majority, but wine and cider participants also include those from California, Washington, Illinois, Spain, France, and Austria.

Importers are bringing wines from Europe, including the countries of Austria, France, and Germany—as well as Georgia. This small country in the Caucasus region has one of the oldest winemaking traditions in the world—over 8,000 years old.

The retail space you'll find at The Wild Bunch 2026. — Photo credit: The Wild Bunch.

Additionally there’s going to be a retail shop where you can buy bottles you find yourself drawn to that are available. And there will be a DJ spinning tunes to add to the festive atmosphere. Finally, there will be some Off-Fair events (not produced by The Wild Bunch) around town to extend the celebration. The list of them can be found here when they are ready.

Additional Details for The Wild Bunch 2026

The event takes place on Saturday, March 7 from 11am to 4pm at the Premier Gear and Machine Works Building, located at 1715 NW 17th Avenue in Portland.

Tickets are $53 (plus $5.40 fee). Buy them here via Eventbrite. There is no industry or media special pricing. Tickets usually sell out ahead of time, so ticket availability at the door would be unlikely.

Your ticket gets you in the door, all the wine you can taste, plus a take-home logo’d tasting glass. 21+ only. No dogs or other pets will be admitted.

If you love natural wine and wines produced with natural techniques, The Wild Bunch is the place for you. I hope you will be able to find yourself there to enjoy the over 400 wines available to taste!

The Wild Bunch Natural Wine Fair
1715 NW 17th Avenue, Portland
Saturday, March 7, 2026
11am to 4pm
The Wild Bunch website | Instagram
Eventbrite tickets link