by Pam Strayer for Wine Business The nation’s most prestigious wine grape grower organization, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVGG), gathered in early November for their two day annual conference, Rootstock. Breaking with the tradition of covering many topics at Rootstock, this year the group featured just one subject–weed control.
The topic has stirred controversy in recent years. A week later, Napa Green, the county’s prominent sustainability program, announced it would require its members to phase out conventional herbicides, including Roundup, by 2026, offering growers technical and financial assistance to support the change The program has 25 current members and 44 others who are in transition. Together they collectively farm 7,000 acres of vines. The growers’ educational gathering was held amidst growing consumer concerns that glyphosate based herbicides, featured in front page news (in recent court cases and ongoing studies), inhibit soil health and affect human health. In Napa, some consumers then began asking vintners if they used the herbicide, which put the topic on some wineries’ radar. “The Napa Valley Grapegrowers have never shied away from a difficult topic or an interesting topic for discussion within the industry,” said NVGG board member Dave Whitmer, the county’s former Ag Commissioner. As the NVGG said in describing its Nov. 6-7 event on its website, “as consumers' and lenders' perceptions around herbicides shift, there is mounting pressure across the wine production chain to adapt farming methods…. as Napa Valley growers continue to strive for viticultural excellence, employing innovative practices is paramount to continuing to increase quality and sustainability in our vineyards.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
February 2025
|
Trade Resources: Speakers | Press | Sponsors
Copyright Napa Valley Grapegrowers. All Rights Reserved. 831 Latour Court, Suite A | Napa, CA 94558 Phone: (707) 944-8311 | [email protected] Privacy Policy | Sitemap | All header images © Sarah Anne Risk Napa Valley Grapegrowers is a 501(c)3 public charity. Our federal tax ID number is # 82-2012860 |
Sign-up for our community newsletter
Subscribe to Friends of the Grapegrowers (FOG) to receive exclusive updates, educational workshops, vineyard tours, special events, and a quarterly newsletter with insights into Napa Valley grape-growing, sustainability, climate initiatives, and the latest trends in viticulture.
|