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Listen to the recordings from this half day event on how to save energy and energy efficiency in wineries and vineyards.
Thank you to our exclusive event sponsor Napa Green.
Napa Green is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates systematic soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the resources, tools and connections to continuously level up leadership. In 2021, Napa Green was the first sustainable winegrowing program in the world to redevelop Vineyard certification standards to focus on climate action, regenerative carbon farming, and social equity. In 2022, Napa Green and community partners launched a first of its kind, six-event Climate & Wine Symposium (Napa THRIVES now RISE) with over 65 speakers and 600 total guests.
Join Ivo Jeramaz, Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Estate, as he works with Anton Luiten, Vineyard Manager and Maggie Purdie, Enologist at Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards to talk through the practical first steps and considerations for phasing out Roundup and other herbicides. Adopting any new approach, whether personally or professionally, initially requires learning, time, and often cost. But once a new practice becomes streamlined there are often benefits and associated savings. Ivo has the spreadsheets to prove this case for organic farming. Be a part of this transitional conversation that will include a by the numbers analysis.
Ivo Jeramaz |Winemaker and Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Hills Estate
Ivo was born in Croatia to a family of grape growers and as boy he assisted in making wine for his family’s enjoyment. However, he didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. Ivo earned a master’s of science degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb and dreamed of coming to California to work as an engineer. In 1986, with the help of his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Ivo followed his dream and came to Napa Valley. He quickly fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and became fascinated with wine making. Ivo decided on a career change and Mike immediately put him to work washing barrels. During his almost-three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo has worked his way up in responsibility, learning the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the tools of science and technology. “There’s nothing in the winery or vineyard that I haven’t done, not just for one day, but really worked at it,” he explains.
Maggie Purdie | Enologist At Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards
Maggie Purdie was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in a wine-loving family, she decided to pursue winemaking at an early age. As an industry at the intersection of plant sciences, nature, gastronomy, culture, language, and travel, Maggie knew there was always more to learn. After completing her degree in Oenology and Viticulture at the University of Adelaide, Australia, Maggie began her globe-trotting career by following the harvest and worked at Primo Estate (Australia), Colgin (Napa), Matetic (Chile), Fantesca (Napa), Don Martino (Argentina), Hamel Family (Sonoma) and Newton (Napa), to name a few.
In her spare time, Maggie enjoys backpacking, scuba diving and trekking. Maggie lives in Napa with her husband and large Siberian cat.
Biodiversity: Christian Cain with Perennial Grazing will share the benefits of sheep as natural lawn mowers, fertilizers, and what it takes to manage them in a vineyard. Wendell Gilgert, Stewardship Ecologist with Point Blue & Wild Farm Alliance Board member, will share the benefits of bluebirds and other songbirds in the vineyard. Erin Arnsteen, Program Coordinator for the Monarch Joint Venture and founder of the Western Monarch Society will share guidance and resources on how land owners can support pollinators.
Andreas Neuman | CEO at UAV-IQ
Andreas is co-founder and CEO of UAV-IQ Precision Agriculture which specializes in leveraging the powerful capabilities of drones in order to develop and provide services which solve some of the most pressing challenges that growers face.
Prior to founding UAV-IQ, Andreas was a senior Air Force officer and an instructor pilot in its primary aerial refueling platform before moving into unmanned aviation, where he was instrumental in leading the design of programs and operational procedures to employ emerging remotely piloted vehicle technology on a global scale.
Andreas developed the roots of UAV-IQ while in UCLA’s Executive MBA program, and has since navigated complex regulatory and operational environments so UAV-IQ could become the first company in California authorized to conduct commercial drone operations in agriculture. Using his military experience where he developed practical solutions using new technology, he now has positioned UAV-IQ to lead the emerging market for drone-applied biological control featuring the release of beneficial insects and mites for agriculture pest control through its BioDrop service.
Over the past five years, he has spent thousands of hours in the field working closely with growers to learn about the problems they face at a deep level, and has earned the trust of renowned customers and partners by ensuring the technology and services UAV-IQ develops reliably meets their needs. He especially enjoys spending time at vineyards, where he can learn more about his hobby of winemaking while enjoying a glass after work.
Tom Clark | Vice President at Napa Wildlife Rescue
Tom is not a gentleman farmer, but rather one who loves the work while caring for wildlife and the natural environment along the way. In addition to his focus on Clark-Claudon Vineyards and its surrounding property, in 2011 Tom’s love of birds inspired the founding of Clark’s Sustainable Systems. Through CSS Tom consults with vineyard owners and vineyard management companies about the sustainable use of wild birds to naturally control insects and rodents in the vineyard.
Christian Cain, Co-Owner | Perennial Grazing
Amy George is founder and President of Earthly Labs, the leading provider of carbon capture technology solutions for small scale sources. Earthly Labs is a division of Chart Industries (NYSE: GTLS), a 150 year-old leader in highly engineered industrial equipment with a mission to power the “nexus of clean” – clean water, clean air, clean energy, clean food and beverage. Earthly Labs ® provides CiCi ®carbon capture hardware, software and services to capture and monitor CO2 from small scale emissions sources with more small installations than anyone in the world. For the past 20 years, George has delivered environmental impact through her entrepreneurial leadership at diverse ventures – from artificial intelligence software that reduced industrial emissions to local farmers markets to reusable food storage that reduced waste in landfills. Featured in Forbes, CNN and Wine Spectator, her products have been awarded “Top 100 Green Products for the World.” George holds two patents with 17 pending. She has an MBA with a focus in entrepreneurship and environmental management from The University of Texas at Austin and is a mom of two boys, who are her inspiration.
Erin Arnsteen | Program Coordinator of Monarch Joint Venture & founder Western Monarch Society
Erin supports MJV’s western U.S. conservation efforts to help monarch butterflies and other pollinators. She works across MJV program areas of education, science, habitat, and partnerships. In particular, she uses her technical expertise in entomology and native plant ecology to support agricultural landowners and other regional stakeholders with the mobilization and expansion of habitat conservation in all landscapes.
Erin earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a master’s degree in education both from Colorado College. Erin has studied entomology for most of her life and is truly passionate about invertebrates and conservation. She founded the Western Monarch Society of Napa County and has grown and given away thousands of native milkweed plants with the goal of restoring native habitat for western monarch butterflies and other native pollinators. In her spare time, she enjoys observing the wildlife in her native pollinator garden, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two cats.
Vineyard manager and winemaker for Hope Well Wine, Mimi Casteel is an incredibly passionate voice and example for this new era of regenerative carbon farming. Mimi is world-renowned for her vision of transformative viticulture, her approachable communication of that vision, and her on the ground examples of how to produce expressive wines from vibrant, healthy, carbon-rich soils in vineyards actively cultivating plant and animal diversity.
A 2019 Punch article noted, “To her, regenerative farming is the Manhattan Project of our time.
‘We built nuclear bombs when we felt threatened. That was a very short, very intense effort of the best minds. With a fraction of that, we could transition 400 million acres in less than a decade and that would change… everything.’”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has named “nature-based solutions,” including carbon farming, as one of the top five solutions to climate change. Grape growers have a proactive role they can play in both building more resilient vineyards and mitigating climate change. Practices like cover crops, compost, and conservation tillage build soil health, water and nutrient retention and plant delivery, resiliency to drought and high heat AND they store more carbon in the soil.
During this Salon, freelance journalist, author and professor Mark Gudgel will moderate a conversation with Kelly Mulville of Paicines Ranch, Ivo Jeramaz with Grgich Estate, and Natalie Winkler from Salvestrin Winery about the soil microbiome and the underground brain of the vine. This powerhouse group will discuss decades of science, ongoing research, and their own experience with the benefits of expanding regenerative farming practices in the vineyard.
Dr. Mark Gudgel | Professor, Author and Freelance Journalist
Dr. Mark Gudgel is an eighteen-year veteran of teaching high school English and presently serves as assistant professor of education at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha. Gudgel is a Fulbright Scholar and a sought-after speaker. His 2012 TED talk is entitled “Empowering young people to repair the world.”
After honeymooning in Wine Country, Mark and his wife, Sonja, began a wine blog and soon after he was recruited as a regular correspondent for American Winery Guide. From there, Gudgel went on to write for Food & Spirits, Dine, Edible Omaha, and numerous other publications. Today, Gudgel is a regular contributor to Edible Marin & Wine Country and Napa Valley Life magazines. Gudgel’s book on teaching about the Holocaust, Think Higher Feel Deeper: Holocaust education in the secondary classroom, was released from Teachers College Press in 2021. His forthcoming book, The Rise of Napa Valley Wineries: How the Judgment of Paris put California wine on the map, focuses on the wine industry and issues that surround it, and will be released from History Press in May of 2023. Gudgel is also the president of the board of directors of the vinNEBRASKA Foundation, which raises money for local charities and offer scholarships to aspiring culinary arts students and wine professionals.
Presently, in addition to academic research and teaching, Gudgel is working on another book on the Napa Valley. When he isn’t teaching or writing, Gudgel runs marathons, volunteers at his kids’ school, and plays board games with his family. He lives in Omaha with his wife, Sonja, and their children, Titus and Zooey.
Kelly Mulville |Vineyard Director at Paicines Ranch
For the past 25 years Kelly has managed, designed and consulted with vineyards, farms and ranches throughout the western USA, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. His work focuses on designing and creating agricultural systems and practices that restore ecological health, increase biodiversity, create resiliency to climate change, and increase profitability and beauty.
Kelly is vineyard director at Paicines Ranch.
Ivo Jeramaz |Winemaker and Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Hills Estate
Ivo was born in Croatia to a family of grape growers and as boy he assisted in making wine for his family’s enjoyment. However, he didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. Ivo earned a master’s of science degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb and dreamed of coming to California to work as an engineer. In 1986, with the help of his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Ivo followed his dream and came to Napa Valley. He quickly fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and became fascinated with wine making. Ivo decided on a career change and Mike immediately put him to work washing barrels. During his almost-three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo has worked his way up in responsibility, learning the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the tools of science and technology. “There’s nothing in the winery or vineyard that I haven’t done, not just for one day, but really worked at it,” he explains.
Natalie Winkler | Viticulturist & Winemaker at Salvestrin Estate
Natalie’s enthusiasm for viticulture and winemaking began in an inconspicuous way. She landed a gig at a local wine bar while attending the University of Oregon. Immediately she was smitten by the variety of wines grown all over the glove. A friend and mentor suggested working a harvest abroad. Recently graduated and fluent in Spanish, Natalie jumped on a plane to Spain in 2009 for vintage at Bodega Elias Mora in Toro. Once she had dirty vineyard boots and purple hands, suddenly her future became very clear.
Currently Natalie works as viticulturist and winemaker at Salvestrin Winery in St. Helena, Napa Valley where she spearheaded the transition of the Dr. Crane Vineyard to organic and regenerative farming. She continues experimenting with biodynamics. Natalie is very keen on farming as the key to premium wine quality.
She holds a BA in Spanish and Political Science (University of Oregon) and a Master’s in Viticulture and Enology from the University of Valladolid in Ribera del Duero, Spain.
Napa Green | Megan Scott
Napa Green is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates systematic soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the resources, tools and connections to continuously level up leadership. In 2021, Napa Green was the first sustainable winegrowing program in the world to redevelop Vineyard certification standards to focus on climate action, regenerative carbon farming, and social equity. In 2022, Napa Green and community partners launched a first of its kind, six-event Climate & Wine Symposium (Napa THRIVES now RISE) with over 65 speakers and 600 total guests.
Advancing Eco Ag | Jenna Sodano
As a leader of the regenerative agriculture industry since 2006, Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) creates real and lasting change on millions of acres in North America by helping farmers to become more resilient, efficient, and profitable. AEA’s highly trained consultants work with growers to combine nutritional supplements and biological inoculants and regenerative practices to implement customized crop programs designed using cutting-edge sap analysis. This science-based approach empowers farms to exceed crop quality markers and to produce healthier soils, stronger crops, and higher yields. AEA is at the forefront of regenerative agricultural media and education, including the popular and highly regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, informative and inspiring webinars, and educational content that serve as a preeminent resource for growers around the globe. To learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products, visit the website or subscribe to the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.
Agrology | Holly Nuss
Agrology is a leading climate tech start-up and Public Benefit Corporation with a mission to help farmers adapt to and beat climate change with real-time analysis and predictive insights. The Agrology platform consists of climate and carbon monitoring systems, both based on ground-truth data and machine learning. The Agrology Climate Monitoring System delivers predictive insights and warnings, up to three days in advance, for wildfire smoke taint, extreme weather, soil conditions, pest and disease emergence, and irrigation. Agrology’s Carbon Monitoring System tracks soil carbon sequestration in real time, quickly detecting carbon loss via carbon dioxide emission events. Agrology customers include Braga Fresh, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Boisset Collection, Dana Estates, Emeritus Vineyards, Jordan Vineyards and Winery, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Langtry Farms, Lawrence Vineyards, Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, Renteria Vineyard Management, Signorello Estate, Silver Oak Vineyards, and numerous specialty farms. Agrology is the winner of two highly selective National Science Foundation SBIR Awards, a 2023 WINnovation Award, and is a recipient of a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant. Agrology has offices in Alexandria, Virginia, and Sonoma, California, and can be found online at Agrology.ag.
Buzz Cover Crop Seeds | Rebecca Sweet
What’s the buzz about?
For decades we’ve known that cover crops improve soil fertility and break disease cycles. However, the list of benefits and uses just keeps growing: improved water infiltration, enhanced nutrient cycling, reduced soil compaction, better water holding capacity, weed suppression, nutrient cycling, water quality protection, excess N sequestration, erosion prevention, biodiversity enrichment, pest control, pollinator habitat support. All this and good looks too!
At Buzz Seeds we believe that all cover crop mixes should support pollinators. That’s why we design our mixes to maximize floral resources. We work closely with local natural resource experts to make sure that none of our seeds will become problem weeds.
Earthworks Biochar | Loni Austin
Earthworks Biochar is produced in the Sierra Mountains of California and is derived from woody biomass. Our biochar is used by farmers as a soil amendment due to its highly adsorbent properties. Biochar retains moisture and other nutrients that would otherwise leach out of root zones, improving crop yields, saving water and reducing fertilizer requirements. Biochar can help reclaim degraded soils and is also used in stormwater and wastewater systems to capture and filter pollutants out of water, including metals. Biochar has been found to have multiple uses beyond agriculture and Earthworks is just at the tip of learning about how biochar can be used in new markets like Green Building (ex. concrete, asphalt) and graphene production. The Earthworks Biochar product is Carbon Negative certified by the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) as a source of sequestered carbon and lab tested by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) to ensure customers it is of the highest quality.
Napa Wildlife Rescue | Tom Clark
Napa Wildlife Rescue is the only organization permitted by the California Fish and Wildlife to rescue, rehabilitate and reunite/release wildlife in Napa County. Every year we work with well over a thousand orphaned or injured wildlife, with the goal of returning them to their wild lives. Barn owls are an excellent alternative to harmful rodenticides, otherwise known as rat poison. Rodenticides weaken the rodents before killing them, making them slow and attractive to predators. Then, when they are caught and eaten, the poison spreads and kills the predators of the rodents. This makes the rodent problem even worse, because there are fewer predators to control their population. Instead of using cruel poisons, whose effects spread beyond your intentions, they recommend an approach called Integrated Pest Management. This is a systemic way of thinking about pests in the environment, which addresses the root of the problem instead of only the symptoms.
Napa County Resource Conservation District | Ruby Stahel
Napa RCD empowers the community to voluntarily conserve, protect, and restore natural resources in a landscape that supports agriculture, urban areas, and wild lands. We provide technical assistance, educational programs, monitoring programs, and funding sources to help land managers meet their conservation goals.
SaverGlass |Tonya Edwards
Did you know that the weight of wine bottles is 40% lighter than it was 15 years ago? In fact, today, nearly 9 in 10 (87%) of 75cl wine bottles fall under the light to medium weight category.
While glass packaging is one of the most sustainable packaging materials, the industry continues to innovate in terms of technology and design to further improve its environmental impact. With extensive lightweighting efforts, bottles can be made lighter while keeping all of their qualities.
Saverglass, the world’s leading manufacturer specializing in the production and decoration of luxury and high-end glass bottles.
The Clean Burn Company | Eric Carlson
Full service Wildfire Fuel Reduction and Forest Debris Management.
With their mobile burn process, The Clean Burn Company is able to perform most burning services where the piles are; eliminating the need to dismantle and manage each part of the tree separately. They manage all parts of a tree in one process.
No hauling, no chippers, no piles of flammable material left behind.
Wilbur-Ellis | Kelsey Leslie
Wilbur-Ellis is one of the largest family-owned companies in the world. Applying our knowledge and expertise, we have grown into a $3 billion business by focusing on the essentials people need to thrive. We don’t just sell you the product, we help you put it to work. Our products, services, and innovations fit together to maximize your return on investment. We customize solutions to be sure your vineyards get what they need, right when they need it. When you partner with Wilbur-Ellis, our extensive sampling, analyses, scouting, and application methods ensure we get the job done right.
