You say you want a revolution? In terms of local wine, let's start with a winery that doesn't require a trek through the winding roads of Amador County or the Delta. And don't look for any vineyards 'round these parts, though you can get a tattoo or wash a load of laundry right across the street.
We're talking about midtown's Revolution Wines, considered the first urban winery in Sacramento since Prohibition was repealed. If you want to sample a variety of Sacramento-produced wine without leaving the grid, this is your spot.
So look for the Revolution Wines sign on a stretch of P Street between 21st and 22nd streets, on the same side of the street as Subway sandwiches. Enter through an iron gate and squeeze through a narrow alley, and you'll get to the tasting room near the back.
Walk inside Revolution Wines and you'll find a spot that could double as a practice pad for an indie-rock band, if it weren't for all the oak barrels and fermenting tanks. The room is pretty much a warehouse, with concrete floors, exposed ceiling and a roll-up metal door that marks the back entrance. Walls painted green and some shabby-chic furniture give the room a funky, quasi-industrial vibe.
But all the action is at the bar, where you can sip through the fruits of Revolution Wines' work. The grapes are from throughout Northern California, including vineyards in Amador County, Clarksburg and Mendocino County. A Revolution Wines riesling, which wasn't available this day, uses fruit from Washington's Yakima Valley.
Then the grapes are hauled to midtown Sacramento, where they get crushed, fermented and turned into wine. But before you buy, the wine is available for tasting at a cost of $4. Bottles of water are on sale for a buck.
The lineup on a sunny Sunday afternoon included a half-dozen wines, all served in sturdy Bordeaux stemware. The pours were generous enough, though some of the red wines were served a little too cold. Seems like they'd just come out of the cooler and needed some time to warm up a bit.
In between sips, we were thinking it would be fun next time to grab some food from nearby, snag a table at Revolution Wines, and aim for some pairings that express the terroir around 21st Street.
How about:
• Lemon chicken from Tea Cup Cafe with the tangy and citrus flavored 2007 Pinot Grigio ($12.95).
• Cafe Au Lait's gyros with a glass of the rosé-styled 2007 Grenache ($24).
• A steak sandwich from Subway paired with the big blueberry fruit and admirable finish from the 2006 Syrah ($21.95).
• Tacos de carne asada from Chita's with the earthy and fruity 2006 Aparicio Vineyards Zinfandel ($28) – though a cold cerveza would do just fine here.
Revolution Wines is eyeing a move to 11th and R streets, where it will set up in a 9,600-square-foot. The relocation isn't imminent; in the meantime there's talk about the tasting room selling wines by the glass and foodstuffs in 2009.
Now that's a revolution that'll make both midtown mavens and oenophiles from the 'burbs raise their glasses and say "cheers."
Call Bee food and wine writer Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.
