TASTE
Ro Sham Beaux ’ s rotating wine list features up to 75 percent locally-produced natural wines at any given time .
younger people more interested in and educated on wine , but also help your ‘ I only drink cabernet or chardonnay ’ folks broaden their horizons .”
Temples to the cult of viticulture
Ro Sham Beaux , which is owned by Irish Hospitality Group ( the group behind de Vere ’ s Irish Pub and other Sacramento bars ), was the first brick-and-mortar natural wine bar to open in Sacramento — though a pop-up bar , Jeune , tested the waters in 2019 and went online in 2020 . Reagan , an Elk Grove native , pitched the concept for the bar to IHG when he was the company ’ s wine buyer . That role showed him why wine trends take a while to get to Sacramento : The city is in the blind spot of major wine sales representatives who are assigned to large regions like the East Bay , Central California or Los Angeles that may not overlap with the capital . Sales reps also rarely show an interest in Capital Region wineries , most of which are too small to get picked up for national distribution . But with the wealth of organic vineyards and producers in the region , “ Sacramento could probably be the largest natural wine hub in the world ,” Reagan says .
Nicholas Corich , the owner of Nico Wine in the Ice Blocks , saw the gap between the Capital Region ’ s wine bars and its natural wine producers soon after he arrived in Sacramento last year . “ It did not take me more than six months to go , ‘ Oh , my God , the city needs it . I can afford to do it , so this should happen ,’” says Corich , who was born in St . Louis and moved to California to work for Square in Oakland .
Corich is sticking to a wine list that consistently draws at least 80 percent from the West Coast , with an emphasis on Capital Region wineries . He hopes to evangelize new natural wine converts in his sunny , 454-square-foot space ( with a 200-square-foot patio ), where there are fresh bouquets at every table and Alicia Keys gazes benevolently from an art piece made of her concert posters . He believes it ’ s Sacramentans ’ prerogative to drink wine from their own region . “ For me , proximity is everything , and it ’ s so overlooked ,” says Corich . “ Most of California wine is exported , and it really should be kind of enjoyed by the people who live next door to it .”
When Good News Wine opens later this year , Midtown will have a trifecta of temples to natural wine . In the delicatessen-inspired space — complete with red-topped stools and a selection of groceries — guests can either order wine by the glass or take home a bottle with ingredients for dinner . Owner Bennett Cross , who was previously the general manager of Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse , says the goal is to make wine less intimidating by nestling it in a familiar setting . He has been working on the concept since 2019 but isn ’ t worried about being the last to the gate . “ This is very much a risingtide-floats-all-boats kind of situation ,” he says . “ The more people have access to positive wine experiences , the more it ’ s going to help all of these businesses .”
Haarmeyer , who became a regular customer at Ro Sham Beaux soon after it opened , agrees . “ I think it ’ s great ,” he says during an afternoon visit to the bar , swirling a glass of an organic zinfandel-apple coferment made naturally in Berkeley . “ I ’ ve been waiting decades for something like this to happen in this town .”
Jennifer Fergesen is digital managing editor of Comstock ’ s . Online at globalcarinderia . com and on Twitter @ jenniferferges1 .
36 comstocksmag . com | September 2021