Napa Green | Press Release
Napa Green hosts the second annual Wine and Hip-Hop Terroir Tapes Listening Session, featuring Emmy-nominated host Jermaine Stone on July 17, 2026
The Terroir Tapes, hosted by Jermaine Stone, widely known as The Real Wolf of Wine, offers a curated exploration of Napa Valley’s distinctive terroir through a specialized wine tasting. This experience pairs local wines with hip-hop tracks, highlighting the striking parallels between wine regions’ environmental factors and the regional characteristics of classic hip-hop.
The concept of terroir, which means a “sense of place,” encompasses the unique climate, soil, topography, and cultural traditions that give a wine its specific character, aroma, and flavor. This explains how the same grape variety can result in vastly different profiles depending on where it is cultivated, even within the same valley.
Just as terroir defines wine, hip-hop’s identity is intrinsically linked to its geography. Different regions exhibit unique production styles, lyrical focus, and cultural movements that have fundamentally influenced the music’s development.
Jermaine Stone is a master of bridging these two worlds, utilizing both wine and hip-hop as powerful tools for storytelling and fostering community resilience. His journey began more than twenty years ago, when he transitioned from a career in rap to the shipping department at Zachy’s Auction House, eventually becoming the first Black commercial wine auctioneer. Today, he is the founder of NYC-based Cru Luv Selections, and is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Wine and Hip-Hop, and the Tastemade original streaming series Street Somm, which has been nominated for both a James Beard Award and an Emmy Award. Recognized as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40, Jermaine’s influence continues to grow.
Jermaine’s first visit to the Napa Valley wine region began with a keynote at the 2025 RISE Climate & Wine Symposium, hosted by Napa Green. A year later, Napa Green is welcoming him back on July 17 to Napa Yard, a picturesque venue along the Napa River, to pair classic hip-hop tracks with Napa Green Certified sustainable wines.
For Napa Green, a nonprofit that has led climate action for over two decades since its founding in response to the impairment of the Napa River, the event feels like kismet. It provides a unique stage to showcase Napa Green wineries right beside the river where the Napa Green mission began.
“When you listen to a classic track, it transports you back to a moment in time, just like wine does. Both can act as a time capsule. It’s a perfect pairing,” says Megan Scott of Napa Green
Featured wineries include:
About Napa Green: Napa Green is a nonprofit organization advancing climate-smart, regenerative agriculture and sustainable wine production through our work with vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley. We define rigorous, science-based standards grounded in more than 250 best practices, certify vineyards and wineries, and work side by side with growers and vintners to translate those standards into daily action from soil to bottle. Our approach pairs rigorous standards with hands-on support to improve soil health, conserve water, reduce emissions, restore biodiversity, and build equitable, resilient businesses and communities. Learn more https://napagreen.org/