Menu
Chris Benz | Napa Valley Register
The changing climate is a major threat to Napa Valleyโs wine industry. Atmospheric rivers can flood vineyards, damage budding vines, and erode soils. Fewer winter frosts can encourage the spread of pests. Extreme heat can shrivel crops and push the acids in the fruit out of balance. Wildfire smoke can taint the grapes and leave them unsaleable. These factors not only drive up the price of production, but ultimately could affect the viability of grape production itself.
In response, grape growers and winemakers are increasingly seeking to explore and deploy new strategies for resilience. To support these efforts, Napa Green, a local nonprofit that promotes and certifies environmentally sound wine production in the county, is hosting the Napa RISE Climate and Wine Symposium. RISE stands for Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment.
The symposium (www.RiseGreen.org), open to the public, will take place at the Charles Krug Winery Carriage House, spanning six half-days over three weeks, starting April 5. Morning sessions will cover a wide range of sustainability topics: energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste prevention, supply chains, proactive farming, soil health and biodiversity, social justice, diversity and inclusion, climate resilience and regenerative farming.
Napa Green, winner of Napa Climate NOW!โs 2022 Climate Champion award in the community organization category, has planned the symposium as a place for growers and vintners to get inspired, connect with mentors and identify actionable resources on best practices and technologies.
Anna Brittain, executive director for Napa Green and co-founder of RISE, said, โWhen Martin Reyes, MW, and I were conceptualizing the inaugural 2022 event, then called THRIVES, we wanted a new type of changemaking symposium โ moving past education and inspiration to provide the tools and incentives to take action and make impact.
โWe have mentors and mentees who will be working together well after the events. Show-and-Tell workshops will provide tangible, cutting-edge tools and practices for near-term implementation, not to mention the sustainability leadership roadmap provided by Napa Green Winery and Vineyard certifications.โ
RISE will kick off with a keynote by Jancis Robinson, MW, an international wine writer and author of โThe World Atlas of Wine.โ Robinson, an advocate for ambitious climate action in the industry, said, โRISE aims to provide real, practical help.โ
The line-up will include more than 60 speakers. Some headliners include Mimi Casteel (Hope Well Wine), Maryam Ahmed (Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum), and Michael Silacci (Opus One Winery). Nikki Silvestri of Soil and Shadow will join Tod Mostero of Dominus Estate in conversation about how to cultivate diversity and inclusion.
โWe have a powerful leadership platform in Napa County,โ said Brittain. โWe make arguably the premier agricultural product. The standard we set can galvanize aspirational climate action in the global wine industry and beyond.โ
Attendees on most days will choose from two options: an off-site mentorship workshop or an onsite โShow & Tellโ workshop, where they will learn practical methods for building climate smart, resilient businesses.
Topics will include establishing combined solar and battery microgrids; implementing precision irrigation; using sheep in the vineyard as natural lawnmowers and fertilizers; and using wine kegs and closed-loop refillable bottles to reduce packaging and carbon footprints.
โLast year, thanks to the Energy Efficiency event, I learned about several thousand dollars of rebates we could access from MCE for our EV charger installation project,โ said Molly Burroughs, assistant winemaker and environmental manager at Spottswoode Estate.
โThis year I will be mentoring another vintner on how transitioning to lighter-weight wine bottles can reduce a wineryโs supply, shipping and distribution costs, and simultaneously reduce emissions.โ
Find tickets atย www.eventcreate.com/e/naparise.
Actions you can take:
Other local climate-focused events
โย April 17, 5:30 p.m.: Democrats of Napa Valley Club zoom, โNapa County Moving Forward on Climate Action,โ free. Register atย napavalleydems.org/.
โย April 19, 5 p.m.: Napa County League of Women Voters, โ2023 Local Climate Priorities,โ free, at the Napa County Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa.
โย April 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Napa Earth Day Celebration, Oxbow Commons, FREE.ย https://napaenvironmentaled.org/earth-day/
Contributor Chris Benz is a retired winemaker and co-founder of Napa Climate NOW!
Napa Climate NOW! is a local non-profit citizensโ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Info,ย napa.350bayarea.org
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more atย https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
+1 805-636-3329
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Follow this itinerary for a stunning day in Napa!
Book your tastings at @napagreen certified @chimneyrockwinery @etudewines and @domainecarneros and stay at the luxurious @carnerosresort for a day that will delight all of your senses!
#visitnapa #winetasting #winetastings #winelover #sustainablewine #wineandfood #winecountry #winecountryliving
If you missed last nightโs amazing climate smart wine tasting @klwines you can join us tonight Thursday, July 24 for another great lineup of @napagreen certified wineries @dominusestatewinery @chimneyrockwinery @domainecarneros and @beringervyds
You wonโt want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
๐Phifer Pavitt Wines in Calistoga!
A gorgeous family winery & vineyard that goes above and beyond in climate smart practices and quality of wine! ๐ท
Canโt make it to Napa? Experience climate smart wines @klwines in downtown San Fransisco.
Join us Wednesday, July 23, 2025 to taste wines from @napagreen certified members @spottswoodewinery @pineridgewine @etudewines and @frankfamilyvineyards
You wonโt want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
Come join us this week at @klwines!! Tickets can be found at the link in our bio. Cheers! ๐ท
๐ This one is a gem! Book your tastings at Napa Green Certifed @mummsparkling & @spottswoodewinery and enjoy a stay at the incredible @solageauberge!
Sustainability & Luxury truly make a great pairing. Cheers to Climate Smart Wines! ๐ท
๐๏ธ: @mvino1
โ ๏ธ Donโt sleep on this one! Get your $15 tickets to taste INCREDIBLE wines from @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery and many more at @klwines in San Francisco on July 23rd & 24th!
You know where to go โก๏ธ link in bio or www.napagreen.org. See you there! ๐ท
๐ฃ Calling all wine lovers! Weโre partnering with some amazing wineries, restaurants and resorts to celebrate Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month and weโre giving away an incredible โExperience Napa Valley Dayโ to one lucky winner! ๐ท
The winner will receive:
โจA one-night stay at @solageauberge
โจWine tastings at @seaveyvineyard and @rutherfordhillwinery
โจA gift certificate to @charlies_nv
How to Enter:
1๏ธโฃ Make sure youโre following @napagreen & @visitnapavalley
2๏ธโฃ Like this post
3๏ธโฃ Tag your favorite wine lover in the comments.
๐ Bonus Entry: Share this post to your stories and tag us!
Giveaway ends Friday, July 18th. Winner will be announced here and contacted via DM by Monday, July 21st.
Legal Terms:
Must be 21+ and a legal resident of the U.S. to enter. Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be selected at random and must respond within 48 hours to claim the prize. Travel and additional expenses NOT included.
Good Luck! ๐ฅ
Sustainability is beautiful ๐ผ
Experience this wine tasting itenerary for yourself on your next trip Napa Valley! ๐ท
#sustainabletravel #winetasting #winetrip #napavalley #napawine #climatesmart #winelovers #cheers
Fairy tale like settings? Delicious, ethically & sustainably produced wines? Yes please! ๐ธ
#visitnapavalley #napavalley #fairytale #winetasting #sustainablewine #cheers #winelovers #winetrip #magicmoments
๐๏ธ: @mvino1
๐๏ธ$15 wine tasting with the winemakers!? Join us at @klwines in San Francisco July 23rd & 24th tasting @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery, @etudewines and many more from 4:00-6:00pm.
Pick up your tickets asap at the link in our bio!
โญ๏ธ Steal this itinerary!
Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month is back this July and we couldnโt be more excited!
We have built some truly fabulous and sustainable experiences which you can find on www.napagreen.org and this year we have included hotels as well!
Tag us in your posts when you visit our amazing Napa Green Certified wineries so we can share your Green adventures!
Team Green is thoroughly enjoying visiting a few of our Napa Green Certified wineries today! ๐ฑ
Pictured here are the STUNNING new Sky Lofts at @rutherfordhillwinery. We strongly recommend a visit, itโs spectacular!
Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
๐ Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
๐ Do you have new team members who still arenโt sure what that Napa Green Certified sign hanging out front actually means?
๐ Are you curious about this term thatโs suddenly popping up everywhere โ regenerative?
๐ Want to know what exactly does it mean to be climate smart?
Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag
๐ข Attn Wineries!! Today is last day to sign up for the Cheers to Climate Smart Wines this July!
Email winery@napagreen.org to sign up today!
