‘It’s Fizzneyland’: Walnut Creek has a new Champagne and bubbles bar
It’s finally happening. After a wait of more than two years, the opening day for Fizz, Walnut Creek’s first Champagne and bubbles bar is set for July 12.
And for those in the know — and willing to pay — it’s already open. Its soft opening phase has begun for members of the brand’s subscription-based club. Membership is offered in four tiers and ranges from $59 to $300 per month. It comes with expanded access to the bar and one to four bottles a month.
Founder Raymond James Irwin (though he prefers the title “Chief Champagne Officer”) first opened Fizz in his hometown of Sacramento about five and a half years ago and planned to open the Walnut Creek location in fall 2022. Delays related to the pandemic, county bureaucracy and contractor problems ensued, he says.
Irwin actually began his career well outside the wine world. “I like to say I went from being an opera singer to a Champagne slinger,” he says.
Irwin studied opera in Ohio, where he first fell in love with the world of hospitality and wine. While living in Chicago later, he encountered Pops for Champagne, a bubbles-only wine bar. Champagne became his go-to drink, and he began to noodle on the idea of starting a Champagne bar of his own.
By 2016, he’d returned to Sacramento, still stuck on the idea. He spent a month in France’s Champagne region exploring more than 40 different styles before opening the first Fizz location in 2018.
“It really was about following a passion,” he says. “It’s the happiest beverage on earth. It’s Fizzneyland.”
The bubbles bar offers a rotation of imported and domestic flights and glasses, plus small bites tailored to pair well with those bubbles, including duck fat fries, charcuterie boards and caviar.
His idea is to make Champagne and sparkling wines something people want to drink regularly, not only on special occasions. Visitors should feel comfortable coming into the bar whether they’re wearing a tux or a T-shirt, he says, “It’s all about celebrating the everyday.”
Details: After the bubbles bar opens in mid-July, it will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays at 1652 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek; fizzwalnutcreek.com.