Join Ivo Jeramaz, Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Estate, as he works with Anton Luiten, Vineyard Manager and Maggie Purdie, Enologist at Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards to talk through the practical first steps and considerations for phasing out Roundup and other herbicides. Adopting any new approach, whether personally or professionally, initially requires learning, time, and often cost. But once a new practice becomes streamlined there are often benefits and associated savings. Ivo has the spreadsheets to prove this case for organic farming. Be a part of this transitional conversation that will include a by the numbers analysis.
Ivo was born in Croatia to a family of grape growers and as boy he assisted in making wine for his family’s enjoyment. However, he didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. Ivo earned a master’s of science degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb and dreamed of coming to California to work as an engineer. In 1986, with the help of his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Ivo followed his dream and came to Napa Valley. He quickly fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and became fascinated with wine making. Ivo decided on a career change and Mike immediately put him to work washing barrels. During his almost-three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo has worked his way up in responsibility, learning the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the tools of science and technology. “There’s nothing in the winery or vineyard that I haven’t done, not just for one day, but really worked at it,” he explains.
Maggie Purdie was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in a wine-loving family, she decided to pursue winemaking at an early age. As an industry at the intersection of plant sciences, nature, gastronomy, culture, language, and travel, Maggie knew there was always more to learn. After completing her degree in Oenology and Viticulture at the University of Adelaide, Australia, Maggie began her globe-trotting career by following the harvest and worked at Primo Estate (Australia), Colgin (Napa), Matetic (Chile), Fantesca (Napa), Don Martino (Argentina), Hamel Family (Sonoma) and Newton (Napa), to name a few.
In her spare time, Maggie enjoys backpacking, scuba diving and trekking. Maggie lives in Napa with her husband and large Siberian cat.
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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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