Common Ground: Yield

A green wine bar grows in Dogpatch.

Green Wine, Defined

Many wineries — as many as one third of California’s vineyards — are adopting “sustainable farming” practices, including the partial use of organically grown grapes and the use of more energy efficient methods in day-to-day operations.

“Organic” wine uses grapes that were grown in a vineyard that has been certified organic or that uses mostly organic farming techniques, and has no added sulfites (USDA). This means that no chemical or artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other treatments were used on the grapevines.

“Biodynamic” wines come from grapes that have been grown according to principles of biodynamic agriculture — often more rigorously “green” than conventional organic practices. Based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf Schools and the originator of several theories on out-of-body travel), biodynamics includes the main tenant that the farm should function as a self-sustaining, living system and also takes into account the position of the moon, sun and stars throughout the growing cycle.

September 2007 | Healthy Living :: Tastebuds

Yield

Give yourself over to green wine

By Amelia Glynn

Gone are the days when organic wines needed to be regarded with suspicion. Now there’s Yield Wine Bar, a place where you can surrender to all that green wines have to offer.

Tucked away on Third Street in the industrial heart of Dogpatch, Yield’s simple but cozy design makes visitors feel right at home. The brainchild of owners Celine Guillou and Chris Tavelli, Yield is the first and only “green” wine bar in San Francisco committed to supporting sustainable winemaking and agriculture.

The menu sticks strictly to wines made from grapes that have been organically or biodynamically farmed. “A lot of people still have the perception that organic wines taste like vinegar,” Guillou says. And some of them did when they were first introduced in this country in the early 1990s. She attributes this to the certification process, which is different in the States than it is in Europe: European organic standards allow for the addition of a small amount of sulfites whereas U.S. standards do not. According to Tavelli, sulfites do have an advantage as a preservative, but ultimately, the healthier the grapes, the less sulfites are needed.

What’s good about going green? “More flavor,” says Tavelli. The benefits of green farming are also in the soil, which has positive effects on the grapes, wine and surrounding environment. “So many people are careful to buy all organic foods, and then they wash them down with a glass full of up to 250 chemicals,” Tavelli marvels. Green wine drinkers can leave the aspirin and morning-after fog behind. “A lot of the allergies and headaches people get from wine are from the fertilizers used during the grape-growing process,” he says.

Sustainable principles also influenced the bar’s design. The owners hired local labor and utilized recycled materials, including 100-year old redwood beams from a mill in Humboldt County, cut, stained and turned into tables by Guillou and her father in her garage. The paintings are by her friend and local artist Joslyn Lawrence.

The Yield crowd is a refreshing, low-key mix of after-work and neighborhood folks. A soft glow from glass bricks behind the bar, cushy mushroom-like stools and low leather chairs encourage lounging, and lots of it. Yield’s approachable wine list (arranged by fullness and grape varietal and updated every two weeks) and small menu of gourmet snacks (including a sampler from local chocolatier Poco Dolce and an addictive vegan flatbread with olive tapenade, spring onions, cashew crème, chard, mushrooms and truffle oil) make it the perfect choice for a first date or catch up with a good friend.

At least half of the wines by the glass are under $10 — a notable feat since by definition organic wines are more expensive than conventional ones. “We want Yield to be part of a normal outing where you can come in for a snack and a glass of wine without feeling overextended,” says Tavelli.

Not yet a destination spot, the neighborhood has recently seen a crop of new restaurants, including Slow Club’s second location. Tavelli and Guillou are thrilled to welcome them to Dogpatch, which reminds Guillou of New York’s meatpacking district before it became “Stella McCartney.” “I can’t imagine opening a business anywhere else in San Francisco,” she says. “It still has an unmolested feel.”

Yield, which has been profitable since it opened, donates net profits from one night each quarter to a local charity. Their next event will be on September 12 and will benefit 826 Valencia (826valencia.org).

Yield Wine Bar, 2490 Third Street, San Francisco, 415.401.8984. Open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until midnight. Yieldsf.com

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