theFNDC.com

Where: 2831 S Street, Sacramento

When: Afternoons and evenings, every day but Monday

When most people think of wine tasting tours, they envision rural vineyards à la Sonoma or Napa County. Unbeknownst to many, Sacramento has an urban winery of its own– Midtown’s Revolution Wines. When one of our FNDC members was ready to celebrate her thirtieth birthday, the stage was set for us to get the band back together and sample some locally produced vintage.

Revolution Wines is a small urban winery in Midtown that sells the majority of their product straight off the main floor. Revolution is also conscientious of their local impact, buying most of their grapes from within a ninety mile radius. From what our tour guide told us, some grapes are easy to obtain due to working relationships with local vineyards, while other grapes must be located each season. They press and age their grapes on the other side of the building from the storefront. When the time comes to bottle their wine, Revolution brings in a mobile bottling unit (on a semi!) for a day. Revolution Wine’s motto is “We don’t want to conquer the world, we just want to conquer the neighborhood”.

After we saw the inner workings of the winery, it was on to the fun stuff–actually tasting the wine! We pretty much got to run down most of the wine menu, plus one secret wine not featured on the menu. To me, the stand-outs were the Pinot Grigio, Vintage Port, and Cabernet. The Syrah, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel were also very good. The Pinot Grigio was crisp and citrusy, and at least two of us took a bottle home (normal retail $15). The Vintage Port was not overpoweringly sweet, as most dessert wines are, and had subtle tones of chocolate, tobacco, and fruit. The Vintage Port was excellent and worth every bit of its normal $30 retail price.

Revolution Wines also serves up small plates of appetizers, cheeses, and other assorted goodies to complement your palate. Our group also noticed a few couples eating dinner, sharing a bottle, and enjoying a night out in Sacramento. The bistro also has some desserts that I want to try next time I’m there. Another aspect of the ambiance to admire at Revolution Wines are the inner and outside local artwork. Inside, the walls are adorned with original works by local artist “Ninja”, whose style reminds me of a cross between Callow Lily and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Outside, each of the businesses that occupy the building have their names displayed in a uniquely quirky fashion.

The Skinny

If you’re looking for quality local wine at a fair price, or just a good place to have a night out with your friends or sweetheart, Revolution Wines in Midtown has the FNDC seal of approval. Wine tasting tours are every other hour in the afternoon and evening from Tuesday to Sunday, and can be scheduled by contacting Revolution Wines during business hours. Be sure to also check their website for any other events, as this small but sophisticated urban winery epitomizes everything that is endearing about Midtown Sacramento.

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About the author

Jöhnny Dîablø

Jöhnny is one of the members of the modern day FNDC . In addition to coding and providing content for the site, he also enjoys playing the guitar and watching trippy movies. His favorite mixed drinks are whiskey sours and Jägerbombs. His favorite beers are Blackhawk Stout, Old Rasputin, and Sierra Nevada.