Wine industry groups ask supervisors to implement policy changes
Four grape and wine trade groups have outlined a series of recommendations to the Napa County Board of Supervisors to help its ailing industry, according to a joint letter issued April 10.
The short-term and long-term recommendations include reviewing Napa County’s groundwater management fees; streamlining its planning process; updating its conservation policies; maintaining its current definition of agriculture and allowing by-appointment-only wineries to host walk-in customers.
Winegrowers of Napa County, Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Valley Grapegrowers and Napa County Farm Bureau met for more than a year with other groups to prepare the recommendations, Kevin LeMasters, vice president at Trinchero Family Estates and president of Winegrowers of Napa County, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
LeMasters urged the supervisors to “embrace and immediately implement” what they can.
The letter was not on the agenda but most supervisors acknowledged the letter at their Tuesday meeting.
“I really appreciate the input and the spirit in which these recommendations are offered, and I look forward to the continued coordination with both staff and our agricultural stakeholders as we move forward,” Supervisor Anne Cottrell said.
Planning, Building and Environmental Services staff members are working already on some of the themes, Cottrell said. They are preparing zoning ordinance updates that are expected to come before the Board of Supervisors later this year.
Long-term recommendations, including updates of the winery definition ordinance, agricultural zoning and conservation strategies, warrant a comprehensive discussion, Cottrell said.
Supervisor Liz Alessio urged county staff to bring forward what they can as soon as possible. She and others noted that state and federal regulations also affect the wine industry, adding the county should work closely with these legislators.
The historic downturn affects everyone in the community, not just jobs, Alessio said, noting the charitable contributions of the industry to nonprofit organizations and the community.
“There is a ripple effect that’s happening here,” Alessio said.
According to the April 10 letter, agriculture contributes $11.7 billion annually to Napa County’s economy. That includes supporting 72% of the local workforce.
Tom Davies, president and general manager V. Sattui Winery and a member of Napa Valley Grapegrowers, said the industry needs flexibility to meet today’s challenges that include bankruptcies, layoffs, winery sales, no market for grapes, grapes left hanging on the vine and fallow lands.
“We are in a crisis,” Davies told the supervisors. “We need action, as over-regulations, time delays, and outdated policies are contributing to our crisis.”
The letter is an example of how industry and government can work together to “sustain a vibrant and successful economy,” Davies said.
This is what he learned in Argentina in 2022, when he attended the Great Wine Capitals’ annual meeting in Mendoza where the Argentine government works with the wine industry and promotes tourism, he said.
The Great Wine Capitals organization gathers representatives of various regions, including Napa County, to discuss the industry at locations around the globe.
A recent Cal Poly study has evaluated regulatory costs on the industry in Napa County, including air and water quality rules, surface and groundwater regulations, labor wage requirements and county and winegrape-related assessments.
The study, published in March, concluded, “Whether Napa Valley continues to be the paragon of U.S. wine grape production depends on growers’ ability to withstand not only the current industry headwinds, but the costs imposed by Napa County, Sacramento and Washington, D.C.”
