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The first account of wine consumption dates back to 6000 BC in Georgia, followed by Iran in 5000 BC and Greece in 4500 BC. The oldest evidence of wine production dates back to 4100 BC in Armenia—home to the oldest winery.
Despite this ancient ritual of wine production and consumption, contemporary operations in San Francisco now welcome wine production in urban warehouses. However, an ongoing evolution of the wine industry has led to the recognition of urban wineries.
When Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC, the Romans claimed wine as their own. In 380 the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, and wine became a more central part of life due to religious rituals—the sacramental consumption of wine consequentially lead to an increase in production as well.
Starting in 1492, the introduction of wine to the New World began as conquistadors and missionaries brought European wine influences and practices to the Americas. Then between 1562 and 1619, wine made its way to Florida, Canada and Virginia. In 1769, Spanish missionary Junípero Serra sparked the history of California wine, opening Catholic missions involving wine as a crucial sacramental aspect.
In 1785 Thomas Jefferson was appointed the Minister to France, where he traveled frequently and brought back innumerous bottles of wine,particularly Bordeaux and Burgundy. As president, Thomas Jefferson further introduced wine to the United States while serving his two terms from 1801 to 1809. As the 3rd president, Jefferson spent approximately 13% of his annual salary on wine during his first term. Jefferson’s love of wine gradually popularized wine in the United States throughout the 19th century.
The History of wine & Urban Wineries
Additionally, the Gold Rush in California (1848-1855) created an increase in demand—and in turn production—of California wine.
This rising increase in the popularity of wine struggled in the 1920s. From January 1920-1933 Prohibition banned the sale, production and consumption of liquor. Wineries had to quickly sell or dispose of their products. Although many vineyards removed their grapes and replanted with other produce, some vineyards survived through the sale of sacramental wine and grapes.
Although Prohibition stunted California vineyards, it did not demolish the California wine industry for long. During Prohibition grapes were sold and shipped across the country for homemade wine. This resulted in a larger acceptance of wine as a common drink, not only for high society. Additionally, Prohibition brought science into wine making as UC Berkeley and UC Davis began viniculture—the art and science of making wine—departments.
The introduction of science into wine making paved the way for new traditions and production methods for California’s wine.
In the 1976 Judgment of Paris—a blind wine tasting completion in France—two California wines won over the Bordeaux and Burgundies.This resulted in a new respect and interest in California wine, even though highbrow wine culture was largely considered European at this time.
Since the Judgment of Paris, the California wine industry has been booming. Although wine is made in all fifty states, around 90% of U.S. wine is produced in California—if an independent nation, CA would be the 4th largest producer in the world.
Prior to Prohibition, most fruit was shipped into the city to be made into wine—it was produced where the consumer base resided, not hours outside of the city at the traditional vineyards. After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the making of wine moved out of urban areas and into larger rural vineyards where the steps of production were centralized into one location.
But fast-forward over half a century, and wine making has returned to urban areas, “The notion that one needs a vineyard (or an estate vineyard as it is called) to be a winery is simply false. We can bring in fruit from all the major northern California wine regions from 1-3hrs.” Treasure Island Wines located in the heart of San Francisco and established in 2007.
Robert (Bob) Rawson, owner and winemaker at Urbano Cellar’s describes the entry into urban wineries as easier than starting a traditional winery: “the investment in being able to get started is a little bit easier. We don’t own vineyards and we don’t own property, and that’s a huge investment. So you really need lots of capital to get started in that manner. Going into an urban area where we are really just renting warehouse space, it’s a lot easier to get started in that fashion.”
Yet this trend is now being reversed. More and more urban wineries are sprouting in large cities: San Francisco, Sacramento, Seattle, Portland, New York, Cincinnati, San Diego and Los Angeles. “Urban wineries will usually take an existing nondescript warehouse and focus on the investing in equipment and the winemaking rather than expensive tasting rooms and event space,” said a representative fromTreasure Island Wines. “From the customer perspective, we are simply different experience than one finds in wineries in rural areas. However, in the cellar, we are no different than other wineries in the state.”
Urban wineries locate where the market for the wine is. Therefore, by producing in the middle of large cities the consumers are close by and have easy access to the winery. Additionally, these wineries sell to nearby restaurants. “Here, especially in the Bay Area, Oakland and San Francisco, all our customers are here so there are millions of people who are very close by so it makes a lot more sense,” said Bob Rawson.
By sprouting up in city warehouses, urban wineries are able to cater in both location and taste to those around them.
Using warehouses as wineries in urban environments allow for companies to rapidly develop a unique brand of wine and cater to location and taste. These wineries, void of growing responsibilities, encourage experimentation batch to batch.
