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SASHA PAULSEN | THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Napa Green will require its members to phase out the use of Roundup by 2026.
Napa Green, a nonprofit organization that provides certification services for regenerative viticulture and sustainable winemaking, will require its members to phase out the use of the herbicide Roundup and other glyphosate-based products by Jan. 1, 2026.
Noting that โeliminating the use of glyphosate is not a silver bullet,โ Napa Green will also work with its members to phase out the use of all synthetic herbicides by two years later.
The group has developed a weed management toolkit and is planning a series of training workshops. It also established a fund to which growers can apply for support during the transition.
According to an announcement Nov. 14 from Napa Green, it is โthe first sustainable wine-growing certification program globally (of which there are about 20) to require the phaseout of glyphosate and synthetic herbicides.
โWhile a few wine regions have made specific glyphosate-free/organic commitments, these have not been made as part of a whole-systems approach to sustainability and climate action.โ
Monsanto developed and patented the glyphosate molecule in the 1970s and marketed it as Roundup from 1973. Its U.S. patent expired in September 2000, and Bayer acquired Roundup in 2018.
โGlyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world,โ according to an article on its toxic affects, published by the National Institutes of Healthโs National Library of Medicine. โIt can persist in the environment for days or months, and its intensive and large-scale use can constitute a major environmental and health problem.โ
โIf not here, where? If not now, when?โ Anna Brittain, executive director of Napa Green, said. โOur region and members have always been on the leading edge. Napa Green has rigorous standards for social justice and farmworker safety; herbicide phaseout is crucial to continued proactive leadership. We are no longer willing to defend the status quo on this issue.โ
โThere is a lack of public awareness that there is a suite of herbicides being used for agriculture, in part to try to address increasing weed resistance,โ Brittain said. โIn some cases, growers turn to two or three other herbicides to try to match the effectiveness of glyphosate, which can have equal or greater environmental and human health risks.โ
Founded in 2004, Napa Green has certified 90 wineries and 25 vineyards. Among its members is Beth Novak, president of Spottswoode Estate in St. Helena. โWeโve been rallying our fellow winegrowers to eliminate herbicide and pesticide use,โ Novak said. โIt is well known that synthetic herbicides harm our soils and water, and our air. If we want to maintain our hard-earned notoriety for exceptional wines, then we must take this opportunity to act.โ
Napa Green cites increased labor and equipment costs as โone of the main resistances to phasing out glyphosate,โ but also notes that because โthe costs of herbicides and fertilizers have risen dramatically, increased labor demands can be offset by reduced supply chain purchases.โ
Ivo Jeramaz, vice president of vineyards and production at Grgich Hills Estate Winery in Rutherford, is an ardent proponent of regenerative organic farming who agrees that these practices can be cost-effective. According to an analysis by Brotemarkle Davis & Co. LLP accounting firm, the average annual per-acre cost of vineyard management in the Napa Valley is $14,800, with $3,800 in depreciation. At Grgich, they spend $11,000 per acre, with only $1,300 in depreciation due to the longer life of their vineyards.
โRegenerative practices are a proactive approach to farm health,โ Jeramaz said. โIf youโre healthy enough you donโt get sick โ youโre able to fight off pests and disease. Itโs a paradigm shift.โ
โI see this as an important step for Napa Valley,โ said Andy Erickson, board chairman of the Napa Valley Vintners and co-owner of Favia Erickson Winegrowers. โIt makes perfect sense that our valley and community should be on the forefront of eliminating these herbicides and moving in a more sustainable direction. I hope this is just the beginning of an important movement.โ
Napa Green will host a town hall to discuss the plans from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at St. Supรฉry Estate winery in Rutherford. These include a limited opportunity for variances under exceptional circumstances. More information is available atย napagreen.org/toolkit.
To see a full list of members visit: napagreen.org/participating-members
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
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๐๏ธ$15 wine tasting with the winemakers!? Join us at @klwines in San Francisco July 23rd & 24th tasting @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery, @etudewines and many more from 4:00-6:00pm.
Pick up your tickets asap at the link in our bio!
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Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month is back this July and we couldnโt be more excited!
We have built some truly fabulous and sustainable experiences which you can find on www.napagreen.org and this year we have included hotels as well!
Tag us in your posts when you visit our amazing Napa Green Certified wineries so we can share your Green adventures!
Team Green is thoroughly enjoying visiting a few of our Napa Green Certified wineries today! ๐ฑ
Pictured here are the STUNNING new Sky Lofts at @rutherfordhillwinery. We strongly recommend a visit, itโs spectacular!
Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
๐ Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
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๐ Are you curious about this term thatโs suddenly popping up everywhere โ regenerative?
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Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag
๐ข Attn Wineries!! Today is last day to sign up for the Cheers to Climate Smart Wines this July!
Email winery@napagreen.org to sign up today!
Thank you all for making RISE Climate & Wine Symposium a success! We 70 powerful speakers and 650 guests across the six events, dozens of commitments to action, and a flood of positive, heartfelt feedback.
Letโs keep the momentum going!
๐ธ: @briana_marie
Congratulations to Napa Green Certified @cliffamily for winning the RISE Leadership Award for Supply Chain & Waste Management Excellence!
Clif Family attended our first conference & committed to reducing their bottle weight and waste. They set upon an inspiring journey to change their packaging based on their outdoors loving and mountaineering inspired founders. They were able to..
โข lighten the weight of a case of their wine by almost 8 lbs!
โข reduce their carbon output by 42 metric tons!
โข institute fully recyclable, bio based shippers that keep wine cool!
โข eliminate all foils!
โข eliminate all plastic & metal moving fully to renewable cork enclosures!
Their customers responded with absolute enthusiasm.
โThis story is not just about wine packaging or supply chain decisions. Itโs about how we do business. Itโs leading with values. Itโs about remembering that the best way to climb higher.. is to carry less.โ - Sarah Richmond, Clif Family Winery.
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.
๐ฅ @robot_productions
#earthday #earthdayeveryday #earthmonth #climateaction #sustainabilty #climatesmart #regenerativeag
๐ดWednesday April, 23rd is the day NOT to miss lunch at @cliffamily!!
Come enjoy delicious food while supporting Napa Green! See you there.
Uniquely, Napa Green isnโt just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
โ
Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
โ
Irrigation Distribution Uniformity Assessments (to maximize water efficiency)
โ
Integrated Resource Assessments (to reduce energy, water, waste and emissions in production)
โ
Action Plans for continuing improvement (tailored to the opportunities and goals of each vineyard or winery)
Additionally, we support soil sampling and analysis, provide resource assistance, run practical training and education workshops throughout the year, and provide valuable, hands-on guidance in meeting your climate action goals.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @buddsocial
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Greenโs vineyard team is trained to develop regenerative, whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of the current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property. Each vineyardโs goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @soilrainandhope
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Clear pathways for employee advancement are essential for a thriving workforce and driving success. They boost retention, job satisfaction, productivity, and attract top talent. Napa Green Certified members develop pathways for growth, discussing career goals and progress with employees during reviews.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @briana_marie
๐ @dominusestatewinery
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Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the worldโs on-land diversity. We need healthy forests, which means a balanced density of native trees and plants. Healthy forests experience lower intensity fires with less tree mortality, meaning higher carbon retention and ecosystem function.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @abrittain
๐ @seaveyvineyard
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Napa Green Certified Wineries benefit from an on-site Integrated Resource Assessment (IRA) led by our experienced engineers and winemakers. This IRA evaluates resource metrics, monitors progress, and identifies areas for improvement to increase efficiency and save $$$.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ @materrawines
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
All of our members are committed to using at least 60% renewable energy, whether through on-site solar and other renewable sources or by working with @mcecleanenergy to access clean power through the grid. The impact? Over 1.2 million pounds of CO2e saved by wineries and vineyards in just one year. To put that into perspective itโs the equivalent to offsetting the emissions from driving over 1.5 million miles in a typical gas-powered car!
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @love.dream.breathe
๐ @corisonwinery
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