Avenue Vine

Another new winery, Rail Bridge Cellars, is remodeling industrial space just north of the central business district on North 16th Street with plans to be operational by the end of August. Its 6,400 sq. ft. facility will initially produce about 2,500 cases and could eventually grow to about 9,000 cases.

Revolution winemaker/managing partner Jason Fernandez is a native of nearby Woodland with a biology degree from UC Santa Cruz. His industry experience includes stints with Glen Ellen, Bonny Doon, Estancia, Chalone, R.H. Phillips, and Jewel. Fernandez' Revolution business plan has been in the works for almost three years. The venture includes investment partnerships with prominent Sacramento attorney Joe Genshlea, Sr., and with financial analyst Joe Genshlea, Jr. and his wife Gina Genshlea, who assist with business and tasting room operations. Fernandez scouted locations for a number of months before finding the right match. "Our business plan was to be downtown and build a relationship with the community as a production and tasting facility," Fernandez said. Revolution promotes itself as "Sacramento's Urban Winery." Catering to the local population, the tasting room is open into the evening hours to provide a place to taste wine or have a glass after work or before going to dinner, or to see an operational winery without having to drive out of town. Explaining his goal, Fernandez said, "I want to be a downtown winery where people can come and see the winemaking process, then taste the end result."

Revolution has released three 2005 vintage wines, produced at a custom crush facility, that are being distributed to several local retailers and upscale restaurants. They include a Clarksburg Pinot Grigio, and an Amador County Zinfandel that took a gold medal at this year's California State Fair Wine Competition. Revolution also produces a proprietary label Italian blend called "Renzo," with the 2005 based on the obscure variety Montepulciano, sourced from Yolo County, but the blend will be changing in later vintages. Wines are priced in the $14 to $20 range. The winery will add Syrah and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to the lineup.

Fernandez plans to crush about 60 tons at the new facility this year, and increase production up to about 10,000 cases/year by 2010. The winery recently received delivery of a Vega crusher, a Puleo press and a Wakesha pump from Carlsen & Associates in Healdsburg, and expects to receive stainless steel open top fermentors before harvest to process lots ranging from 2 to 5 tons. Fernandez uses exclusively French oak barrels. The facility could be expanding in the near future into adjacent space in the same building now occupied by a hair salon, that does not plan to renew its lease.

Rail Bridge Cellars owner/winemaker Jon Affonso, a native of Sacramento, has a master's degree in enology from CSU, Fresno, and a wine MBA from Sonoma State University. He has worked in the industry for 10 years in research and winemaking with Dry Creek Winery, Sutter Home, and Renwood, and also worked an internship in France. His first two releases will be a 2006 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $18/bottle, and a 2004 Bordeaux red blend from Napa Valley priced at $36/bottle. He plans to work primarily with Bordeaux varieties, obtained from growers he has built relationships with in Napa, Sonoma, and Amador Counties. Affonso is also considering doing custom winemaking for restaurants who want their own label.

Affonso has used his Sacramento business connections to obtain several investment partners, but he is the majority owner of Rail Bridge. The facility is currently planned for production only, but he hopes to build the brand and later open a tasting room in the downtown area. "There's no reason why you can't have a winery in an urban area," Affonso said, noting that there have been successful operations in the Bay Area for years, such as Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda. "It's all about sourcing fruit from the right growing areas, and it can be trucked here as easily as many other locations where wineries receive grapes," he said. Based on his market research, Affonso observed, "What a lot of people don't know is that Sacramento is the 14th largest wine consuming city in the country, so there's definitely a market here."

About Revolution Wines:
In 2004, Jason Fernandez and some friends came together with the vision of establishing a winery in downtown Sacramento. With this grand vision, but humble resources, Jason started making wine. Through relationships Jason developed in his various positions at wineries throughout northern California, he acquired Amador County Zinfandel, and Montepulciano from Yolo County. With a $3,000 loan, Jason purchased grapes, barrels, a wine tank, a pump, and a corker. He moved his equipment into a friend’s garage, which was converted into a working winery.

Working around the washer and dryer, six 100-pound French oak barrels were hand-stacked in the garage and filled with freshly fermented Zinfandel and Montepulciano wine. The photographic record of the 2004 crush evokes fond, proud, and somewhat comical memories. Although the 2004 wines are not for retail sale, they have been circulated promotionally and donated to charitable organizations. The positive response to the flavors of these wines validated Jason’s objective to make wines of distinct style and character.

In 2005, Jason recruited Joe Genshlea, who shared his vision, to help them with the planning and operational aspects of managing their business. Jason and Joe formalized their business relationship and organized as Revolution Wines, LLC

Source: “Sacramento's New Urban Wineries Gear Up for First Crush,” Ted Rieger, Wine Business, July 23, 2007