Samie Hartley, Napa Valley Register

The Napa Valley Grapegrowers and Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation raised $2.8 million at the 17th annual Harvest STOMP fundraiser last month.
Harvest STOMP co-chairs Karen Cakebread, Mary Maher and Francoise Peschon welcomed over 500 guests to Ron and Linda DeKoven's Viña Esperanza in Calistoga on Aug. 24 to kick off the 2024 harvest and celebrate the important work these two organizations do to strengthen the grape growing industry and community.
“We are thrilled with the results from this year’s STOMP,” said Maher in a news release. “Every bit of support counts, as all funds raised equally support Napa Valley Grapegrowers educational programs focused on increasing quality, innovation, and environmental stewardship in the vineyard, and Napa Valley Farmworkers' mission to provide education and career advancement opportunities to farmworkers and their families.”

Press Release

​The Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) and Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation (FWF), supported by generous bidders, donors, sponsors, volunteers and committee members, raised $2.8 million at the 17th annual Harvest STOMP fundraiser on Saturday, August 24, at Ron and Linda DeKoven's Viña Esperanza in Calistoga. 2024 Harvest STOMP Co-Chairs Karen Cakebread, Mary Maher, and Francoise Peschon welcomed over 500 guests to kick off the 2024 harvest and celebrate the important work these two organizations do to strengthen the grape growing industry and community.
 
“We are thrilled with the results from this year’s STOMP,” stated 2024 Co-Chair Mary Maher. “Every bit of support counts, as all funds raised equally support NVG’s educational programs focused on increasing quality, innovation, and environmental stewardship in the vineyard, and FWF’s mission to provide education and career advancement opportunities to farmworkers and their families.”

Press Release

Wine collectors from around the world will have an opportunity to secure rare bottles from Napa Valley’s most sought-after producers, including Scarecrow, Harlan, Diamond Creek, and Favia, as well as wine-focused adventure, travel and experiential lots at the Harvest STOMP eAuction, Saturday August 17, 2024, through Thursday, August 22, 2024, supporting the missions of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) and the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation (FWF).

All funds raised through the 2024 Harvest STOMP eAuction equally support NVG’s educational programs concentrated on enhancing quality, innovation, and environmental stewardship for the Napa Valley, and FWF’s mission to provide life-changing education and career advancement opportunities for Napa Valley farmworkers and their families.

Press Release

​On the eve of its 50th anniversary in 2025, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) is looking inward to evaluate and recognize the importance and impact of the wine grape industry on the Napa Valley community. From creating methods to boost the health and resiliency of vines and vineyard ecosystems, to addressing climate change, wildfire safety, preparedness and mitigation and more, NVG 's goal is to support a thriving wine industry and prosperous community.
"Growing wine grapes is the one of the highest and best uses of land in the Napa Valley," stated Mary Maher, past President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. "For nearly 50 years we have provided growers with high-quality education and have advocated adopting environmentally minded farming practices to ensure long-term viability for generations to come. Responsible conservation practices in the vineyard benefit the environment, the natural ecosystem, and our entire community."
The resilience of the valley's vineyards also helps support those that work the vines and their families. The success of growers and wineries in the Napa Valley creates opportunity for educational advancement, as well as living wages and benefits for employees. The Napa Valley excels in taking care of its workforce and NVG's partnership with the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation (FWF) is an example for other wine growing regions. The bond between the FWF and the NVG is unique, as no other region possesses two like-minded organizations that care for the land, the environment, and the community.

Press Release

​The Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) offers a Climate Science Video Series as a resource for growers to learn more about climate science. Since its launch in 2021, the in-person Climate Science Series has been attended by over 200 member companies of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. This series was developed by experts from UC Berkeley's Hass School of Business and provides comprehensive education on climate change, offering a deeper understanding of how businesses can effectively address the risks and opportunities that exist in the wine industry. More than 70% of participants have either developed plans or implemented climate-smart agricultural practices based on what they learned.
As an addition to the in-person workshops, a six-part video series has been developed as a resource for grape growers and provides a great tool for professional development without the cost and allows companies to instill a strong foundation in climate resilience. To access the Climate Science Video Series, please visit napagrowers.org/climatevideos.

Jennifer Huffman, Napa Valley Register

As Caleb Mosley, put it “wine and viticulture have been in my DNA since childhood.”
When Mosley was 6 months old, his dad got a job as a vineyard and estate manager for a 35-acre property in the Santa Cruz mountains.
“Through this opportunity, I witnessed the planting of a new vineyard and what the construction of a winery meant for those grapes,” he said. “There’s an element of being a caretaker of a property and its surroundings that matches my ethos.”
The idea of stewarding the land for future generations “is a part of who I am and why I’ve followed in my dad’s footsteps.”

Press Release

​In partnership with the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, ETS Laboratories has been building a database of grape samples to help growers and winemakers better understand smoke impacts on winegrapes, work with insurance companies to protect their assets, and create individual baselines for the varieties in their vineyards. Since the program launched in 2021, this effort has helped to inform the global methodology around smoke taint testing.
Following the catastrophic wildfires of 2020, the winegrowing community expressed interest in an extended list of analytical markers of smoke exposure, however two challenges were identified.
The first challenge was with a class of markers known as “glycosylated” or “bound” compounds. Until the Fall of 2020, reference standards were not available for these types of compounds, and there was not consensus between specialists about which ones to measure.  ETS Laboratories worked with the Wine Institute Technical Committee, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), and major wineries to establish a common list for these markers, as well as facilitate and fund the production of analytical standards. These reference standards are now available, allowing testing laboratories worldwide to produce comparable results for glycosylated markers.

Press Release 

Photo by Suzanne Becker Bronk

Kerana Todorov, Wine Business

​Napa County residents of all ages braved the rains and cool temperatures this weekend to have a closer look at vineyards near where they live.
Afternoon in the Vineyards is an opportunity for the community to see what is going on in the vineyards, V. Sattui president Tom Davies said Saturday at Henry Ranch in Carneros. Henry Ranch is one of St. Helena-based V. Sattui’s vineyards.

Press Release