The Wine Consultant

If you want to branch out from the likes of BevMo and get some awesome wine, this is the place. You need a lot of time but I learned more about wine in the 30 minutes I was in the shop than I have in the last year or 2. Watch your wallet too as it’s easy to spend a small fortune but it’s worth every penny.

There are times when I’ll stop into the warehouse to choose from 1000+ wines to pick up a known wine or take a gamble on a low priced bottle. But, I appreciate a small shop with limited selection of wines where each wine was recently tasted, evaluated, and selected by the person helping me pick out something new. A fan of Spanish and Portuguese varietals, I know that what I find here will please my palate.
Be sure to take a little time on a Saturday afternoon and step up for a tasting! Well worth the time.

Eric and Renee are passionate, knowledgable, and modest when it comes to wine. They always have great stories to tell about their latest culinary adventure. The Saturday tasting is also quite a treat.

Eric is a joy to talk with. I cannot imagine a better destination for a wine lover or someone wanting to explore wines.
Edited (9÷27÷2013) to add: After another eight months of the Saturday wine tastings (not every week — averaging maybe twice a month) and occasional visits to browse and see what looks interesting, I am ever more impressed with the selection and with the insights Eric offers. The selections come from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, South Africa, and in the U.S. varied parts of California and occasionally other states, and occasionally other countries besides those I mentioned.
Prices range from around $ 10 (and sometimes really amazing bargains in the $ 10 – 13 range) to much, much higher per bottle (often in the $ 20-​$ 35 range, and of course sometimes much higher). Tasting bar lineup is announced on the website a day or two in advance, and Eric sends informative and enticing email notices of special selections. A key outcome of the tastings and of purchasing and drinking varied wines The Wine Consultant has had on offer is that I have a much better sense of what makes wine really good and what it is that a more expensive wine can offer and what this «terroir» thing is about. We (wife and I) have bought whites, reds, sparkling, dessert wines. .. a whole range, some of them stunningly good deals.
Wine can just be something to drink (and popular low-​cost brands can be just fine for that, and good tasting), but it can also be much more interesting and complicated. It is exposure to the latter that Eric offers, plus an introduction to many interesting, varied places where wine is produced and how place influences the product.
Renee does not provide the narrative for the tastings, but is always very helpful with the actual purchases.

This place is a MUST for anyone who enjoys wine! Visit on a Saturday to get some tastes at the Tasting Bar.

When we moved to the neighborhood, I saw the store front for the Wine Consultant in an unassuming little strip mall and thought «Sure, probably some hack selling over priced local wines.» It took me over a year to check and see what it was all about. When I stopped in the first time, I was shocked about how wrong I was. Eric’s selection of European wines was astounding, the tasting room was well appointed, and he was a gentleman. He asked if we wanted to taste, but we were on our way else where, and there was no pressure– he simply suggested that we sign up for the mailing list to stay up to date with the weekly tastings.
The emails I now receive are tempting essays on Eric and Renee’s recent travels, wine acquisitions, and the current week’s tasting line up. When we went in to taste we were exposed to a wealth of information about Italian wines, which I appreciated as a long time California wineo. The wines were good –too good– and we debated amongst ourselves at great length which HAD to come home with us (and how much we could afford.) The wine he was tasting that day ranged in price, from $ 17 to $ 46 a bottle. A little pricier than you might pay for local wine but very vivid and memorable flavors on top of being imported. There are more expensive items in the shop as well, and we were well tempted by many of the interesting wines in Eric’s lovingly selected collection.
Will we go back? Oh, absolutely. This place might become one of my favorite indulgences, and might finally give me that European wine knowledge I so woefully lack. Do I recommend that you go? Well, the enjoyment of fine wine isn’t for everyone and I’d hate to share this hidden gem with people just looking for a cheap buzz.

I am currently kicking myself repeatedly for not making the trip out here for a very long time. The Wine Consultant is miles from my house, and not really near anything I’d otherwise visit, but I will definitely make the trek again. This local (literally mom-​and-​pop) store stocks a well-​selected inventory, with each wine picked carefully by the proprietor. While they do stock some of the more popular/​blingy labels, their real strength lies in finding off-​the-​beaten-​track wines from smaller producers, wines of real character. (Those happy to swill character-​free oak juice, however, will just have to wait for BevMo to open up nearby.)
I am frankly mystified by the few negative reviews here. «Chris A.», you cannot be serious. Eric was beyond helpful in putting together a mixed case for me, and seemed eager to be of similar help to the numerous other patrons in the store. If you are the sort to patronize out-​of-​state big-​box corporate stores instead to save an occasional buck, there’s probably nothing anyone can do to convince you to shop locally anyway. Eric’s prices are, in fact, generally competitive, and he offers case discounts as well. As far as knowledgeable customer service goes, maybe try getting the entire staff of Total Wine together to obtain one eighth as much expertise. Also, I know from firsthand experience that the provenance of wines from these megastores is highly suspect… don’t be surprised at dinner if your Clio from Total Wine is more cooked than your steak. «Tim F.», I fear you may have mistaken Eric’s ebullient enthusiasm for some sort of one-​upmanship; my experience was simply to the contrary.
I wish everyone reading this would take the time and effort to patronize local businesses who offer real personalized service, and please do make it a point to try new, eclectic, and at times daring wines, such as those offered here.

The shop is small and has poor customer service. Found many of the sames wines at Total Wine in Roseville for 10−20% less (ie. 2008 Clio). There are better wine shops around town.

Best wine shop in Sacramento. I repeat: this is the best wine shop in Sacramento. Looking for something different? This is the place. Ever had a Priorat? A powerful, deep red wine from South-​West Spain near Catalonia. No? That’s because Priorat is tiny and wines from the district are rare in the United States. The Wine Consultant has no less than four different Priorats on the shelf. Ever had a Malbec from Cahors, a small district in Southern France, where Malbec based wine has been made since ancient times, sometimes referred to as the «Black Wine of the Cahors»? No? That’s because they’re almost impossible to find around here but, yeah, The Wine Consultant has a couple. Ever had a Pic San Loup? Ever had a wine from Italy’s Adriatic Coast? Yep, they have them at The Wine Consultant. That’s the type of shop it is.
The shop is tiny, so don’t go in there looking for a specific label, but instead go in there and tell Eric (the almost ridiculously knowledgable owner) what kind of styles you like and let him guide you.
They have tastings on Saturdays with a $ 10 fee, which is waived if you spend $ 20.
Now, where is this place? Downtown? Midtown? East Sac? Land Park?
Nope. Citrus Heights. In a strip mall. I know, right. Get this, dude has been there for 21 years. People come from all over Sacramento to see them. Who would have thought?
I thought I was giving up obscure European wines and oddball domestic offerings when I moved to Sacramento, but nope. Not at all. And I can practically walk there from Fair Oaks.
Salute!

This is officially my favorite ‘wine place.’ I go to the Saturday tastings whenever I can. They are low-​key, fun, and educational – and I’ve discovered a number of wines (and even whole varietals) that I never would have on my own.
Eric and Renee are GREAT! Extremely knowledgeable and super friendly. I’m by no means an oenophile, and it’s not like I buy cases of wine at a time. Still I can tell that they’ve taken the time to get to know my own preferences, and have provided good recommendations when I’ve wanted to buy something that I haven’t had the opportunity to taste first.
I’ve brought a number of my friends and family members with me to the tastings, and they’ve all LOVED it.

Eric’s knowledge is fantastic (I would rate it a 5 star), but his ego over-​shadows everything. To be insulted on my own knowledge of wine by someone that knowingly has one better? I normally do not mind that but to pay for that is unacceptable!