he changing climate is a major threat to Napa Valley’s wine industry. Atmospheric rivers can flood vineyards, damage budding vines, and erode soils. Fewer winter frosts can encourage the spread of pests. Extreme heat can shrivel crops and push the acids in the fruit out of balance. Wildfire smoke can taint the grapes and leave them unsaleable. These factors not only drive up the price of production, but ultimately could affect the viability of grape production itself.
In response, grape growers and winemakers are increasingly seeking to explore and deploy new strategies for resilience. To support these efforts, Napa Green, a local nonprofit that promotes and certifies environmentally sound wine production in the county, is hosting the Napa RISE Climate and Wine Symposium. RISE stands for Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment.
The symposium (www.RiseGreen.org), open to the public, will take place at the Charles Krug Winery Carriage House, spanning six half-days over three weeks, starting April 5. Morning sessions will cover a wide range of sustainability topics: energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste prevention, supply chains, proactive farming, soil health and biodiversity, social justice, diversity and inclusion, climate resilience and regenerative farming.
Napa Green, winner of Napa Climate NOW!’s 2022 Climate Champion award in the community organization category, has planned the symposium as a place for growers and vintners to get inspired, connect with mentors and identify actionable resources on best practices and technologies.
Anna Brittain, executive director for Napa Green and co-founder of RISE, said, “When Martin Reyes, MW, and I were conceptualizing the inaugural 2022 event, then called THRIVES, we wanted a new type of changemaking symposium – moving past education and inspiration to provide the tools and incentives to take action and make impact.
“We have mentors and mentees who will be working together well after the events. Show-and-Tell workshops will provide tangible, cutting-edge tools and practices for near-term implementation, not to mention the sustainability leadership roadmap provided by Napa Green Winery and Vineyard certifications.”
RISE will kick off with a keynote by Jancis Robinson, MW, an international wine writer and author of “The World Atlas of Wine.” Robinson, an advocate for ambitious climate action in the industry, said, “RISE aims to provide real, practical help.”
The line-up will include more than 60 speakers. Some headliners include Mimi Casteel (Hope Well Wine), Maryam Ahmed (Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum), and Michael Silacci (Opus One Winery). Nikki Silvestri of Soil and Shadow will join Tod Mostero of Dominus Estate in conversation about how to cultivate diversity and inclusion.
“We have a powerful leadership platform in Napa County,” said Brittain. “We make arguably the premier agricultural product. The standard we set can galvanize aspirational climate action in the global wine industry and beyond.”
Attendees on most days will choose from two options: an off-site mentorship workshop or an onsite “Show & Tell” workshop, where they will learn practical methods for building climate smart, resilient businesses.
Topics will include establishing combined solar and battery microgrids; implementing precision irrigation; using sheep in the vineyard as natural lawnmowers and fertilizers; and using wine kegs and closed-loop refillable bottles to reduce packaging and carbon footprints.
“Last year, thanks to the Energy Efficiency event, I learned about several thousand dollars of rebates we could access from MCE for our EV charger installation project,” said Molly Burroughs, assistant winemaker and environmental manager at Spottswoode Estate.
“This year I will be mentoring another vintner on how transitioning to lighter-weight wine bottles can reduce a winery’s supply, shipping and distribution costs, and simultaneously reduce emissions.”
Other local climate-focused events
— April 17, 5:30 p.m.: Democrats of Napa Valley Club zoom, “Napa County Moving Forward on Climate Action,” free. Register at napavalleydems.org/.
— April 19, 5 p.m.: Napa County League of Women Voters, “2023 Local Climate Priorities,” free, at the Napa County Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa.
— April 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Napa Earth Day Celebration, Oxbow Commons, FREE. https://napaenvironmentaled.org/earth-day/
Contributor Chris Benz is a retired winemaker and co-founder of Napa Climate NOW!
Napa Climate NOW! is a local non-profit citizens’ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Info, napa.350bayarea.org
