Posted in Growing Season, NVG News on Aug 15, 2018
by Lucy Shaw
According to Napa Valley Grapegrowers, the 2018 growing season was “picture-perfect” and the famous winemaking region is gearing up for a “landmark harvest”.
The growing season started after the February rains. Mild spring weather made for an extended bloom and at set the conditions were perfect, with sunshine, mild temperatures and no winds.
The fruit continued to ripen during the summer months and from June to early August temperatures were steady and warm with no heat spikes, creating “ideal” conditions for the final stretch before picking.
Click here to read the complete article in The Drink Business.
Posted in Growing Season, NVG News on Aug 14, 2018
by Sasha Paulsen
Harvest 2018 in Napa Valley is underway, as Judd’s Hill Winery northeast of Napa picked its first grapes on Aug. 10.
“It wasn’t a lot,” said Judd Finkelstein of Judd’s Hill. “A half-ton of a white German field blend for a custom crush but it was ready.”
Heidi Soldinger of Napa Valley Grapegrowers said reports are beginning to come in from growers who are sampling grapes and beginning to set picking dates.
The launch is later than 2017, which was an early harvest after a summer of heat spikes, Soldinger said. In contrast, this year has been a more even, less challenging growing season.
Click here to read the complete article in the Napa Valley Register.
Posted in Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation, Press Releases on Jul 24, 2018
NAPA, CA – July 24, 2018 – It was a celebratory day in downtown Napa as 2,500-plus Napa County farmworkers and their families, and almost 50 community organizations took part in the seventh annual “Día de la Familia” hosted by the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation on Sunday, July 22. This one-of-a-kind annual street festival brought together the community at-large, showcasing its vibrancy, comradery, and good will, which makes Napa Valley an exceptional place to live and work in.
This year, the amount of participating organizations grew, now representing a wide array of community pillars, including, OLE Health, who provided complimentary medical screenings, along with dental and vision exams. Participating community organizations set up booths along Napa Street, each having the opportunity to start a dialog with attendees, share information, and answer any questions. The information exchange was housed amongst a celebration of mariachi music, art from the Napa Valley Unified School District elementary school students, and of course, great food.
Posted in Press Releases on Jul 21, 2018
NAPA, CA (July 20, 2018) – According to the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG), veraison, an annual benchmark in the winegrape growing season, is officially underway. Known as the onset of ripening, veraison marks the colorful transition from grape growth to grape ripening, resulting in several changes in fruit development. They not only change color, but they also begin to increase in weight, volume, and sugar content.
“Reports of veraison are starting to come in. According to the Napa Valley Grapegrowers’ weather alert system, the temperature forecast for the next 10 days is averaging in the high 80s to mid-90s, so we’ll continue to see veraison at a steady rate throughout Napa Valley,” said Brittany Pederson, director of viticulture at Renteria Vineyard Management and NVG member.
Posted in Growing Season, Industry News, NVG News on Jul 06, 2018
by Jancis Robinson
When John Williams of Frog’s Leap organised the first organic wine growing conference in Napa Valley in 1989, nine people turned up (“and I paid seven of them”, he claims). At the end of this month, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers will hold their seventh organic conference and have had to cap sign-ups at 120.