NAPA GREEN NEWS

From everything we are hearing it is going to be an exceptional vintage, and we are grateful that with the support of our community, Napa Green has also had an exceptional year.

  • We officially rolled out our new, cutting-edge Napa Green Vineyard certification standards (which have replaced the former Land program). Our first 10 growers have achieved the rigorous certification, and more than 40 growers are actively in transition.
  • We received a $456,000 Specialty Crop Block grant from the USDA to firmly root and grow the new Vineyard program.
  • We led the design and facilitation of Napa THRIVES, the premiere wine symposium designed to accelerate the “six pillars” of sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. We had nearly 600 guests across the six events, over 70 speakers, over 40 sponsors providing sustainable services and tools, and over 40 team members and volunteers who made this ambitious undertaking appear seamless.
  • On the people front, we were able to hire a fourth team member, Sierra Minchaca, who is our bilingual Climate & Soil Specialist. We also brought on Meghan Vergara as our consulting social media manager, and she has grown our platform immensely. We had three new community leaders join our Board of Directors – Dan Petroski, Owner and Winemaker, Massican Winery, Martin Reyes, MW, partner at WineWise, and Tod Mostero, Director of Viticulture & Winemaking at Dominus Estate.
  • Together with the Board, we have begun a facilitated Strategic Planning process to ensure Napa Green continues to have even more impact over the next 2-3 years.

I am grateful to be writing this update while on ferry to Vis Island in Croatia. This being my fourth visit, I have clearly fallen in love with this country and *some* of the wines. I hope to return refreshed and ready to jump back in to our critical work. 

– Anna Brittain, Executive Director

Napa-Green-Certified-Signs

News On Napa Green Vineyard

Our first 11 growers have achieved the new, leading certification, and more than 40 growers are actively in transition, representing nearly 16% of Napa County’s vineyard acreage. Our team, along with our partners at the Resource Conservation District, have completed 39 Carbon Farm Plans and 16 Irrigation Assessments, helping growers to enhance soil health, carbon sequestration, and optimize water efficiency, creating more resilient vines and quality fruit. 

Congratulations to the Napa Green Certified Vineyards at:

  • Dominus Estate
  • Spottswoode Estate
  • Opus One Winery
  • Clif Family Winery
  • White Rock Vineyards
  • Sequoia Grove Winery
  • Rutherford Hill Winery
  • Chimney Rock
  • Jericho Canyon Vineyard
  • Antica Napa Valley
  • Silver Oak Cellars (Soda Canyon Vineyard)

We were also awarded a Restore CA grant from Zero Foodprint to provide technical assistance and $21,000 in matching funds to four of our members to implement carbon farming practices. They will be applying compost (in one case mixed with biochar), expanding cover crops, and one will plant a hedgerow. 

Sharing Your Sustainability Story

We are excited to share two new resources to help you celebrate and share your sustainability certification.

We now have hand-lettered certificates of Vineyard and Winery certification. The calligraphy is done by none other than Anna’s mother, Dana Rodney, and she is individually lettering the name of each certified grower and vintner in metallic ink. The 11×14” certificates are on 100 lb. 100% PCW recycled paper. If you are certified, you can order your certificate here ($30 each): napagreen.myshopify.com

We also wanted to create two engaging and elevated pieces that can quickly help your guests and team understand what it means to be a certified Napa Green Vineyard and/or Napa Green Winery. These 9.5×13.75” communications pieces are printed on 30 pt. chipboard with custom watercolor letterpress that brings the leather texture effect to life. If you are certified, you can order them here ($40 each): napagreen.myshopify.com

Save The Date

OCTOBER 27: Napa Green Ambassador Training, In-Person, Location TBD, 9-11:30 am

Why Napa Green? What does it mean to be a certified Napa Green Vineyard and/or Napa Green Winery? Do customers, distributors, and retailers really care about sustainability? What are some fun examples of how to share sustainability stories? Invite your teams to learn all of this and more at our third Ambassador Training. Get Tickets

NOVEMBER 8: Member Meeting/Town Hall, Trefethen Family Vineyards, 4-6 pm

Over snacks and wine, we will share a program update, provide answers to some of our most frequently asked questions, and provide plenty of time to answer any other community questions. Get Tickets

APRIL 5 & 6 | 12 & 13 | 19 & 20: Second Annual Wine & Climate Symposium, Charles Krug Estate Carriage House

We are grateful that Charles Krug has agreed to again be a premiere event sponsor and host our second symposium. Please note that by necessity the symposium name is changing (the new name will be announced soon), but the goals remain the same – to galvanize sustainability and climate action leadership in the wine industry. The Symposium is moving up to April, coinciding with Earth Month. We’ll share more about each day’s agenda and speakers in the coming months, and Early Bird tickets will go on sale in November.

APRIL 6, 13, 20: Intimate Wine Dinner Celebrations with our Speakers and Team

These small, celebratory dinners (max 50 guests) will raise a pool of matching funds for sustainability and climate action in our community, including a Fund-a-Need (these dinners will be in lieu of our former plans for a gala). Details on wine dinner locations and fundraising opportunities coming soon.

On The Airwaves

Tune in to recent sustainability conversations with our Executive Director, Anna Brittain. Below is the fourth in a series of six conversations with Jean-Charles Boisset on JCB Live, focused on the critical topic of water efficiency. Anna also recently spoke with Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung of the XChateau Wine Podcast about “The Economics of Sustainability.”

Watch JCB Live Series

Listen to XChateau Wine Podcast

Napa Green Sponsors

Napa Green is grateful to our sponsors, who help fund our expanding operations and programs. If you are interested in becoming a Napa Green Sponsor please reach out to Napa Green Executive Director, Anna Brittain.