Bay Areaโ€™s largest symposium on sustainable winegrowing returns to Napa

The largest symposium on sustainable winegrowing in the Bay Area will return to Napa with 70 speakers and industry leaders.

Napa Greenโ€™s annualย RISE Climate & Wine Symposiumย kicks off April 29 at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, where the six-part series on sustainable winegrowing will take place over the course of two weeks.

Now in its third year, the symposium invites guests to attend one or more of its six half-day programs, which will focus on key environmental and social issues impacting the wine industry, including water and energy efficiency, soil health, social justice, regenerative agriculture and waste prevention.

Elizabeth Vianna, winemaker at Chimney Rock Winery in Napa and a returning attendee, will be among this yearโ€™s 70 speakers. She attests the symposium is one of her favorites.

โ€œSustainability is a journey best taken with other people โ€ฆ and RISE brings people together that are on the same path,โ€ said Vianna, who will speak on Soil Health on May 1. โ€œIt doesnโ€™t matter what part of the journey youโ€™re on โ€ฆ youโ€™ll come away with ideas and find collaboration from folks from all over the world. Itโ€™s truly inspiring.โ€

Althoughย Napa Greenย focuses on sustainability efforts in Napa County, Anna Britain, the nonprofitโ€™s executive director, encourages anyone interested in sustainable winegrowing to attend.

โ€œRISE is for anyone interested in leveling up their (sustainability) leadership and connecting with a community who wants to do the same,โ€ she said.

What is Napa Green?

Sustainability has long been a key focus in Napa Valley, which was designated the countryโ€™s first Agricultural Preserve in 1968.

In 2004, more than 30 local vintners, environmental groups and government officials came together to create Napa Green Land, a certification program to help growers prevent erosion while improving the health of the Napa River watershed.

Today, Napa Green provides sustainability certifications for both vineyards and wineries in Napa County, with standards that encompass climate action, regenerative viticulture, social equity and beyond.

In 2023, the Napa Green Vineyard program became the first sustainability certification for U.S. vineyards that requires participants toย phase out glyphosateย โ€” the controversial herbicide in Roundup โ€” by 2026.

ย 

Currently, there are 90 Napa Green certified vineyards in Napa County, with an additional 40 in active transition. The nonprofit also has certified 93 Napa County wineries, which accounts for about 40% of the regionโ€™s wine producers.

The RISE Symposium

The Napa Green RISE Symposium will feature more than 70 speakers over the six days of programming, includingย Ray Isle, executive wine editor at Food & Wine; Chris Renfro, founder of the Two Eighty Project; Jermaine Stone, creator and host of โ€œStreet Sommโ€; Napa Valley winemaker Cathy Corison; and Mark Arax, journalist and author of โ€œThe Dreamt Land.โ€

The six half-day programs include:

โ€ข Water Efficiency & Savings, April 29

โ€ข Energy Efficiency & Savings, May 30

โ€ข Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodiversity, May 1

โ€ข Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion, May 6

โ€ข Supply Chain & Waste Prevention, May 7

About napa green

About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more atย https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.

Anna Brittain
Napa Green
+1 805-636-3329
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