Napa Green is one of the three founding members with Napa headquarters, and will thus be advocating for local interests at the international level.

A Napa Green certified vineyard with cover crop between each row.

Napa businesses join international Sustainable Wine Roundtable as founding members

Forty companies from across the globe joined forces this year to create the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, where stakeholders will work to set industry-wide sustainability standards and communication. Three of these founding members have Napa locations — Amorim CorkNapa Green and Treasury Wine Estates — each with different perspectives and priorities to bring to the (round)table.

By sharing best practices, advocating for incentivization programs, funding research and collaborating on certification processes, the SWR hopes to use the wine industry’s unique platform to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“All of us, the wine industry included, have our work cut out for us if we want to keep our world a livable place in the face of a changing climate, loss of biodiversity, plastic in the environment or any other number of things that need tackling,” said Will Drayton, Director of Technical Viticulture, Sustainability and Research for Treasury Wine Estates. “One of the key roles of the SWR, apart from crafting industry solutions, is to do a better job of telling the public what the wine industry is doing.”

With certifications and programs targeting sustainability initiatives across the industry, the wine world is doing a lot — they just haven’t been advertising it as well as they had hoped.

“The wine aisle can still be a confusing place, and in the U.S. we have many different flavors of sustainability certification that can add to that challenge,” said Drayton. “It should be easy for the consumer to understand what they are buying and what the stamp on the back of the bottle means.”

Drayton applauds Napa area programs like “Certified California” and “Fish Friendly Farming,” but says he would love to see a “common framework” emerge among them.

“[One] that takes into account all the regional diversity of sustainability programs, while making it easy for the consumer to know that they can trust our wine meets their high standards and values in sustainability,” he said.

The SWR’s first annual general meeting won’t take place until the second quarter of 2022, but the organization has been and will be plenty busy until then. In addition to discussing existing sustainability standards, the group also will need to break into different priority topic groups, increase membership and land on a governance model.

For Napa’s founding members, that means pinpointing the issues important to the industry here in Napa Valley.

“The wine industry is not a monolith,” said Drayton. “We need to talk from our experience in Napa to help everyone understand the challenges and opportunities we’ve had here and how they can be used around the world.”

For example — last year’s fires.

“[That] stands out as a particular challenge for Napa Valley,” he said. “How we pull together to keep people safe, stay nimble and keep making great wines.”

For the cork industry, there have also been challenges new and old, including Twilight Zone-y rainstorms and generational concerns over long-term land ethic. Amorim Cork, a Portuguese company with a branch in Napa, is one of the SWR founding members bringing this specific angle to the conversation.

“We didn’t become sustainable a couple years ago because we needed to,” said Amorim’s Carlos de Jesus, “We celebrated 150 years last year, and we have known for 150 years that sustainability was absolutely necessary for one very simple, straightforward reason: Without sustainability there is no cork forests … Period.”

De Jesus explained how the wine industry and all of its subsidiary industries are perfectly positioned to tell their sustainability story, since those who work with the land day-in and day-out have been experiencing and adapting to climate change impacts for quite some time. In addition, wine also has the marketability needed to grab the attention of its consumers.

“Unlike other products, wine has a front-row seat in interfacing with the consumer,” he said. “Wine is an agricultural product, but it is branded … It is an aspirational product, and it doesn’t have to be a luxury product, but it often is, and it is certainly more and more about the denomination of origin — that creates a great platform for leadership in climate change.”

With this platform, de Jesus wants to not only show the world why cork and wine production can be sustainable practices, but that changes can be made to avoid achieving this at the cost of others.

“If there is one fallacy that is fundamental that we debunk, it is that you can never balance people, profit and crop,” he said. “It’s not easy, I know, but to call that a utopia is to prevent the world from finding solutions to the problem … The wine industry has the ability to show the world that it can be done [and] it is as difficult to achieve as it is necessary.”

In Napa, where the wine industry permeates across hotels and hospitality, this is particularly important. 40% of all of the certified sustainable wineries in California are in Napa County, and programs like Napa Green have worked tremendously hard to retain the landscape that residents find so appealing. So through this global platform, players like de Jesus, Drayton and the leading forces behind Napa Green can advocate for the valley and its inhabitants.

“The SWR is going to enable us to lighten our footprint, help keep the rural character of places like Napa Valley, strengthen our resilience against climate change, keep preserving our environment around us, [and] it also provides a forum for looking at equitable labor standards and human rights,” said Drayton.

“And if you don’t live in Napa but enjoy a glass of Stags’ Leap, you should care that we’re going to be finding ways to lift sustainability standards and make them clear to you as consumers so that you can make conscious decisions about what you buy for yourself and the planet.”

These founding members are looking forward to sharing their innovations and initiatives with the public. While climate change outcomes have become more dire as global temperatures climb each year, the wine industry has the opportunity to make this a celebratory shift, rather than a crisis-driven one.

“If you did a poll around the entire world and asked people what are the top five happiest sounds of all time, I bet you that the pop of a cork coming out of the bottle would be one,” said de Jesus. “It doesn’t matter what age or gender or which continent you are in, that is a carrier of good news.”

Making the commitment to third party certification takes time and effort, but it is worth it to demonstrate our commitment to the community and to protect our watershed, our land and the air we breathe.​

Say hi to @marisataylorwines, our Winery & Climate Specialist. Marisa has supported sustainable farming and green practices from vineyard to cellar and across all winemaking operations and continues to leverage her expertise to help wineries become climate action champions. 

Thanks for all you do!
13 4
Last week we had a great climate smart burn and alternatives demonstration @gloriaferrerwinery where attendees learned techniques for a conservation/low-smoke burn with demonstrations from @thecleanburncompany and @napa.char. 

Additionally, speakers from @naparcd and Treasury Wine Estates presented the results from a recent vineyard biochar application research project. 

Learn more on our website.
20 5
Have you met Sierra, our Climate & Soil Specialist? Sierra works tirelessly to advance climate resiliency in the Napa Valley by collaborating with growers to realize their climate action aspirations. 

Say hi to @growresiliently next time you see her in the field. Thanks for all that you do, Sierra!
32 6
On average 40-60% of a vineyard and winery’s carbon footprint is from packaging and distribution alone. Join us to explore climate smart, sustainable glass, closures, the future of reusable glass, alternative packaging. Hear case studies. Learn what is truly recyclable, and new opportunities to recycle film wrap and label backing. Since 2020, climate smart marketed CPG products have doubled in sales to $3.4 billion. Wine bottles and packaging can be leveraged to meet rising consumer demand for climate smart products.

Get tickets to this workshop @pineridgewine to hear from @napagreen @consciouscontainer @revinobottles @keystonecapsules @cork_supply @neotempowines @estal_packaging @uppervalleydisposal @naparecycling and more!
37 3
You may have seen Megan, our Winery Program Manager, out and about sporting her @napagreen shirt and talking about green practices. Utilizing her background in hospitality, sustainability and engineering she is dedicated in guiding businesses toward a more sustainable future. 

Thanks for all you do @love.dream.breathe!
48 6
Join us for All Things Bottle Sustainability on Friday, April 26th. Link in bio to register!
42 1
Cheers to @abrittain! Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management, including leading @napagreen and @naparise to the forefront of the wine industry climate action movement. 

Keep an eye out for her with our unofficial mascot, Lily, sharing our best practices, facilitating action and growing resilience in our industry and community. 

Thank you for all you do!
76 5
We’re so pleased to announce Verallia as a new Napa Green Sponsor and excited to see their work in creating lighter sparkling wine glass bottles with Napa Green Champion @domainecarneros! 

For more info on Verallia head to the link in our profile and for more info on becoming a Napa Green Sponsor email: social@napagreen.org 🥂
18 1
We’ve had so much fun hosting and being out at events this March! It was great seeing you all at our Cutilvating Resilience Salon and Celebrate St. Helena event at @crockerstarr! 

We’re just getting warmed up because you know what next month is.. EARTH MONTH! 🌎🌱

Can’t wait to see more friendly faces celebrating our beautiful planet in April. Cheers! 🥂
62 10
Join us for a not to be missed dinner experience. Only 20 guests in attendance will be looking out over the infinity pool at Neotempo’s organic vineyard, and the beautiful view of the Vaca Mountains beyond. Award-winning Chef Dave Cruz previously of Ad Hoc, will prepare a four-course, locally-sourced dinner paired with Cristal Louis Roederer Champagne and spectacular Neotempo wines. 

You will have the chance to share transformative conversations and form deep connections with industry leaders and changemakers. Special guest Karen MacNeil will share insights on “All Things Bottle Sustainability.” 

This will be, truly, unforgettable.

Claim your tax deductible tickets for April 26th asap and support local climate action. Information may be found at the link in our profile.
85 8
Expedition Stags Leap! 🥾🍷

This is the way to our hearts! Plan your visit to Napa Green Certified winery @pineridgewine to taste the quality and learn all about climate smart practices in both the winery and vineyard! 

#stagsleap #napavalley #cabernet #regenerativeagriculture #winereels
48 2
See and learn the technique for a conservation/low-smoke burn. Join us tomorrow for this no cost event at @gloriaferrerwinery! 

The Clean Burn Company and Napachar will run their BurnBoss air curtain burner and flame-capped kiln/ring-of-fire system for processing spent vines, fire fuel thinning, and other wood waste. All three of these techniques/technologies can be used to develop biochar. 

Michael Sippiora from Treasury Wine Estates will present the results of a recent vineyard biochar application research project.

Link in profile to register, see you tomorrow!
57 2
In loving memory of the legendary Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich.
308 10
Thank you to all who came out for our Weed Management event! For more info check out our online Weed Management Toolkit with FAQ’s, Case Studies, Resources and more. 

🌱🚜
43 1
Cultivating Resilience in Napa Valley 🍷

A few tickets remain for the event THIS Thursday, March 14th at 3:00pm. Join Winemaker @matt_brain_, @cathycorison, @bedrockwines & @andrearobinsonms for a lively and interactive tasting of barrel samples and panel discussion. 

🎟️ Click the link in our profile to reserve your seat now.
90 3
Join us THIS Thursday, March 14th for a panel on Cultivating Resilience with @cathycorison, @bedrockmorgan, @matt_brain_ & @andrearobinsonms. 

The event is held at @freemarkabbey and begins at 3:00pm. Please get your tickets ASAP at the link in our profile. See you there!
111 4