Michael Silacci did not know what he wanted to be when he grew up. So, he took a couple of years to travel through Asia and Europe to window-shop for a profession. When he arrived in France, his knowledge of French was limited to “bon voyage”. Someone suggested that if he wanted to eat well, speak French, and earn some francs, he should harvest grapes. Two-hour lunches and fine wine were all it took to lead him down the path to winemaking— and a life spent walking among the vines.
Assuming full responsibility for all aspects of vineyard management and winemaking, Michael was named Winemaker at Opus One in May 2003. He has been at Opus One since March of 2001, first serving as Director of Viticulture and Enology.
Prior to his current appointment, Michael spent six years as winemaker at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, one year as winemaker at King Estate in Oregon, and six years at Beaulieu Vineyard as enologist and viticulturist. He has also made wine in France and Chile. He holds a master’s degree in viticulture from U.C. Davis in addition to under-graduate degrees in enology and viticulture from U.C. Davis and the Université de Bordeaux.
Embracing a holistic vision of winegrowing as the ultimate expression of terroir, Michael ensures that the connection between viticulture and winemaking at Opus One is seamless, reflecting the philosophy of founders Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.
Opus One produces ultra-premium wines at its Napa Valley winery in Oakville, California. The 2019 vintage was released on October 1st and is distributed in all 50 U.S. States and 90 countries worldwide.
Anna Brittain is the Executive Director of Napa Green. Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy with organizations ranging from the environmental economics think tank Resources for the Future in Washington, DC to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has spent a decade facilitating and growing sustainability in the wine industry, with an expertise in communications and certification standards. Anna has served as a lead sustainability consultant with Ontario Craft Wineries, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia, Crimson Wine Group, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, and individual wineries including Benziger Family Winery and Seghesio Family Vineyards. She has helped lead the growth of the Napa Green program for over six years, and stepped into the position of Executive Director of the now independent non-profit in fall 2019. Anna has a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara and a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Williams College.
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Can Wine Really Impact Climate Action? Can Forest & Creek Restoration Create Localized Climate Cooling? Join us on the final day of the RISE Climate & Wine Symposium to hear experts address these critical questions and learn why energy efficiency, water efficiency, supply chain management, biodiversity, and social equity are all critical components of climate action in the wine industry.
Don’t miss this exciting event on May 8, 2025 at the Charles Krug Carriage House.
🌱CLIMATE ACTION & REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE DAY on May 8th! Our final day of RISE 2025 which encompasses all of our pillars of sustainability. Link in bio for tickets or head to www.risegreen.org!
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Unfortunately, wine cannot flow directly from the barrel to your glass. It takes a lot of materials and packaging to get that elegant wine bottle to your table. Wineries have significant purchasing power and can green their supply chain and shift to environmentally preferable products.
Join Cathy Corison & Grace Corison Martin in Conversation: Heritage & Horizon: A Mother-Daughter Vision for Wine’s Climate Future with Cathy Corison and Grace Corison Martin. Learn about reuse and upcycling opportunities, dive into how wineries can leverage their purchasing power to drive sustainability innovation, and hear experts weigh in on the critical question, Do Consumers Care about Sustainability & Climate Action?
Join the conversation May 7, 2025. Ticket link in bio.
Join us at RISE on May 7th for Supply Chain & Waste Prevention Day featuring @cathycorison & @gracecorisonmartin!
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Sustainability is about caring for the health and resilience of nature and environment, the health and resilience of employees and community, all of which contributes to the success and longevity of businesses. We cannot have environmental or economic sustainability without social sustainability.
Join us for Breaking Down Barriers: Where Hip-Hop Meets Wine featuring Jermaine Stone, CEO of Cru Luv Wines & Author of “Wine Barz Vol. 1.” Learn about building regenerative social systems, explore of how current and emerging cultural trends inform and shape sustainability engagement, and hear from experts on the critical question: Does Diversity Improve Business Performance & Resilience?
🌟 Apply now 🌟
We are offering six RISE Leadership Awards that will be given out during the six days of the RISE Symposium.
One award may be given out for each of the Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership:
⭐️ Outstanding water efficiency & savings
⭐️ Outstanding energy efficiency & savings
⭐️ Outstanding whole farm regenerative practices
⭐️ Outstanding strides in caring for employees and building a more diverse and inclusive team
⭐️ Outstanding greening of supply chain & waste prevention
⭐️ Outstanding strides in climate action and/or regenerative, climate smart farming
Those who win the award will be given the chance to give a 5-7 minute version of a “TED Talk” at the RISE Climate & Wine Symposium.
Reach out to megan@napagreen.org for details!
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In the vineyard, nature is our ally. We can use cover crops that attract beneficial insects that eat the nasty bugs we don’t want in the vineyard and release vineyard-friendly insects like ladybugs. Putting up bluebird and owl boxes and raptor perches, helps with bugs, rodents, and scares away unwelcome birds that eat the grapes, like starlings.
Join Chris Renfro, Founder of The Two Eighty Project, for Building Community, From the Vine Up. Learn about the critical importance of soil health and biodiversity, the benefits of our furry and flying vineyard workers, and discuss the critical question, Is Regenerative Ag Our Future?
Join us May 1, 2025 for Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodiversity. Ticket link in bio.
🌱 Join us for Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodoversity Day at RISE on May 1st, 2025 at @charleskrugwinery!
🐑 Tickets may be found at www.risegreen.org or at the link in our bio.
💡Making wine is actually quite energy intensive. It takes a lot of refrigeration to cool, ferment, and age wines. A lot of hot water to sanitize tanks, barrels, and bottling lines.
Join acclaimed wine journalist @rayisle for a multifaceted exploration of “energy” in wine – from the vitality of healthy soils to the skilled work of vineyard teams, from production and supply chain to market momentum.
Attend workshops for an actionable exploration of nascent opportunities for the wine industry–solar thermal hot water and energy storage and understand the lifecycle analysis comparing EVs to conventional vehicles, examining crucial factors like battery production, grid electricity sources, and vehicle usage, and hear from industry experts address the critical questions, “To Till & EV or Not to Till & EV?”
⬆️ Find tickets at the link in our profile!
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