​Harvest season is winding down in Napa Valley, and it's time to look ahead! In this episode of Grown in Napa Valley, our host, Caleb Mosley, Executive Director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, sits down with Tom Johnson from Kamprath Seed to explore how growers are preparing for next season with cover crops and soil health.
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Next, in our "Glass with a Grower" segment, we share a bottle of 2022 Matthiasson Refosco with the legendary Steve Matthiasson. Listen in as Steve reveals his unique approach to viticulture and how this vintage embodies the diverse terroir of Napa. It's an episode full of insights, tips, and of course, a little wine talk—cheers!

"Cover crops can do so much more than just prevent erosion; they bring life back into the soil, retain moisture, and even attract beneficial insects. It’s about creating a system that supports the vineyard in ways that go beyond what we see on the surface." - Tom Johnson

"Our job as viticulturalists is to support them and give them the tools and set them up for success...these vines are on our team...it’s a team effort." - Steve Matthiasson

"There isn’t a single example of a sustainability practice that doesn’t also enhance wine quality...cover cropping is a tool that builds wine quality." - Steve Matthiasson

"We used to grow a lot more different varieties of grapes in Napa...and I think for the long-term health of us as a wine region, where a wine lover can spend their life exploring deeper and deeper, we need to have more diversity." ​- Steve Matthiasson

By: Melissa Webb, Vice President, Relation - Agro Crop Insurance Agency

It’s my duty and pleasure to keep the NVG members informed on important updates that could impact your bottom line. The federal crop insurance program is a key risk management tool we recommend you look into for your vineyard operation. These programs are designed to protect you from weather events and perils that could impact your yield through the growing season, at a subsidized cost to you.

Upcoming Policy Deadlines
Grapevine Insurance – November 1st
Now available in 35 counties, this new program offers vineyard growers protection against vine loss due to fire, flood, freeze, failure of irrigation water supply due to drought, and hail. This is a separate coverage from the grape crop insurance policy and is specifically for vine mortality. The deadline to insure your vineyard for 2025 is November 1st, 2024 and coverage begins December 1st, 2024.

Grape Insurance – January 31st
This program provides coverage for yield losses caused by all naturally occurring perils (adverse weather, fire and smoke, failure of irrigation due to natural peril, etc.) The policy utilizes your individual growing records to establish the coverage. The deadline to insure your grapes is January 31st and coverage begins February 1st.

• NEW for 2025 – Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) - County based coverage option allowing you toinsure up to 95% of your crop value using county-based losses.
• NEW for 2025 – Fire Insurance Protection – Smoke Index (FIP-SI) – County based smoke exposurecoverage option allowing you to add additional smoke coverage to your underlying policy usingcounty-based NOAA air quality data to determine a loss.

Whole Farm Revenue Protection – February 28th
This highly subsidized federal policy offers you revenue protection for farm revenue declines including market price decline. Coverage is broken out by farming entity, not by specific crops, and covers you for losses in revenue due to naturally occurring events that impact your yield and/or market price for your commodities. This policy utilizes your individual tax records (Schedule F), yield data, and potential contract prices to establish the revenue to be insured. The deadline to insure your farming revenue is February 28th.

Please reach out to Melissa Webb if you have any questions.

​Last week, we had the privilege of joining the team at Inglenook in Rutherford for a behind-the-scenes look at the harvest season.

Over ten hospitality professionals gathered to hear from Enrique Herro, Director of Vineyards, about the critical role of harvest in winemaking. We learned about the history of Inglenook, a stunning 1,700-acre estate nestled in the heart of Rutherford.
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​Our tour took us to a sun-drenched vineyard block where skilled crews were expertly harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon. Sr. Associate Winemaker, Jonathan Tyer, shared his insights on the key qualities he seeks in grapes before giving the green light to pick. He emphasized that exceptional wines begin in the vineyard and that the quality of the grapes is paramount to producing estate wines.

We concluded our visit with a tour of the new winery caves, featuring state-of-the-art tanks with automated pump-overs.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our Seasonal Vineyard Walk and a special thanks to Inglenook for hosting us.