Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (FPWM) is getting a bit of a facelift, so don't be worried if you see it's closed down the last week of April.

The tasting bar in the Ferry Building, popular with the FiDi after-work crowd and ferry commuters, will close April 27th May 11th with plans to re-open May 1st May 15th after building out a new bar and making some changes. The retail area will be closed April 27th May 11th as well, but should re-open April 28th May 12th.

"There's not anything dramatic that's going to happen," said owner Bo Thompson. "It's going to have a few added features that will make it more comfortable. The bar will be wider." New walk-throughs to the bar for the servers will be added to help traffic flow, too. Right now, servers enter and exit the bar at the same point where customers enter the bar seating area, causing bumps and traffic jams. "I'm hoping to get rid of that bottleneck," Thompson said.

Also, they'll add new, more attractive lighting, new surfaces and shelving, and put the refrigerated cases toward the front. Thompson said FPWM was the second store to open in the Ferry Building back in 2003 and hasn't been changed since. This will "freshen up the place a little bit," he said.

The current bar at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline

The bar area seats about 60, but Thompson said after re-opening, they'll be placing more seats throughout the store on Thursdays, Fridays and possibly Saturdays like they always have on the popular flight nights from 4:30–7:30pm Wednesdays. During those events, customers buy a flight of five one- or two-ounce pours of wines, and visiting winemakers or wine representatives cruise the shop and talk one-on-one about their wares. But the tasting bar—featuring dozens of wines by the two-ounce taste, five-ounce glass, 375-milliliter carafe or bottle, along with snacks such as cheese and charcuterie—has been getting more crowded even on non-flight nights, and often there's a wait.

Wine flight. Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline

FPWM also hosts an annual Napa Valley wine tasting to benefit the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). This year, it's 4–6pm April 26th on the second Floor in the Grand Hall of the Ferry Building and will include 24 wineries, winery principals and winemakers. (Update: The date has been postponed and a new date hasn’t been announced.)