FAQs
Proper wine storage techniques are meant to protect and to coax the best qualities out of your wine. Temperature fluctuations that are a given in an uncontrolled storage space (like your closet, refrigerator, garage, etc.) are one of a fine wine’s worst enemies. It would be a shame to spend your precious time and money on a bottle to lay down, only to have it spoil in your guest room closet! To learn more about proper wine storage, and the options Capitol Cellars provides for its customers, please click here.
On a daily basis, we carry hundreds of labels in our store; unfortunately, we cannot make them all available for tasting! However, every bottle we bring in has been vetted by Marcus and our discerning staff and we do our very best to find the perfect wine for your palate. Additionally, we offer a rotating selection of 15-20 wines at our in-store wine bar and feature special tastings each Saturday from 3pm to 6pm. For more information on Saturday tastings and weeknight specials, see our Events page.
Our Roseville store is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00am until 7:00pm, and can accommodate private events before, during, and after normal business hours. Our Granite Bay store will be open Monday through Saturday, 12:00pm to 10:00pm. If you need to contact us, you are you welcome to call the store or contact us here with any inquiries.
Click here to go directly to our calendar of events or here to learn more about hosting your private event at Capitol Cellars.
Absolutely! Our friendly staff have hosted office tastings, holiday parties, grand openings, and informal in-home tastings. Let us know what you’re looking for and we can orchestrate the perfect complement to your soiree; whether you need a wine educator or speaker or simply a server and some great wine! Click here to inquire about an off-site event.
Our Saturday tastings are usually between 3:00pm and 6:00pm; however, on rare occasions, tasting hours are adjusted to accommodate a private event.
Check out our Events page to learn more about hosting a private event at one of our stores. We can accommodate groups from 4 to 100 and can provide artisanal cheeses and salametti or work with caterers to provide nibbles. We’ve had live music, DJs, presentations, and sit-down dinners in the store. Let us know what you need and we’ll work with you to create a one-of-a-kind experience!
We’re fortunate to try hundreds of new wines each month, and our favorites may vary from day to day, season to season, and meal to meal!! Click here to see the current favorites of our staff, or here to read about Marcus’s favorites. If you find a particular staff member whose palate closely aligns with yours, follow along with the favorites for new suggestions!
We certainly do have some suggestions! Of course, our suggestions are tailored around what you know about your friend/colleague/family member/client’s taste, but with a little information, we can help you select the perfect gift. We can pick out a unique bottle with a special story or a rare find that may surprise even the most accomplished collector. Choose from a variety of carefully chosen wine accoutrements or from our impressive collection of verticals in wooden gift boxes, or purchase a beautiful gift certificate (available in any denomination) and let your lucky beneficiary choose to spend it on a bottle, a decanter, a tasting, or a myriad of other options!
Our wine club is unique in that it individually tailored to your taste and preferences! You can choose to receive as many bottles as you like, when you like, and in the price range of your choice. It’s really more like having your own personal sommelier building a cellar for you, or keeping you well-stocked with “school-night specials” – everyday wines to serve at your dinner table. Click here to read more about our wine club or to sign up!
Each winter at Premiere Napa Valley, members of the Napa Valley Vintners gather to offer select trade members the opportunity to taste from barrel and bid on small lots of wines available only to Premiere attendees, with each sold to only one bidder. These 200 wines are produced and offered in five, ten- or twenty-case lots, and are specially labeled to highlight their rarity. The winning bidder will then, of course, own every bottle ever made of that particular wine! To read more about this, or to see what lots Capitol Cellars has purchased, click here.
We hope to have an online shopping cart soon, which will allow you browse our impressive selection. However, if you’re looking for a specific bottle, give us a call at (916) 786-9030 or use our contact page to let us know what you’re looking for.
There is always something special going on. To see what we’re currently offering in the way of specials and deals, click here.
Our Roseville store is located at 110 Diamond Creek Place, Suite 100, in Roseville, CA – next door to the restaurant La Provence. For a map, click here. Our Granite Bay store will be located in the Quarry Ponds Shopping Center at 5550 Douglas Blvd. in Granite Bay, CA; click here for a map.
Although the optimal temperature for wine storage is between 55 and 60 degrees, it is the consistency of temperature that is even more important. Thus, wine is better stored at a constant 65 degrees than in a spot where temperatures regularly fluctuate between 50 and 60 degrees. In general, wine will age quicker in warmer temperatures than at cooler temperatures..
Experts tend to agree that most Americans serve their white wines too cold, and their red wines too warm. The warmer a wine (or any liquid) is, the easier it is to taste distinct flavors. However, if a wine is served too warm, the smell of the alcohol may overpower the other aromas and, eventually, the taste. In general, the lighter the body of the wine, the cooler you can serve it (sauvignon blanc is a good example). Conversely, heavy-bodied wines can be served at a higher temperature (for instance, a typical syrah should be served at a slightly higher temperature than a pinot noir). Most white wines should be served in the 48 to 60 degree range, most reds in the 60 to 68 degree range.
Wine is often decanted either to aerate or to remove sediment (common in older wines, and increasingly common in younger wines as winemakers eschew fining and filtering to preserve and maximize flavor).
Decanting to remove the sediment is a more gentle process than simple aeration. Assuming that the bottle has been properly cellared on its side, any sediment will have accumulated on the lower side of the bottle. Gently stand the bottle upright (ideally, near the location you will be pouring) and let it rest for a day or so. When it is time to decant, pour very gently from the bottle (being careful not to disturb the sediment) until you see the first signs of cloudiness or visible bits of sediment. There are many opinions surrounding the timeline of when to decant an older wine; though in general most experts agree that the older a wine or more delicate the varietal (e.g. pinot noir), the less time the wine will need to aerate in the decanter.
Most Americans drink their wines quite young, and these wines benefit from aeration. The reason for this is because winemakers have, in recent decades, been very careful about minimizing oxygen exposure during the winemaking process. This is intended to keep the fresh flavors and “fruit” characteristics of young wines. Because of this, young wines can taste a little dull on the palate when first poured, but continue to “open up” and evolve while in the glass. Many people can attest to the superiority of the last sip over the first glass in a young cabernet! Aeration can also soften the high levels of tannins common in younger red wines.
A vertical tasting is a tasting of (usually three or more) wines based on their vintage years, and is an excellent way to survey the difference in the wine from year to year. The winery, appellation, and varietal will be the same (for example, three years of O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon), but will be from three or more (often consecutive) different years.
Vertical collections make excellent gifts, as well! A selection of three bottles presents beautifully in our Capitol Cellars wooden gift boxes; another perfect gift for the wine lovers in your life!
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