Out of Abandoned Vines, a Community: San Francisco's Two-Eighty Project
Story by Nadia Mincey / Photos by Damien Maloney / Originally Published in January 2021 (Wine Zine 05)
Among the chill of San Francisco, where real estate is premium and the past year’s events have led to a quieter bustle, there appear to be grapes growing from concrete. Bernal Heights, a residential neighborhood in the southeastern part of the city that overlooks the city’s skyline, is home to Alemany Farm, a community farm for the people, by the people. Driving down the I-280 one could unknowingly and easily pass by the farm, which is nestled between the freeway (hence the name of the project) and a housing project. The 3.5 acre city-owned plot of land has been tended to by many, yielding edible crops that have been used to provide meals to the community for 15 years. The farm is home to many community partnerships and has served as a place of solitude to some. Here, in this urban oasis, the tech-boom is out of sight and out of mind. Step onto the farm, head northwest and you’ll find a small vineyard: the roots of The Two-Eighty Project.
The Project
If the vineyard is the root of the project, then the Renfro family is the heart. Christopher Renfro and Jannea Tschirch took over the small abandoned vineyard in January 2020, which had overgrown rows of Pinot Noir grapes. Those grapes were last seen ready for harvest, favoring the infamous city fog and soaking up the late August sun. As of late, they’ve been transformed into a total yield of two “zero zero” bottles. These are the first Two-Eighty wines: grown, produced, and bottled in a San Francisco apartment.
Both Chris and Jannea discovered their passion for wine while working in the industry. Chris has always wanted to own land, and pursued classes in viticulture in 2010. His interests include art, music and design and this project feels like a culmination of these interests. “Wine is all those things,” Chris affirms. He describes wine as something that doesn’t feel like work, something that he can see himself doing for a lifetime. Something like a calling, Chris was more than prepared to merge his interests into this project. The project only reactivated his passion for viticulture that laid dormant while working in the food and beverage industry. For Chris, wine started in the cellar, but clicked once he was on a vineyard tour. On these tours, Chris took in the wonder of viticulture, but did not see people that looked like him. He saw this as an opportunity to be Black entrepreneur; a Black natural winemaker. “I want this, I just want to be ‘me’ in wine.”
Chris shares the success of these grapes not only with Jannea, but with the wine community that has leaned in to support this project. The strong support for this project comes from connections made on social media as well as the networks Chris and Jannea have built over their careers in wine. (Prior to growing grapes at Alemany Farm, Chris worked as Assistant Wine Director at the Bay Area’s Liholiho Yacht Club, and Jannea worked with the excellent all-natural wine list at Fig & Thistle). Chris and Jannea’s list of supporters range from winemakers to retail, media to educators. Phillip Cuadra of Highlawn Wines, a connection Jannea made while working at Fig & Thistle, offered a hands on approach, helping revive the abandoned vines and preparing them for growth this past year. This support was key, and resulted in a successful yield from the once abandoned vines.
Harvest 2020
Though the Pinot Noir from Alemany Farms only yielded two bottles, winemaking did not stop there. Harvest 2020 was full of road trips, buckets in tow, ready to collect grapes from organic and biodynamic farms all over the state. Donations of grapes came from Windsor to Paso Robles and included finds like White Pais and Petite Syrah. When offered grape donations in larger quantities, Chris and Jannea had to refuse, reminding their supporters they’re making wine in a San Francisco apartment with two small children.
The five gallon buckets are just the right size for a toddler to help crush, and give both little girls a project to look forward to. Other techniques include using a tofu dewatering machine, for pressing juice from the grape skins, a $100 second-hand find from neighboring city, Oakland. They’ve also experimented with co-fermented apple, watermelon and guava blends. The Two Eighty wines aspire to be completely natural and without any added sulfur, building upon stylistic preferences from other natural winemakers. Though no label design has been confirmed, Jannea (the marketing and social guru of the duo) prefers a label that tells a story, maybe even opting to include the ingredients on the labeling.
The Vision
The Two-Eighty Project is more than wine, it is about community, education and seeing success for the next generation. For Chris, community is about connection and leaving a footprint. The Pinot Noir vines will be cared for by Chris and Jannea, but like everything else at Alemany, it will continue to serve as a point of education and community involvement. “I want to teach young Black kids, all people of color, all marginalized people about wine labels, winemaking and marketing; teach them how to grow wine, how to make wine.”
Chris’ work promotes diversity in agriculture and wine through hands-on education and community building. His ideas include use of indigenous agricultural practices, such as soil rebuilding through crop rotation and use of organic compost. Chris would also like to explore the Three Sisters method, planting corn, beans and squash to grow in harmony as compainion plants to climb the grapevines. As a Black farmer, winemaker and entrepreneur Chris hopes to bring inspiration and mentorship to the children living in neighboring projects. Chris aspires to work in his passion, travel with his family and grow a Black-owned wine brand that is grown, produced and bottled by people of color. With the attention on Black lives and inclusion of BIPOC on the mainstage, he sees this as a time to grind, a time to take advantage of mentorship to uplift his project, and in turn uplift Black culture and legacy. The past year’s events have switched lights on for many industries, and wine is no different.
Chris and Jannea view this past year as a silver lining for their family. Without being forced out of the everyday hustle, there wouldn’t have been time or energy to pour into this project. “I am so happy, this is what I want for us,” exclaims Chris, as he sees this as just the beginning of a legacy he is building for his family. The Two-Eighty Project’s footprint does not end in 2020. With diversity on all fronts the project promotes the aspirations of a Black winemaker, a woman winemaker, and a family legacy. Good wine leaves an impression, tells the story behind the bottle. Following that logic, one can definitely imagine a multi-varietal release from The Two-Eight Project on the horizon.