Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence: The Legacy and Future of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers

Half a century ago, a group of forward-thinking, passionate Napa Valley farmers met around Ren Harris’ dining room table in Oakville to create the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. These pioneers recognized the unique potential inherent in this valley to grow winegrapes that could create wine worthy of competition with the finest offerings from across the globe. Over the past 50 years, NVG has evolved to address some of the most pressing issues facing the Napa grape-growing community, further establishing and protecting this amazing land for generations to come.
A few highlights of our work over the past 50 years:

• Our founders helped create and pass legislation ensuring Napa Valley growers were not only recognized but fairly rewarded for their efforts in cultivating some of the best grapes grown in the state of California. NVG evolved to promote the use of geographical and historical indicators to establish a wine’s appellation, allowing consumers to further distinguish Napa Valley wines.
• NVG participated in crafting the Winery Definition Ordinance and supported Measure J as a means to add more impactful longevity to Napa County’s groundbreaking Agricultural Preserve.
• When organic farming began to gain traction in Napa vineyards, NVG launched the Organic Winegrowing Conference to disseminate cutting-edge viticultural practices, a practice that serves as a pillar of our organization to this day.
• Our support of and collaboration with the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office helped eradicate the invasive European Grapevine Moth from Napa’s vineyards.
• In 2018, NVG leadership took the bold step to transition the organization’s nonprofit status from a 501(c)(5) to a 501(c)(3), empowering our efforts to bridge to the greater community. We remain committed to providing key technical education and unwavering advocacy for our members and their vineyards while embarking upon outreach to the community to promote our unique grape-growing heritage.

The NVG Board of Directors, in collaboration with our dedicated NVG staff, has curated a year-long celebration of this milestone, complete with monthly themes highlighting important aspects of our past, present, and future. Our “Grown in Napa Valley” Podcast, released on the tenth of each month, will feature a cast of growers and winemakers who have played a pivotal role in the success of our valley. I invite you to tune in to our freshly released January episode featuring Richard Mendelson and, appropriately, Ren Harris.

We will host several events, including the relaunch of our annual membership meeting (complete with a special guest keynote speaker), to celebrate this feat together with a glass of Napa Valley wine in hand. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements on these upcoming events, and take a peek at our 50th-anniversary calendar.

As we embark upon the next 50 years, the practice of grape growing in our precious valley will be faced with numerous challenges. The wine sales marketplace continues to evolve. Our climate continues to shift. Our knowledge of our environment and our impact upon it will continue to progress. The Napa Valley Grapegrowers stand at the ready to tackle challenges and to support our growers and the health of our environment. We, too, will continue to evolve.

I invite everyone to take a moment this year to embrace the accomplishments of the past, to contemplate the current nature of our valley, and to envision a future that continues to provide for our entire community, just as it has for each and every one of us. I find myself overflowing with gratitude to play a part in leading this historic organization as we celebrate, and I can’t wait to raise a glass with you!

Here’s to the next 50 years of growing together!

Caleb Mosley
​Executive Director