Posted in Growing Season on Dec 31, 2015
By Bill Hanna
“Hallelujah” is a word often heard in songs of the Christmas season. It also conveys our feeling at the end of a growing season when the last of the fruit has been delivered. That event, however, is not the end of the work season. Since then, you probably noticed straw being spread for erosion control and vineyards being removed for replanting.
Posted in Industry News on Dec 28, 2015
By Barry Eberling
Growth debates, Napa County-style, came to a head in 2015 and look to continue into 2016. Many communities have growth debates about open space being swallowed by sprawling subdivisions. In Napa, the focus is on the world-famous wine country that keeps sprawling subdivisions at bay.
Posted in Industry News on Dec 09, 2015
By Barry Eberling
The Napa County Board of Supervisors will hold a session on Jan. 5 that could be called “Wine Country’s Future- the Sequel.” Certainly the initial installment on Tuesday proved to be a bureaucratic blockbuster. Dozens of people couldn’t fit into the packed chamber and 73 people addressed the Board of Supervisors during a six-hour marathon session. Television crews made a rare appearance.
Posted in Industry News on Dec 08, 2015
By Barry Eberling
During a marathon five-hour-plus session before a packed chamber, Napa County Supervisors on Tuesday began grappling with need for more winery regulations. Some residents see a successful industry on the right track, while others see an industry that faces too much growth and overemphasizes hospitality events.
Posted in Growing Season, Industry News on Dec 03, 2015
By Paul Franson
North Coast, Calif.—Grapegrowers in Napa and Sonoma counties experienced an explosion of Pierce’s disease (PD) this year, and it’s attributed to the native blue-green sharpshooter, not the threatening glassy-winged sharpshooter that so far has been excluded from the counties by rigid quarantines.