The Future of Water Workshop

Wine grape quality is closely tied to the right amount of water, at the right time. One of the most critical agricultural concerns with our changing climate, and more frequent & intense weather extremes, is precipitation and water availability. We’ve swung from historic drought to atmospheric rivers. Our community has huge swaths of unmanaged, unhealthy forests full of non-natives and overrun by firs, amplifying fire risk and undermining one of the most critical systems for groundwater recharge. The good news is opportunities abound to optimize irrigation efficiency, and implement regenerative practices that improve soil health, water infiltration, and retention. A watershed coalition has also formed in Napa County to pilot and model creek & forest restoration for localized water resiliency and climate cooling. Join us for The Future of Water, to explore our water future, with highlights including a keynote from Peter Gleick, one of the world’s leading water experts (all guests will receive a copy of Peter’s most recent book, The Three Ages of Water) and Mimi Casteel, not only a viticulturist and winemaker, but also a forest ecologist with a vision for water resiliency.

Keynote – Water’s Past, Present and Future

Peter Gleick | Co-Founder, Pacific Institute and Author, The Three Ages of Water

Dr. Peter Gleick is a leading scientist, innovator, and communicator on water and climate issues. He co-founded the Pacific Institute in Oakland,California in 1987, one of the most innovative, independent non-governmental research centers, creating and advancing solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. He is currently President-emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute. Dr. Gleick is a scientist trained at the intersection of hydrology, climatology, and policy. His work has redefined water from the realm of engineers to the world of social justice, sustainability, human rights, and integrated thinking. He developed one of the earliest analyses of the consequences of climate change for water resources, the earliest comprehensive work on water and conflict, and defined basic human needs for water and the human right to water – work that has been used by the United Nations and in human rights court cases. He pioneered the concept of the “soft path for water,” developed the idea of “peak water,” and has written about the history and background of the growing bottled water phenomenon.

Whole Watershed Context

Mimi Casteel | Forest Ecologist and Viticulturist at Hope Well Wine

Mimi is the daughter of Ted Casteel and Pat Dudley, co-founders of Bethel Heights Vineyard. Growing up working in the vineyard and winery, Mimi gained such an appreciation for the industry that she promptly left home after high school. Armed with a BA in History and Classics from Tulane University, Mimi spent the next year working in various National Forests across the west. Her adventures fueled her passion for studying botany, forestry, and ecology. Mimi earned her MS from Oregon State University in Forest Science, and spent the next several years working as a botanist and ecologist for the Forest Service, living in the backcountry. She could never get past the longing for the vineyard, and working with the vines. Mimi returned to Bethel Heights in 2005, along with her cousin and childhood best friend Ben to take the helm as second generation winegrowers and owners.

The Water Optimized Vineyard

Ben Mackie | Vineyard Program Manager at Napa Green

For the past 15 years, Ben has been designing and implementing regenerative farming systems in a variety of ecosystems. Ben has been managing farms, improving soils, and educating the next crop of environmental stewards with a holistic view of farming with natural systems. No stranger to Napa, he previously lived on Mt Veeder, where he fell in love with the oak and madrone woodlands and made friends with the local ravens. When Ben is not helping Napa’s vineyards adopt 21st century practices, he is spending time with his impressive wife and two wild children in the woods and on the water. Ben currently occupies Nisenan Territory and is a proud alumnus of Sterling College in Northeast Vermont, where he received a BA in Sustainable Agriculture.

Mentorship: Planning for Dry Farming at Replant

Tod Mostero | Director of Viticulture and Winemaking at Dominus Estate

Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, the French connection runs strong through Mostero, who studied in Bordeaux and trained at Château Haut-Brion, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix. He worked with Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the Languedoc and at Almaviva in Chile before returning to his native California to join Dominus Estate in 2007.

Josh Widaman | Estate Winemaker at Pine Ridge

After 20 years producing highly rated Napa Valley wines, Josh Mendoza-Widaman found his way back to the Stags’ Leap district as head estate winemaker for Pine Ridge Vineyards. Josh is known for his experienced, luxury-minded palate that has produced 90+ ratings on over 90% of all wines made in his career, including Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year in 2016 with Lewis Cellars. He now oversees Pine Ridge’s estate vineyards, most notably producing elegant and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon.

Gustavo Aviña | Viticulture Director at Pine Ridge

Gustavo Aviña, viticulture director at Pine Ridge Vineyards, grew up helping his father farm tomatoes in Mexico. When he and his wife came to the United States in 1988, Gustavo began working with some of the finest vineyard management programs in Napa Valley.

Since 2003, Gustavo has worked intimately with every Pine Ridge Vineyards estate property. He and his team understand the soils and climates of the winery’s vineyards in five different appellations: Stags Leap District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Carneros.

Insights from 220+ Winery Integrated Resource Assessments

Anna Brittain | Executive Director at Napa Green

Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy with organizations ranging from the environmental economics think tank Resources for the Future in Washington, DC to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has spent a decade facilitating and growing sustainability in the wine industry, with an expertise in communications and certification standards. She has helped lead the growth of the Napa Green program since 2015, and stepped into the position of Executive Director of the now independent non-profit in fall 2019.

Megan Scott | Winery Program Manager at Napa Green

With a background in electrical and communications engineering, hospitality, marketing and software, Megan has demonstrated her ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship by professionally facilitating sustainability conversations in the international hospitality industry through blogs, public speaking presentations, trainings and webinars featuring green business practices. Megan is dedicated in guiding businesses toward a more sustainable future. She holds an MBA, Sustainable Business Enterprises from Dominican University, and a BS in Marketing as well as a BS in Management from Sonoma State University.

Marisa Taylor | Winemaker | Winery & Climate Specialist at Napa Green

Growing up in wine country, it was only natural that Marisa became an early proponent of sustainability practices in Napa Valley. During her tenure as winemaker and general manager of Rutherford Hill Winery she supported sustainable farming and green practices from vineyard to cellar and across all winemaking operations. During that time she successfully obtained Napa Green Winery Certification which included the installation and conversion to solar powered energy throughout the facility. She was a featured winemaker in the 6 part PBS series Vintage 2012 and currently serves on the 2nd cohort of the Napa Valley Vintners Leadership Program. With a B.S. in Chemistry and a M.S. in Food Science from the University of California at Davis, she brings both a wealth of knowledge to her work as well as compassion, respect and stewardship for the land.

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Take action this Earth Month with Napa Green. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in achieving your climate action goals for both your vineyard and winery, no matter where you are in your sustainability journey.

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