11/22/2010 - St Helena, CA--According to the latest figures released by Laurel Marcus, Napa Green program administrator, the Napa Green Certified Land Program now has 45,000 acres appellation-wide enrolled in the program, with more than 19,000 acres certified. Largely based on the principles of Fish Friendly Farming, this farming and land-use program is the industry's most comprehensive and most stringent interpretation, and each farm plan is tailored specifically to the land owner's unique property.
Napa Green Certified Land stands head and shoulders above all other green programs in the wine industry: Representing just 4% of California's wine grapes, Napa Valley has more acreage in its green program than all of the other wine regions combined.
"Napa Green is by no means a one-size-fits-all plan, which is what makes it both unique and far more comprehensive than others in the wine industry," said Susan Boswell of Chateau Boswell, who chairs the Napa Green committee for the Napa Valley Vintners non-profit trade association.
"Napa Green Certified Land program meets and exceeds nearly twenty local, state and federal 'best practices' to ensure that vineyard land, and adjoining roads, non-farmed land and wild land are managed holistically, taking into account stream environments, wildlife habitats, chemical reduction or elimination, erosion control and so much more," said David Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards and President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers.
Beckstoffer continued, "I think as a community we should be extremely proud of the commitment our vintners and growers have put forth to lead the 'green revolution'--though from our standpoint in Napa Valley, it's not really revolutionary, as we have been at this for decades, long before 'green' was a buzzword."
In context, the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, founded in 1968 was the first time any land in the U.S. was protected to ensure agriculture would remain as the best use. Today, Napa County is the last of the San Francisco Bay Area counties to count agriculture as the top industry. The Napa Valley appellation, while just 4% of California's wine grape harvest, accounts for a mighty 34% of the economic impact of California's wine industry's impact on the U.S. economy. The Ag Preserve protects more than 38,000 acres of valley floor farmland and defined the urban footprint of the county's cities and towns more than forty years ago, which has curtailed sprawl into ag land.
"I believe that what leads to quality from the vineyard to the bottle for Napa Green-certified properties is that the program provides a format for an 'attention to detail' approach throughout the winemaking process--Everything from the ground up leads to quality wine from Napa Valley," said Boswell.
The land certification program launched in 2000, and its partner program, Napa Green Certified Winery, launched in 2008, with 26 certified wineries to date and scores more in the queue. The winery program seeks to reduce or eliminate the carbon footprint of the winery production facility through thoughtful reduction of materials, recycling of solids and water, energy conservation and workforce involvement to reach these goals.
Renowned environmentalist and Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard once said in an interview with Wine Spectator Magazine of Napa Green, "I've been at this for 30 years, and this is the best, most well-thought-out program I've ever seen."
Through efforts like Napa Green Certified Winery, Napa Valley wineries are taking action to protect the environmental quality of the region and are committed to the continued stewardship of the natural resources. As more and more wineries work through the certification process, consumers will look for the certification mark as a sign of the producer's commitment to the environment. Learn more about Napa Green at www.napagreen.org
For visitors to the Napa Valley who wish to visit a Napa Green Certified Land or Certified Winery property, visit the Winery Finder on the NVV's public website at www.napavintners.com/wineries
About the NVV
The Napa Valley Vintners is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents nearly 400 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its legendary American wines, visit www.napavintners.com.
Contact: Terry Hall, Communications Director 707-968-4217 thall@napavintners.com
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