How Eco Terreno Is Bringing Wine Country To San Francisco With Its New, Upscale Urban Tasting Room

San Franciscans no longer need to haul it to Sonoma or Napa Valley when they’re in the mood for an upscale wine tasting experience thanks to the newly opened Eco Terreno, an Urban Wine Tasting Room in North Beach’s historic Jackson Square.

Mark Lyon, founder and owner of Eco Terreno Wines and Vineyards, one of the few leading Biodynamic and organic certified vineyards in the US, launched the Eco Terreno brand in 2012. After exploring his options in Sonoma, he was struck by the shear saturation of tasting rooms. He decided to bring a touch of Sonoma to the city, embracing the many visitors from Sonoma’s urban neighbor, San Francisco, and the close proximity to the valley all at the same time.

“Not one place in the city is doing wine tastings at the level we are doing them – and as far as we know – there is no city in the entire country offering an elevated tasting experience like ours,” explains Dawn Agnew, Director of Hospitality for Eco Terreno. “Eco Terreno Tasting Room is a true tasting room focusing on our wines, farming philosophy, membership, and food created by our executive chef, Joe Ball.”’

The beautifully designed Eco Terreno Urban Tasting Room is inspired by the Eco Terreno Farm in Sonoma County. The tasting room was specially designed using responsibly sourced and sustainably made products that focus on texture, art, and materials that highlight and display what life at the farm and vineyards is like.

The building itself is a conversation starter, as it has always been a beacon of inclusivity and acceptance. In 1918 Jelly Roll Morton had a club in our space called The Jupiter — it was a ‘black and tan’ club where interracial couples and peoples could mingle safely and freely. And In 1940 it was Mona’s, the first lesbian bar on the west coast with frequent drag king shows.

“The Purple Onion put us on the map and we are a historical building because of this club,” explains Agnew. “During the beatnik era Purple Onion was a launching pad to fame for comics, variety, and readings – noted people and acts include; Kingston Trio, Smothers Brothers, Phyllis Diller, Maya Angelou, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, and many more.”

The building is comprised of three levels. The top floor is an executive kitchen, complete with space for private events and members of the Eco Terreno wine club, as well as a 250 gallon tank for onsite winemaking. The second floor is the tasting room. While the bottom floor is the chic and sexy Lyon & Swan, an underground supper club with French-California cuisine and live music nightly.

The charming tasting room features floor to ceiling windows looking out to the bustling Columbus Avenue, with design elements like sage green seating and hand-sketched murals of the vineyards adorning the walls. There are four options for food and wine pairings, each of which showcases Eco Terreno’s biodynamic, 100% estate grown wines paired with French inspired California cuisine created by Executive Chef, Joe Ball. Food pairings change daily, depending on the season and what’s ripe at the farm.

The four tasting experiences each include five wines and start with the Bee Classic which also features a light, savory snack; the Swan’s Flight, which features three curated courses; the Biodynamic Discovery, which is a side by side tasting of six Biodynamic-inspired wines including three by Eco Terreno and three from other Biodynamic vintners, all thoughtfully paired with a selection of artisanal cheeses; and finally the Lyon’s Pride, an experience that begins with a class of Champagne, followed by a five-course pairing featuring five of our elegant wines with specially curated dishes.

Each tasting experience offers diners an educational component ranging from the benefits of healthy farming as it applies to the wine world to the regenerative farming philosophies of Eco Terreno.

We chatted with Dawn Agnew, Director of Hospitality for Eco Terreno on the inspiration for their tasting experiences, how they elevate wine tastings and more. Here’s what she had to say.

San Francisco doesn’t have many places (if any) doing wine tastings quite like this — how does it differ from other wine bars?

The wines are presented by our knowledgeable wine ambassadors and each of them is thoughtfully paired specifically with the palate, aromatics, and texture of the wine in mind. Wine bars are more akin to a bar with bar food and a broad selection of wines. The attention to farming is rarely a component of the bar and membership is less focused and although there are a diverse array of wines in the shipments – members have little to no control over what they are receiving. Our members LOVE our wine and get our wine with every shipment.

How does Eco Terreno bring wine country to its guests?

Our interior designers visited our farm several times before the approach to design was finalized and presented to us. The design is an extension of our vision and attention to detail in farming with actual visuals to enjoy while in the tasting room.

We have a 250 gallon stainless steel tank of wine on site and we create a menu of food that utilizes produce from our farm. We have a monitor that runs a slideshow of our vineyard; we have a pencil on linen wallpaper drawing that covers an entire wall behind the banquette; and we have sconces made out of river rock in a reference to our riparian area and the Russian River that runs through our property.

Furthermore, we have a canvas photo of our cover crop and of course, we have an incredibly passionate, caring, and knowledgeable team that share all of the above mentioned details of every component of what we do in Cloverdale for our product and community.

What can guests expect when doing a food and wine pairing here?

An elevated food and wine pairing experience that is presented elegantly and seamlessly. There is no menu to select from, we request a thorough food allergy and (equally important) food aversion list so that our chef can create a menu for the tasting that both compliments all components of the wine and food together while also paying strict attention the likes and dislikes of our guests. Expect to spend time with our wine ambassadors and our chef – sharing their thoughts and knowledge about the entire experience – while giving guests time to also enjoy the experience and each other.

Education is a big component here. Talk about what you hope guests take away after a tasting here.

An understanding of our purpose as well as our product. We are making beautiful, textural, and elegant wines without compromise and with a commitment to regenerative farming that heals and nurtures the communities we are a part of.

What inspires the menus at Eco Terreno? What’s unique about the wines and how does chef highlight them in his pairings?

The wine and local, fresh cuisine that we have access to in Northern California, chef is at the markets every week gathering fresh, local ingredients. Compared to the majority of Napa and Sonoma Bordeaux varietals, Mark embraces a more elegant and subtle approach with a nuance that makes pairing the wines a lot more fun. Chef focuses on drawing out the textural and aromatic characteristics, highlighting the wine with the food it’s paired with – for instance pairing parsnip with Los Cuatro brings out the earthiness and terroir of the wine.