Napa Neighbor
(formerly known as Community on press)

Spirits High at Auction Napa Valley 2009
The crisis in the economy took a backseat to fundraising for charity at the Napa Valley Vintners' (NVV) 29th annual Auction Napa Valley (ANV) held June 4-7, raising more than $5.7 million for local healthcare, youth and affordable housing non-profit programs.

"We are thrilled to be able to continue to support our local charities," said Janet Trefethen, whose family chaired the Auction. "No one expected to shatter any records, but the outpouring of generosity from our bidders, vintners and community is heartwarming. Every dollar raised is one more than we had before for these organizations that need help," she said.

Why all the Hoopla?
Since that first auction, held as it is today at Meadowood Napa Valley, the NVV has been able to give to our community $85 million. Projects funded through Auction giving enhance the lives of all, and include the Maternity Center, the CV lab, the Spinal CT scanner, and Varian accelerator for cancer treatment at St Helena Hospital. At the Queen of the Valley Hospital, vital equipment purchased from Auction funding includes an MRI scanner and digital mammography equipment, just to name a few.

Congratulations to our NVV Auction Napa Valley Drawing Winners!
The NVV congrats Napa County residents, Allison Saether of Napa and Trudy Bouligny of St. Helena, who each won two free tickets to the Auction Napa Valley's Taste Napa Valley Barrel Tasting and Auction at Robert Mondavi Winery.

NVV Napa Neighbor Program
Are you staying close to home this summer? The good news is that we live in Napa Valley, one of the most incredible places in the world, and you can get out there and enjoy it for free! When you visit Napa Valley’s renowned wineries, tell them you’re a "Napa Neighbor." Many Napa Valley Vintners' members extend special invitations to their Napa County neighbors--just show your local driver’s license and enjoy product discounts, and complimentary tours and wine tasting. For more information on participating wineries visit:

http://www.napavintners.com/programs/pe_2_discounts.asp

"I have been a participant in the Napa Neighbor program for a little over six years and have been very fortunate to experience some of the best wines in the valley without having to pay a tasting fee, and enjoy other great discounts. I am grateful for the Napa Neighbor program as I see it being a generous “thank you” to us locals for being loyal, and bringing our guests into the wineries for tastings."

Gary Thompson
Napa

Napa Green - Earth Day Every Day!
While only one day a year, Earth Day, is officially designated as "be kind to the earth day," we in Napa Valley know that every day our farming and winery practices need to be as top notch as our wines to maintain our agriculture-based economy and rural beauty.

Earth Day created a flurry of articles, blogs, and videos on sustainable and green practices, including NVV's own Napa Green program, the wine industry's most comprehensive "best practices" in land-use and wine production. This voluntary program developed by the Napa Valley Vintners in partnership with many other groups, is open to all Napa County vintners and grape growers and focuses on building environmentally sound, sustainable practices that meet and exceed more than twenty local, state and federal land or production practices, and is certified by an independent third party. Napa's vintners participate in programs focused on winery operations and/or farming practices tailored specifically to each property, to continue to protect and enhance the ecological quality of the region.

Renowned environmentalist and Patagonia® founder Yvon Chouinard said of Napa Green in an interview in Wine Spectator, "I’ve been at this for thirty years and this is the best, most well-thought-out program I’ve ever seen."

Currently in Napa County:

• More than 33,000 acres are enrolled and nearly 17,000 acres are independently certified in the Napa Green Certified Land program.
• 15 wineries are independently certified in the year-old Napa Green Certified Winery program, with an additional 6 wineries joining the roster in the coming weeks.

For more information on the Napa Green programs visit our website at: www.napavintners.com/napa_green

Events Calendar
Find out what’s happening in the Napa Valley by checking out the NVV’s recently launched Events Calendar on the homepage of our website! Concerts, cooking classes and tastings are just a few of the offerings available to the public.

Are you a Fan?  Wanna Be?
The NVV’s new Facebook page is beginning to bloom—check us out, be our fan—you can find us at Napa Valley Vintners… or tweet us at Twitter, yet another way to keep up with what’s happening in the world of Napa Valley and its wines.

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