Foggy Bridge Winery gives up on Presidio plan

 
CHRIS CHUNG/The Press Democrat/2008 Healdsburg winemaker Daryl Groom, who is helping develop Foggy Bridge Winery.

Plans for a winery in San Francisco’s Presidio backed by former Geyser Peak winemaker Daryl Groom have fallen flat after neighbors raised concerns over locating a busy winemaking facility in a national park.

Groom, of Healdsburg, and other backers of Foggy Bridge Winery had proposed an 8,000-case working winery in a former airplane hangar near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

But neighbors worried the winery, which was to include a tasting room and 120-seat restaurant, would be incompatible with the proposed location at the west end of the popular Crissy Field.

“When it came right down to it, there were just too many concerns about traffic and parking with that location in Crissy Field,” said Joyce Stavert, general manager of the winery project.

Lease discussions between the Presidio Trust, which manages most of the 800 buildings at the former U.S. Army post, and developer John Kontrabecki, chief executive of San Mateo commercial real estate firm TKG International, stalled last year.

The winery abandoned plans for the location a few weeks ago, Stavert said.

Controversy over other high-profile projects in the Presidio, like the art museum proposed by Gap founder Donald Fisher, made the trust hesitant to approve the winery project, Stavert said.

“I think that they just really realized that every decision they were making was very controversial,” she said.

Trust spokeswoman Dana Polk said the location on a two-lane access road heavily traveled by joggers and bikers made the project incompatible with surrounding uses, which include a climbing gym, children’s gym and swim school, she said.

The trust would like to see a similar recreational use, or perhaps something with more of an educational component, like a flight museum, she said.

Though disappointed by the setback, the winery is committed to finding a different San Francisco location, Stavert said.

The wine brand, which includes a logo of the Golden Gate Bridge, and winery concept were designed with the Presidio site in mind. But Stavert believes the winery can still thrive in another San Francisco location.

“The Golden Gate Bridge is so closely tied into the whole City of San Francisco,” she said. “It’s not like we have to be exactly next to the bridge for that to make sense.”

The wines, which continue to be made by Groom in various locations, are being distributed by the company in San Francisco and have been well received, she said.

Groom is one of the most respected winemakers in the nation. An Australian, he helped turned around Geyser Peak Winery in Geyserville in the 1990s, and later worked for Beam Wine Estates. He did not return a call for comment.

All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

      Enlarge Text Email Print Comments