ENERGY EFFICIENCY
& SAVINGS
Registration opens
Workshop II: Are EVs Really Better? Understand the Emissions Tipping Points (Including MCE rebates & charger incentives)
Breakfast hour with Sponsor Scavenger Hunt
Official Welcome: Charles Krug’s Peter Mondavi Jr., Napa Green’s Anna Brittain, and Napa Green Board Member, Dan Petroski
RISE Leadership Award TEDTalk
Break
Asking the Critical Questions Forum: To Till & EV or Not to Till & EV?
Catered lunch & Wine
Thank you to our exclusive event sponsor MCE.
MCE is a not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010. MCE offers 60-100% renewable power at stable rates, significantly reducing greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions in local programs.
Two parallel workshops. Spend 30-35 minutes at each workshop, then groups will switch.
Hot water heating is energy and cost intensive. Join ergSol’s Monika Weiss, Treasury Americas’ Will Drayton, and Schneider Electric’s John Westerman for an actionable exploration of nascent opportunities for the wine industry–solar thermal hot water and battery energy storage. Learn how ergSol’s building-integrated designs provide renewable hot water while preserving winery aesthetics. Drayton will share the why, how, and outcomes of the ergSol system at their Sonoma bottling facility, and how it integrates in their plans for net zero emissions by 2030. Westerman will discuss the evolution of battery storage, both in increasing cost-effectiveness and the ability to not only shave peak loads but also provide windows of independent energy. Consider if solar thermal and battery storage could make sense for your operation, both to reduce energy costs and mitigate risk.
Action Opportunities:
Assess facility potential for visually-integrated solar thermal systems
Evaluate battery storage solutions for peak load management and backup power
Set ambitious yet achievable renewable energy and emissions reduction targets
Explore financing and implementation pathways
Complement renewable investments with opportunities like MCE Deep Green
Will Drayton is the Director of Technical Viticulture, Sustainability and Research at Treasury Wine Estates
(TWE), one of the world’s largest wine companies. Will has been with TWE since 2008, beginning in
viticulture at Etude Winery and has held many positions within the viticulture and winemaking groups.
In his current role, Will guides TWE’s US sustainability efforts in addition to technical and scientific aspects of winegrowing in California. He serves on the committee that guides the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, Chair of the PD-GWSS board for the CDFA and board member of the Los Carneros Water District.
Will holds a Master’s degree from UC Davis in Horticulture and Agronomy and undergraduate degree in
Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Will resides with his young family in Sebastopol, CA.
Monika is an environmental pioneer and management consultant with extensive national and international experience in helping people and organizations turn potential to success. She has a strong background in collaborative leadership in cross-cultural, multi-industry environments and public-private consortium. As an experienced project manager and change agent she is committed to developing sustainable organizations. Her skills include: finding organizational forms to fit the tasks of innovating a new technology; preparing the infrastructure and raising the public awareness for product commercialization; valuing diversity to create synergy. Monika’s work focus is on sustainable business strategies and renewable technologies, especially in the solar thermal realm. She holds a M.S. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology.
Two parallel workshops. Spend 30-35 minutes at each workshop, then groups will switch.
As California mandates 35% zero-emission vehicle sales by year’s end, this workshop cuts through the confusion surrounding EVs’ environmental impact. Understand the lifecycle analysis comparing EVs to conventional vehicles, examining crucial factors like battery production, grid electricity sources, and vehicle usage. Understand the science-backed tipping points where EVs become the cleaner choice. Get practical guidance for evaluating electric cars, trucks, and tractors for your wine industry operations. Plus, get up-to-date information on available incentives, including MCE Clean Energy rebates and California CORE subsidies for cleaner off-road vehicles, which can significantly reduce your transition costs.
Action Opportunities:
Self-confessed nerd and adoptive mom, Nikki has been talking and writing about cars ever since she passed her driving test. But her love of cars goes back even further than that. She first fell in love with electric cars in the early 1980s when she saw a picture of one in a magazine and thought “hey! That’s Cool!”
In 2006, Nikki purchased her first electric vehicle, a 250 watt electric scooter. While she’d planned to use it as transport while she converted her 1965 Morris Minor to electric, the old car’s rusty state forced her a different way, resulting in her buying a 1998 City El electric bubble car instead.
When she’s not working, Nikki enjoys to garden on the 1/3 acre plot she and her wife own in the foothills of the Coastal range just west of Portland Oregon, which they share with a flock of chickens, and two dogs. They’re keen advocates of slow food, and try to grow or locally source all the food they eat.
Being a nerd, Nikki enjoys all kinds of tech, but also loves a decent bit of science fiction, plays DnD, and is also the President of the League of Extraordinary Floofs, a local 501(c)(3) group of freelance mascots.
Featuring Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine and Author of “The World in a Wineglass”
Join acclaimed wine journalist Ray Isle 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. Drawing from his latest book “The World in a Wineglass” and two decades at the forefront of wine journalism, Isle will discuss some of the trends he’s seeing in sustainable and regenerative viticulture, and the growth in trade and consumer interest in sustainable and climate-smart wines. Through engaging storytelling and market insights, he’ll explore the intersection of fine wine and sustainable winegrowing and the opportunity for cascading benefits: enhancing wine quality, engaging new customers and building loyalty, and leveraging new marketing angles in a challenging wine economy.
Action Opportunities:
Ray Isle is the Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine and the Wine & Spirits Editor of Travel + Leisure. He writes Food & Wine’s monthly “Bottle Service” column, and oversees wine content for both brands as well as contributing regular print and online features about wine, spirits, and wine-related travel. His articles about wine, beer, food and spirits have appeared in a wide range of national publications, as well as in Best American Food Writing. He has won the IACP Award for Narrative Beverage Writing three times, the gold award from the North American Travel Journalists Association, and been nominated three times for the James Beard Award in beverage writing. He speaks regularly on wine at events around the country and is a frequent guest on national media, appearing on programs such as NBC’s Today, CBS Mornings, CNBC’s Squawk Box, American Public Media’s “Splendid Table,” and many others. His recent book The World in a Wineglass was published in 2023 by Scribner’s. Follow his wine exploits on Instagram @rayisle.
Purchase his latest book at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium.
Join Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson for an evidence-based exploration of two actively debated vineyard transitions–conservation/no-till and the pros and cons of EV tractors. Morgan Twain-Peterson MW of Bedrock Vineyards and Margarita Postoronca of CHANDON will candidly share their experience implementing conservation and no-till practices and being early adopters of EV tractors. Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor, will provide insight into the evolution of EV tractor technology, highlighting advancements in performance and reliability. Discover how these growers are realizing the documented benefits of dramatically reducing tillage–from enhanced soil health and water retention to reduce erosion–while successfully navigating site-specific challenges like cover crop selection and weed management. Plus, get candid insights about where electric tractors excel, and where traditional equipment may still play a role. This practical discussion will debate when and if to implement these climate-smart practices across different vineyard conditions.
Action Opportunities:
Develop a plan to pilot conservation tillage or no-till
Work with the Napa Green Vineyard team to develop a regenerative Carbon Farm Plan, which includes tillage and cover crop opportunities and recommendations
Select appropriate and diverse cover crops for your conditions
Develop integrated soil health and equipment strategies
If considering an EV tractor, evaluate charging infrastructure, improved technology reliability, and cost offsets from MCE & CORE rebates
Andrea Robinson is a world-renowned Master Sommelier who takes the seemingly daunting subject of wine and food, and brings it down to earth for all to understand and enjoy. Robinson, one of only 26 female Master Sommeliers in the world, couples this distinction with a strong culinary pedigree as a graduate and former Dean of the French Culinary Institute, and the winner of three James Beard Awards. In addition, she has been widely featured across leading national television networks and publications as the “go-to” expert for all things wine. She and her husband John live in Napa Valley.
Morgan’s early exposure to wine and winemaking was thanks to his father Joel Peterson, who had started a small passion project called Ravenswood Winery— a job for which he was steadily not making money while working out of a small building along the big curve on Broadway. Though always enamored with the wine industry, Morgan bypassed a traditional Viticulture and Enology degree and studied History and Political Science at Vassar College. After undergrad, he enrolled at Columbia University with an eye towards a Masters in American Studies. meanwhile working at a small shop in the Upper East Side called Pet Wines. There, he met Chris Cottrell, with whom he became fast friends.
I am originally from Moldova, and I have moved to California in 2017. My journey through wine industry along with my educational background helped me discover that viticulture is my true passion. I am currently a part of Chandon Winegrowing team and my position is Viticulturist-Grower Relations. As a Viticulturist I oversee farming and vineyard operations on our Estate vineyards in Yountville and Mount Veeder (160 acres of premium Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir). My responsibilities include, but are not limited to establishing fertilization programs, generating irrigation plans, creating and overseeing organic pesticide spray program, maintaining and leading sustainability certifications. In addition to that I oversee all the vineyard operations, manage ranch supervisor, am involved in budget planning and redevelopment projects. As a Grower Relations I work with 20+ growers and brokers in 3 major regions of California – Sacramento/Delta, North and Central Coast. I enjoy the diversity of my role, because it allows me to explore both sides of the business – growing the best fruit on the Estate vineyards and working on business side by achieving yearly fruit supply plans.
Praveen Penmetsa has over 22 years of experience turning audacious ideas into tangible products and technologies with global impact. His work has spanned areas like sustainable mobility, energy generation and storage, and farm robotics resulting in delivered products ranging from autonomous electric aircraft to farm weeding robots.
Currently focused on agriculture, Penmetsa is bringing a new type of tractor company and agricultural technology to farmers worldwide through Monarch Tractor. Also serving as the chairman and founder of Motivo Engineering, Penmetsa is building teams that develop and scale the next generation of robotic solutions for mobility, energy and food. He believes the greatest impact of digital transformation and electrification lies in farming rather than urban mobility. This realization forms the foundation of Monarch’s vision of working towards a healthier and sustainable farming future that will make farmers profitable.
Penmetsa was the 2023 Bay Area award winner of Entrepreneur of the Year®. Together with his Monarch Tractor co-founders, Carlo Mondavi, Zachary Omohondro, PhD, and Mark Schwager, Penmetsa is changing the future of agriculture and the world’s food systems for the better.
MCE is a not-for-profit public agency and the preferred electricity provider for more than 580,000 customer accounts and 1.5 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties. Setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010, MCE leads with 100% renewable power at stable rates, delivering a 1200 MW peak load and significantly reducing greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions in local programs. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on your preferred social platform @mceCleanEnergy.
The Agriculture Energy Savings Action Plan (AESAP) helps agriculture operations by offering a variety of rebates, incentives, and financing options to help your operation reduce energy usage and costs.
Upgrading ventilation, irrigation, and other critical systems with more energy-efficient options is one way to reduce your overhead, improve production, and preserve natural resources.
GenShift designs and installs energy systems unique to your company’s operational needs. Your custom system delivers reliable turnkey power, lowers energy costs, and reduces greenhouse gases. That’s GenShift – Energy as a Service.
Our systems are designed to reduce greenhouse gases by using green energy solutions and more efficient microturbines. Not only do you save money, but you help to reduce our world’s environmental footprint.
Labor shortages, climate change, and food safety concerns create a multitude of challenges for farmers. Monarch Tractor provides a farmer-first approach to innovation, making each decision with our farming community and their biggest challenges in mind. Our dedication to solutions for the farmer also means healthier solutions for the planet, for the consumer, and for the global food ecosystem.
Schneider’s purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On.
Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency.
We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers.
We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.
Napa Green is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates systematic soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the resources, tools and connections to continuously level up leadership. In 2021, Napa Green was the first sustainable winegrowing program in the world to redevelop Vineyard certification standards to focus on climate action, regenerative carbon farming, and social equity. In 2022, Napa Green and community partners launched a first of its kind, six-event Climate & Wine Symposium (Napa THRIVES now RISE) with over 65 speakers and 600 total guests.
Join winemaker @evyncam at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th - May 8th in Napa Valley!
Evyn is a winemaker for @unefemmewines, board member for @napagreen, mentor for @batonnage_forum & very involved in social & environmental sustainability. Join us at RISE 2025!
Is water the solution to heat stress?
As extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, the wine industry faces a critical dilemma in water management. At RISE Climate & Wine Symposium, we will explore the rising use of water to buffer heat stress and prevent crop loss.
Join the conversation April 29, 2025.
Ticket link in bio.
#wineindustry #climateandwine #climateandwinesymposium #vineyardmanagement #winesymposium
Why not? Join co founder @reyeswine.mw at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium beginning April 29th and running through May 8th!
#winebusiness #wineindustry #wine #masterofwine #sustainability #rise
Join us May 6th for a keynote address from Jermaine Stone, CEO of Cru Luv Wines and Author of "Wine Barz Vol. 1"
Twenty years ago, Jermaine Stone went from rapping to packing boxes in the shipping department at Zachy’s to becoming the first black commercial wine auctioneer. He has since been heralded as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 under 40. The Bronx native’s rise in the wine industry has been driven by one key mission: to challenge the narrative about and for black men in America. In founding Cru Luv Selections, an innovative creative agency based in NYC, Stone has found a space that can use marketing, brand partnerships, and content creation to connect wine and hip-hop cultures and bring wine to an audience that has traditionally been ignored. In 2023, Stone was featured in the New York Times, on Sway in the Morning, and in Us Weekly. He also became the star of the Tastemade original streaming series Street Somm, which has been nominated for both a James Beard Award and an Emmy Award.
Follow the link in our bio to purchase tickets and be a part of this amazing day!
Why RISE? Check in with @mkshepp of @spottswoodewinery to hear more 🔝
#rise #sustainability #winery #symposium #napa #napavalley #winebusiness #wineindustry
Today is the last day for early bird pricing! Get your tickets now!
You don’t want to miss the RISE Climate & Wine Sympoisum hosted by Napa Green at the Charles Krug Carriage House on April 29, April 30, May 1, May 6, May 7 and May 8.
Ticket link in bio.
The RISE Climate & Wine Symposium is a six-event series focused on accelerating sustainability and climate action in the wine industry, with a focus on regenerative practices and building resilient vineyards and ecosystems.
You don’t want to miss these leading speakers, cutting edge solutions to industry problems, impactful conversations and real results from growers and vintners.
Join us April 29, April 30, May 1, May 6, May 7 and May 8 at the historic Charles Krug Carriage House.
Get single day or six-day tickets at the link in our bio.
Slide for speakers ➡️
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!
Slide for Speakers ➡️
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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