Bringing the Vineyard to the Community: Why NVG Shows Up Where People Are

Napa Valley's vineyards are part of the landscape everyone here shares. You see them on the drive to work, from a trailhead, or out the window at dinner. But for many neighbors, what happens inside those rows stays a bit of a mystery: how growers decide when fruit is ready, what a harvest morning looks like, and why farming well matters for the whole region.
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At Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG), we believe that support for agriculture grows from understanding, and understanding grows from real conversations. So we don't wait for the community to come to us. We go to them.

Trust Is Built in Person
Good relationships between farmers and neighbors aren't built through brochures. They come from showing up again and again, answering honest questions, and being open about how the work gets done. When people can taste a grape picked that morning or hear a grower explain why skin texture matters, agriculture stops being abstract. It becomes something personal.

That's the idea behind our public programs: meet people where they are, share what we know, and invite them into the story of Napa Valley farming.

Two Chances to Join Us This Week

NVC Estate Winery Friday Tasting Series: Cabernet Sauvignon Grape Tasting
Friday, September 25 | 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Napa Valley College Wine Education Center (Wine Spectator Building 3200)

This hands-on evening follows Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard to the glass.

• Read the grape like a grower. NVG Executive Director Caleb Mosley leads a grape tasting and shows how skin texture, acidity, and color can reveal where fruit is in its ripening, and how growers use those cues in the field.
• Explore the science. Will Thomas of Integrated Phenolics covers emerging research on phenolics and tannins (the compounds that shape a wine's color, texture, and structure), plus an early look at how 2026 vintage phenolics are shaping up this harvest.
• Taste the difference. The evening closes with a side-by-side tasting of two wines that take different approaches to ripeness, showing how one variety can express itself in very different styles.

Register here

NVG at the Napa Farmers Market
Saturday, September 26 | 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Napa Farmers Market, 1100 West Street, Napa
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Stop by our booth for a relaxed, family-friendly morning celebrating harvest. We'll have samples of freshly picked grapes from local vineyards, and our team will be on hand to answer your questions and share what harvest really looks like from the ground up. No experience needed, just curiosity.
Event details

Why It Matters
Every conversation at a farmers market table or in a tasting room helps build a community that understands and values local agriculture. That understanding matters. It shapes how our region thinks about land use, water, and the future of farming here. It connects people to the growers who care for Napa Valley's land. It also helps make sure grape growing stays viable and resilient for generations to come.
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Our mission is to cultivate viticultural excellence and environmental stewardship for Napa Valley. We can't do that alone. It takes a community that feels connected to the land and the people who farm it.

Come Say Hello
Whether you've worked harvest for decades or have never tasted a wine grape straight off the vine, you're welcome. Join us Friday evening for a closer look at the science of ripeness, or stop by Saturday morning for a taste of harvest. We hope to see you there.