Street smart winemaking

There are no vineyards outside Dogpatch WineWorks winery in San Francisco. It’s located on a central stretch of 3rd Street, with its neighbours like First Camera store, Mr and Mrs Miscellaneous ice cream shop, and Metropolitan Electrical Construction, an electrical solutions specialist. “Everyone imagines a winery in a beautiful countryside surrounded by vineyards, but that is not often the case in these modern times,” says Dave Gifford, founder of Dogpatch WineWorks. Not everyone can afford vineyards, he adds. Instead, Gifford sources his grapes from growers in California regions like Santa Barbara, Napa Valley and Anderson Valley. Dogpatch WineWorks is a 15, 000 sq ft urban winery, one of the growing number of wineries sprouting up and taking over warehouses in American cities over the past few years.

Excerpt from the February 2014 issue of epicure.