Episode 38: Gratta Market & Wines

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Gratta Wines blogger-image--998933067.jpg

Barbara and Partner, Gratta Market and Wines customers

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“It's , provided a safe place for people of all backgrounds to gather and meet and actually become friends”

In this episode our featured voice is Barbara Gratta the founder and owner of Gratta Winery and Market in the Bayview district of San Francisco.

We’ve been sharing stories about economic development and small business incubation in the Bayview Hunters Point communities since 2015. For more context to our interview with Barbara Gratta please go to our Archives section and take a listen to our two-part series Doing Business in the Bayview. In part two of that series, we introduce you to Barbara and she shares more about her background and her love of making wine along with her efforts to work with the community in the Bayview neighborhood.

Barbara Gratta

Barbara’s interest in winemaking started as a hobby in 1997. At the time, Barbara had relocated from Florida and was working as a PTA in a Skilled Nursing Facility. She was developing a palette for California wines but it was when a colleague's husband tossed a challenge at Barbara, “So what kind of Italian are you…. you’ve never made wine?” that she started on her winemaker journey.

Barbara began making wine in the basement of whatever San Francisco address she resided in bringing home those first tubs of crushed fruit in the trunk of her Toyota Camry. In those days she made only Zinfandel but when Barbara and her partner bought a house with a garage, she soon branched out and made Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Camry was replaced by a rented truck in order to bring back the tons of whole fruit which is sorted and crushed in the garage.

Now that she was producing 3 wines and had increased the number of wines she was producing, the idea of a garage blend was born! The Garage Blend continues to be a customer favorite and is a bit different each year depending on the fruit and the wine we produce. Barbara has also added Sangiovese and Dolcetto to the wine list recognizing her Italian roots in these varietals.

During this time she decided to pursue becoming bonded as a legitimate winery so she could then market her wine and share it with the public. It wasn’t a simple request considering the wine is produced in the garage of a home and the initial response back was No due to the zoning restrictions. But Barbara believed in her wine and followed the process to appeal the decision and this time she was successful! Gratta Wines, a woman-owned winery became legally bonded in 2006.

Once bonded, Gratta wines began participating and appearing at community events in and around SF, offering wine by the glass or bottle. The response from patrons always being, “wow, you make this in your garage?” when people sampled the wine. It was at one of these events that Barbara realized Gratta Wines needed a Tasting Room where people can relax, enjoy some good wine and perhaps offer a cheese or charcuterie plate to pair with a flight or bottle. It was during this time, Barbara began to enter wine competitions and the wine spoke for itself winning medals at each competition.

In 2015 Gratta Wines opened their tasting room in the Bayview neighborhood where Barbara and her partner reside and produce the wine. It’s quickly become a local gathering spot for friends and neighbors to meet up and catch up. The rustic atmosphere where local artists show their work is both welcoming and cozy, inviting one to settle in with a friend and a glass of wine to while away the time.

Gratta Market and Winery

The market evolved from participating in community pop up markets in Bayview via Bayview Mercantile, Bayview Community Market, Bayview Opera House, and other events planned by a merchant collaborative, Merchants of Butchertown. We were selling our wines, olive oil, and vinegars as well as apparel, etc..This prompted us to diversify our brand and expand our offerings., We also needed a space out of our garage to make more wine. The combo of the market and winery became a reality with a retail space in the same building as our tasting room. The market opened just after Thanksgiving while our Tasting room closed in early December due to COVID outdoor restrictions. The market features Italian specialty items as well as local products from Bayview makers and daily staples and essentials such as dairy, coffee, teas, etc...We also offer a limited lunch menu "to go" with plans to bring back the bar menu once outdoor is allowed. Find out more about Gratta Market and Winery

Supporting this Small Business

The Market is open Tuesday -Saturday 11-7 pm and we welcome walk-ins although the items are available via our website to order for pick up. Lunch is served all day 11:30-6:30 and we recommend calling the order in for pick up 415-872-9791. You can order online to enjoy Gratta's handcrafted food and wine
IG: Gratta Wines / SF @grattawines/sf
FB:@grattawines
WEBSITE: grattawines.com

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“I think a positive thing that’s come out of this is that people are more aware of, black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, LGBTQ, you know, all of these different, small owners that are working really, really hard to keep things moving.”

— Barbara Gratta, Founder/Owner, Gratta Market & Wines

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