Ficklin-Wilcox

Here’s the thing. The wine here is good — very good — and a tasting is well priced at $ 6. They have great kitchen stuff. Awesome cookbooks. But last Saturday I had the absolute worst service EVER. The guy working would barely talk to us. He was so stuck up and awful! We had to ask for information about the wine and he was super reluctant to talk to us at all. I wanted to go back today but walked by because I saw he was working. Boo.

I have never considered myself as a port drinker. My first response when offered one was always — «no thanks, far too sweet for my taste». Other than whiskey I generally stuck to Cabernet and the occasional Merlot. However, after stopping by Ficklin-​WIlcox, and doing some tasting, I now have broaden my horizons. I have learned that port can be very good as well as potent. Nice tasting area and a gift shop. Very helpful and friendly employees. I now have port in my liquor cabinet to offer my guests (and enjoy myself). Good destination in midtown.

Impromptu stop led to connections and a new Port bottle! Great service!

Ficklin-​Wilcox is based in Madera County, but they have a tasting and retail room in Midtown Sacramento. I have wanted to try them for a long time since I love Port and finally had a chance on a Saturday afternoon. Their store has an eclectic look mixing hipster and wine cellar vibes with an interesting wine growler concept. They offer tastings and sales with good hours, especially during Second Saturdays.
On my trip, they were tasting a few non-​Port wines, but their Ports are the real stars. They have several varietals beyond the typical thick and sweet Port. The place was deserted when I arrived, but after flagging down the staff, I jumped into a nice urban tasting. Their growler program is intriguing, but you are stuck with whatever they sell from the barrel. It is hard to be crazy about Port when it is over 90 degrees outside, but they are still pretty tasty.
My favorite was their flagship port that is continuously blended with previous vintages to create a unique flavor profile. Their other varieties are also excellent. FW has an excellent location when visiting Midtown, but parking is always a challenge, and I would bet this place gets very crowded on a cold winters eve. This should be a stop on your next Midtown adventure.

We stopped in here and I learned so much about ports. it was so fun and Josh was very informative and had a culinary background so I appreciated all of his knowledge it was definitely a great experience and we got to bring home a great bottle of port and we sampled many of their delicious bottles.

Last year I picked up a bottle of Ficklin Wilcox’s very affordable port for a «shop local» White Elephant Gift Party, and it was the most-​fought over gift of the evening (I had secretly been hoping to take it home myself, and was a little disappointed). So this year I resolved to get two, one for myself and another one for this year’s shindig.
We dropped in on a Wednesday night at 20 minutes to close. There was a single employee who greeted us promptly, and no customers. I noticed they had a 2 for $ 25 special going on including their Tinta port (regularly priced at $ 11.75) and the Tawny port ($ 20). The employee asked if I was looking for anything in particular and I told him I wasn’t sure which port I had picked up last year, so he suggested we do a full flight tasting! The normal $ 6 fee per person is waived if you make a purchase.
He gave us the full rundown of every wine we tasted, pausing only briefly to turn off the «open» sign out front. Even though we were so last minute, expecting to be just in-​and-​out, he never rushed us in the slightest. He seemed to very much enjoy discussing the wines with us and we learned quite a bit from him! We walked out with two bottles of port for just $ 25.
If you have the opportunity to drop in and have the whole place to yourself, I definitely recommend it! It would be great stop on a date night, and definitely come in on Second Saturday when they sometimes have special events :)

Dangerously Close & Delicious Wine Room Only 5 Blocks From Home! *YIKES!*
SITREP
Oh lordy lordy. «And TEMPTATION shall reign upon you! And the willpower of man will fail!» AMEN to that!
Let’s just say I choose to view wine as «Manna from Heaven», the blood of Christ. And being the vampire I am, I’m drinkin a LOT of the Lord’s blood these days!
THE HOT SPOT LOCATION!
Ficklin-​Wilcox (Ficklin) is located right in the heart of Midtown Sacramento right near what I call «Ground Central» — the intersection of 20^th & K — where an amazing plethora of gastropubs (LowBrau), clubs (Faces, Headhunters, The Depot, etc.) and Restaurants (Azuls, Petes, etc.) are all clustered.
And just up from this center-​of-​social-​gravity for Midtown is Ficklin — right across 20^th Street from one of my favorite local galleries, Atelier 20. And I have to say for the record, that it wasn’t until the celebration of Dia de los Muertos two Saturdays ago that I had no idea Ficklin existed! *Facepalms himself*
THE SET-​UP
Ficklin is a beautiful wine bar /​tasting room /​store with so many delicious fruits of the vine, and all the accessories you could want to help you enjoy these fruits.
Bambi, Fabi and I had just finished enjoying the festival of Dia de los Muertos and were on our way home when as an afterthought, I saw the store front and thought I saw the word «Raspberry» on one of the bottles in the window. [I have to say, whether we are talking about Wine, Coffee, Chocolate (double that for Mocha Coffees), or even CHEESE, if somehow the flavor «Raspberry» is associated with the underlying item, I am INSANELY interested in that product.
So at first the girls were reluctant to extend the afternoon any longer with another frolic, but in the end, they enjoyed it just as much as I did (especially since they got wine bottles to take home with them! …But I get ahead of myself…)
THE WARES
We saddled up to the wine bar, and our host graciously introduced us to their extensive selection of wines. These included:
* The White — Chardonnay (very good)
* The Red — Syrah (excellent)
* And various varietals of port (AMAZING!)
THE PORTS
Let me just say these deserve their own section in this review, and in fact, this is the reason why I would be coming back here.
If there is ONE amazing standout that Ficklin offers to the wine connoisseur — even those individuals with stout wine cred from out-​of-​town — it would be their selection and quality of Port Wines. Absolutely amazing — you have to come and do a flight of ports just to take in all the wonderful options.
They have them of various ages, all the way up to the Reserve Port. You can even get a growler and they will fill it up straight from the featured barrels. It doesn’t get any better than this!
PARKING
Even though in the middle of Midtown, there is a parking lot RIGHT NEXT to Ficklin, saving you the hassle of having to use the meter on a street or even worry about a parking garage. It doesn’t get any more convenient than this for the out-​of-​town guest.
[Now, just imagine if you are coming from Sacramento and going to that wine shop near the St. Francis Hotel Westin in downtown San Francisco. Yeah. Right? Yeah — BIG difference. Parking in the Union Square parking garage is more than your purchases from here. We are lucky here in Sacramento, folks!] ;)
THE LOWDOWN
If you love Port Wine, THIS is your stop!

If you like ports, this is the place to be. So many interesting ones I’ve never seen before. Five bucks to taste a generous amount, waived with purchase of course. The gentleman working was friendly and very knowledgeable, with interesting facts to share and a sense of humor. Cute little shop with great gift ideas. Good stop for the holiday season!

Saw this and thought of my wife as she loves wine tasting and kitchen stores. Decided to take her. People here are friendly and knowledgeable. A great place for ports as well as some other wines. Check out their web sites for events, classes, history, etc. A great place for your wine tasting buddies or date!

I’ve been to Ficklin a few times now and have always had a wonderful experience. Their location, staff, and port selection are awesome! I went today with a group of friends and we had a fantastic time tasting and chatting with Josh, who is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. They have an awesome growler deal – $ 20 for the growler and $ 25 to fill it with their seasonal and unique small-​batch ports. I look forward to going back and definitely recommend coming here for anyone looking for a fun and unique experience in Sacramento. Be sure to try the Tinta Port. :)

I finally had a chance to check out this unique shop in the heart of midtown. You could argue that being a wine lover is already a niche market, although a safe one since it’s so popular. But at Ficklin-​WIlcox, they do nothing but port, and this really brings out the sweet-​toothed vinophile connoisseurs.
My friend and I walked in on a Friday afternoon to explore the shop and were immediately greeted by Russ, one of their friendly employees. He casually walked us through a tasting of their many varieties. His knowledge of the product and welcoming attitude were both impressive and made us happy we’d stumbled upon such a tasting experience. We were so happy with his hospitality that I returned shortly thereafter to buy myself a bottle of their tawny port.
In addition to ports, they have numerous wine related memorabilia and gadgets, as well as a tasting room in the back for those who want to do tastings in a large group. I hope their niche-​market concept survives and thrives in the unpredictable Sacramento scene.

So glad I discovered this tasting room through Unilocal’s scavenger hunt! The tasting fee is minimal and the staff was generous with the pours. They were excited to tell us about Ficklin Vineyards and their impressive history in port production. I ended up buying a few bottles of the Old Vine Tinta Port to give as gifts– a great value at less than $ 18 a pop. Even if port isn’t your thing you’re bound to find another wine you’ll like. Try the Syrah– it tastes just like pepper! They also sell a variety of kitchen tools and gadgets. Hoping to come back for one of their special events soon. Tasting fee is refunded with wine purchase.

I’ve had Ficklin ports before. The winery that makes Ficklin is located in Madera. I had no idea until now that they made so many varieties of ports.
I stumbled across this store accidentally when a friend on FB posted a note about a friend selling some artwork that had been hanging in this shop. Wait… what’s this shop, again? A place that sells port and has tastings?
In Midtown! (No need to drive out to wine country)
A shop that sells many varieties of port, including 2 varieties in barrels that are available for filling liter-​sized growlers?
The shop, itself, is nicely set up. The bottles of ports and other wines are arranged nicely on racks and displays in the front half of the store. In the back half are various kitchen essentials and tools. There are fancy hardwood walnut crackers, high carbon paella pans, copper cookware, and Lodge cast-​iron cornbread pans.
There are sometimes special, nibble, knit, and sip port evenings scheduled. (I’ve heard that one of the owners is an avid knitter.) There are also wine appreciation/​sensory classes, so you can learn about the nuances of taste and scent for a particular varietal.
The staff is friendly and earnestly attentive. I get the sense that they genuinely enjoy working here.
The ports are, of course, essential to the experience here, so do try them and take a bottle or two home with you.
I predict that Ficklin and Wilcox will be responsible for coaxing more people to have a greater appreciation for port wine in Sacramento.

I know where I’m going for small business shopping. After checking out this shop I can think of more than a handful of people that would think this place is cool. When we stopped in the owners were very friendly and welcoming. They told us a little about the history of Ficklin Wilcox and that they were the #1 port producer in the nation. Unfortunately they were out of the truffle sample which sounded really good but told us they post their recipes on their website.
With the holidays coming they have plenty of kitchen and cookware, books, wines and ports that would make great stocking stuffers and gifts.
Ficklin Wilcox also has monthly classes on wine and second Saturday events, which get crazy packed. Didn’t get to try the wine flights since I was driving that night, but will definitely be back with my friends.

Thank you Unilocal for including this place in the scavenger hunt! I never would have known it was there! The staff there is suuuuuuuper friendly. Can’t wait to go back for more.
#scavengesac

Great place with great wine. The staff here was very helpful and friendly. Not only do they sale wine but they have other kitchen goods for sale as well. They offer wine tasting for $ 6 that includes 6 different wines. The cool thing is that if you buy a bottle after your tasting they take $ 6 off that bottle! what a deal!
I thought it was neat that they have recipes printed out for you to take that tell you how you can use old left over wine.
They also have a cool program called «Tappit Hen» where you buy a bottle for $ 20 and you can bring it back and fill it up with one of their ports for $ 25 straight out of the barrel. I will definitely be coming back with friends for wine tasting and pairings.
#scavengesac

Ficklin-​Wilcox, how did I not know you existed in midtown or let alone in Sac?!! Thank you, thank you to the #yelp #scavengesac for the great find! When I arrived, I immediately asked for a $ 6 tasting (man, so much cheaper than the tasting rooms in Napa)! If you buy wine, the $ 6 will be credited. :) I love Chardonnays, but Ficklin-​Wilcox is known for their ports. So I decided, what the heck, I’ll be brave and try new things. To my surprise, everything was delicious — even the reds (and I usually hate red wine). However, I did walk out with a bottle of their Chardonnay. O:)
They have a cool growler program for their port wine for $ 25. Every 4 – 5 weeks, they offer a new port that you can fill with your growler. They have plans in the future to create a growler program with a white wine (crossing my fingers for a Chardonnay)!
For other Chardonnay fans, on 12÷12÷13 at 6:30, there’s a class called «An Introduction to Chardonnay» by Jake Sockolov for $ 25 per person or $ 20 for members. You can register in-​store or by calling 916−341−0240. He’ll help debunk peoples negative thoughts towards Chardonnays and educate about the yummy wine. Cheers!

Now that I am older and wiser I go nuts over a good glass of wine. Let me tell you, Ficklin-​Wilcox have it down when it comes to Port. My husband and I did their pairings this second Saturday after a few months of curiosity about this place. We got to try four different kinds of port wines. They were all amazing and full bodied. I was amazed at all the different kinds they had and special ways to drink them… we had their 10 year aged port with warm apple juice, which I could see being a fantastic Holiday drink!
As we walked through each pairing we knew we were going to walk out with a big bag of goodies. This isn’t only a wine shop, there’s also fine housewares and fantastic local foods to go along with your wine.
We picked up 4 bottles of wine, including their 1 liter growler of the Harvest Ruby (which I highly recommend). Plus you can bring your empty growler and keep on filling it up! We’ve only cracked open the port blanc, which is smooth, fruity and fantastic with light dishes. Also beware, these are strong wines!
I can’t wait to go back and do a custom flight! Check their website too, they have all their events posted on there.

We all know that wine improves with age, and some of you may know that I improve with wine!
So, of course, I was ecstatic to hear that Ficklin-​Wilcox decided to call Midtown home!
Ficklin-​Wilcox is best described as Ficklin Vineyards meets Williams-​Sonoma. It’s an extension of Madera’s Ficklin Vineyards while simultaneously highlighting kitchen gadgets and hosting classes. That’s right, taste their wines and shop for home décor and fancy kitchen tools at the same time! Actually, now that I think about it, maybe these guys are geniuses. Don’t you buy spontaneously once you have a little vino in you? Well, I sure do (hoping fiancé does not read this, fingers crossed)!
Many of you probably already know that Ficklin Vineyards is known for their award-​winning ports. They’ve been producing ports for over 50 years, using only Portuguese grape varietals. I’m clueless when it comes to ports, so it was nice to have Ficklin-​Wilcox to break me in! We tasted the vintage port and the tawny, and followed these tastings with their complimentary rick dark chocolate. Pure seduction!
They’ve also introduced table wines to this Midtown tasting room that are only available here. We tasted 2 whites, the Verdelho and the Branco Doce. Both were refreshing and fruit-​forward with my favorite of the 2 being the Branco Doce. That wine would be perfect on a hot day while I lounge by the pool. Sounds dreamy!
We tasted 2 reds, including the Touriga and the Tempranillo. These too were fruit-​forward and very smooth. The Tempranillo came home with us, so obviously it was a winner! Their other table wines include Touriga, Tinta Cào, and Vinha Velha.
What struck me most about their wines was the unique taste. When I think about growing wine (and I’m certainly not a vintner), I think of cooler regions of California, such as the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. I certainly don’t think of the Central Valley, capital of H-​O-​T! But, Ficklin Vineyards is clearly thriving in the heat. Their wines are different than anything I’ve ever tasted, but different in a good way.
The tasting fee is $ 6 and is waived if you purchase a bottle. They feature 2 types of dark chocolate (made locally in Roseville) and cheeses to pair with the wine. I love when places add those little tidbits!
And, speaking of pairs, the culinary shop and wine tasting room make quite the perfect match. We not only took that Tempranillo home, but we also snagged a lovely tablecloth and 2 hand-​blown wine glasses.
Ficklin-​Wilcox is a great addition to Midtown without having to make the trip to Madera. The staff were incredibly nice and knowledgeable, plus, clearly passionate about wine. They’re definitely going to be a regular in my rotation of Sac wine-​tasting!

It’s right across the street from my work which is awesome. The owners and staff are some of the nicest people. I’m not a huge wine drinker, but I have to say their ports are really amazing. I’ve also tried both of their white table wines, and I love the sweeter Branco Doce. They did the interior really beautifully, and I love all the personal touches like the photographs and one of the actual old grape vines. They also have a Tappit-​Hen program.
If you stop in you have to grab a box of their port filled chocolates — to die for! :)