Hello,

Welcome back to Napa’s monthly Economic Development newsletter!

November is an exciting time as we look ahead to holidays, time with family and friends, and winter activities. It also signifies the last stages of harvest season for Napa Valley vineyards, as grapes for red and late-harvest wines are picked.

With more than 400 wineries and 90 urban tasting rooms, Napa Valley is known as one of the top wine destinations of the world–representing abundant economic opportunity for businesses of all sizes. In Napa, we’ve seen small players leverage the concept of collective tasting rooms as a vehicle to success. The model allows small winemakers to share overhead costs while showcasing their wines to consumers. Five tasting rooms currently function as wine collectives, and this month we take a look at one in particular to see how the model is playing out.

Keep reading to learn more about the economic impact of the wine industry and how this year’s harvest went. We also highlight a few special businesses and partners – giving just a glimpse of the many people in the industry.

Happy harvest!

Neal Harrison
Economic Development Manager

Hola,

¡Bienvenido de nuevo al boletín mensual de Desarrollo Económico de Napa!

Noviembre es una época emocionante ya que miramos adelante a las vacaciones, el tiempo con la familia y los amigos, y las actividades del invierno. También significa las últimas etapas de la temporada de cosecha para los viñedos del Valle de Napa, ya que se recogen las uvas para varietales rojos y vinos de cosecha tardía.

Con más de 400 bodegas y 90 salas de degustación urbanas, el Valle de Napa es conocido como uno de los principales destinos vinícolas del mundo, lo que representa abundantes oportunidades económicas para empresas de todos los tamaños. En Napa, hemos visto a pequeños jugadores aprovechar el concepto de salas de degustación colectiva como un vehículo para el éxito. El modelo permite a los pequeños enólogos compartir los costes generales mientras muestran sus vinos a los consumidores. Cinco salas de degustación funcionan actualmente como colectividades de vino, y este mes echamos un vistazo a una en particular para ver cómo se está desarrollando el modelo.

Siga leyendo para aprender más sobre el impacto económico de la industria vitivinícola y cómo fue la cosecha de este año. También destacamos algunas empresas y socios especiales, lo que nos permite echar un vistazo a las numerosas personas del sector.

¡Feliz cosecha!

Neal Harrison 
Gerente de Desarrollo Económico

Industry Resource Highlight: Napa Vintners

Autumn is officially here in Napa, and our community has been ringing in the harvest season with our Valley’s favorite crop – grapes! No one knows the vine to wine process quite like the Napa Valley Vintners, the voluntary regional trade group with an active membership of over 500 wineries. 

The group represents a tradition of dedicated vintners and grape growers who work and care for this premier wine growing region. Grape growing represents an important part of Napa’s agricultural economy. Based on our interactive Economic Development dashboard, the agriculture industry as a whole produces nearly 3,000 jobs in the City of Napa alone.

So, before you start sipping on your favorite local winery’s 2022 vintage, learn all about the harvest and this year’s crops, and cheers to the vintners and growers who made it all happen!

Business Highlight: Mia Carta
There are all kinds of ways to make and sell wine in the Napa Valley. At one end of the scale is the model most visitors are familiar with: someone owns a vineyard where they make and sell their wine from an on-site tasting room and winery facility. At the other end is a less familiar (but up-and-coming) model where the winemaker can purchase grapes from a farmer, rent space in a custom-crush facility to make the wine, and sell it however they choose. 

Mia Carta, located on First Street, was created to support a mix of those models. Today, it represents eight small vintners, ranging from the traditional vineyard-owning winery to the grape-purchasing model, with a production range from 500 to 3,000 cases each year. These vintners have banded together to create a multi-vintner tasting room located in downtown Napa.

When Mia Carta opened their doors in early 2021, there were already many tasting rooms in downtown Napa. Today, there are over 50, which brings its own set of challenges and benefits:

- Foot traffic: Downtown Napa has become a destination unto itself, and Mia Carta is seeing a range of folks walking through the door. Some are day-trippers from the Bay Area who don’t want to make the trek up-valley. Some have come for a multi-day trip and are starting or ending their wine country experience at Mia Carta. Either way, foot traffic is difficult to predict and staff for.

- Staffing:  With the high costs of living, this is a constant battle valley-wide, and Mia Carta is struggling to find and retain qualified staff.

- Differentiation: Mia Carta is working on better explaining to their customers what they are. It is first and foremost a place to learn about eight very special micro-production wineries, where visitors have the opportunity to sample a flight that truly represents all the Valley has to offer. It is also a wine bar at certain times of day. In order to showcase all that they do, the vintners at Mia Carta are working on educating customers as they walk through the door as well as offering more private, highly-curated tastings that must be booked online.

With all the challenges and benefits baked into being a downtown tasting room, Stephanie Mesher, a Partner at Mia Carta, is still loving it!

“It’s so much fun being downtown,” Mesher said. “There’s such a sense of community, like being part of a village. And the people-watching is exceptional!” 

Whether you’re interested in people watching or tasting some of the valley’s best wine selections, learn more about all the tasting rooms Downtown Napa has to offer.

Partner Resource: WineD

Depending on who you ask, WineD either stands for Wines In Napa’s Exciting Downtown or, simply, Wines Downtown. Either way, the function is the same: WineD is a “coalition of tasting rooms whose mission is to promote, advocate and elevate the Downtown tasting room experience in Napa.” Created in 2018 during the pioneer days of the downtown tasting room, WineD now represents 35 members. 

Members meet monthly to discuss trends and share resources, and have a very active WhatsApp chat that allows them to communicate quickly. For example, a group of eight walks into Krupp Brothers but they’re swamped. Krupp Brothers’ staff can hop on the app and quickly see who has availability. Another example: a guest is only looking for Cabernet Franc and needs assistance in finding it.

Bob Magnani, General Manager of Mario Bazan Cellars and one of the founders of WineD, says the winery-helping-winery mentality really surprises and delights his guests. When they ask Magnani why he refers them to his competition, he says he wants them to have the best experience possible. It’s that kind of camaraderie, coupled with the wide range of experiences, that keep guests coming back to downtown Napa. 

“It’s a way for visitors to experience all of Wine Country on foot,” Magnani said. “We like to think of ourselves as the newest AVA (American Viticultural Area) – just without the dirt.”

In the face of all the recent press about how expensive and exclusive Napa has become, Dave Gibson (WineD Treasurer and John Anthony Tasting Lounge & Estate Manager) says downtown Napa offers the perfect accessible alternative. 

“Visitors can come for the day and forgo the expense of the overnight hotel stay and the driver, and really have a ‘choose your own adventure’ experience downtown for an iota of the cost,” Gibson said.

Is the downtown tasting room market saturated? Probably, say both Magnani and Gibson; but they still see a lot of upside.

“When the tasting rooms are busy, the restaurants benefit,” Gibson said. “It’s also a safer way to do Wine Country, because no one is driving.”

WineD plans on offering a passport event in December as well as more promotional efforts in 2023. Watch WineD for details. 

Financial Resources: Small Business Grant and Landscaping Equipment Reimbursement

The City of Napa is excited to announce a few new financial resources: the reopening of Solano-Napa SBDC’s small business COVID grants, and reimbursement opportunities for the purchase of eco-friendly landscaping equipment through California CORE.

SBDC COVID-19 Micro Business Grant
The Solano-Napa Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in partnership with several organizations, is accepting a new round of applications for their COVID-19 Small Business grants! You may be eligible for a $2,500 grant if your small business:

- Is based in Napa County

- Opened on or before December 31, 2019

- Had revenue of $50,000 or less in 2019

- Has 0-5 employees. 

Applications must be submitted by December 1, 2022. Learn more and apply now at: www.SolanoNapaSBDC.org

California CORE Zero-Emission Landscaping Funds
Calling all professional landscapers! California CORE received $27 million in Voucher Funding available for Zero-Emission professional landscape equipment. From leaf blowers and mowers to charging equipment, there may be funding for your eco-friendly equipment purchases.

Visit the California Core website and sign-up for their Listserv for more information: www.CaliforniaCORE.org.

Call-out Corner: Parking Survey

The City of Napa is gathering feedback about our parking program, and we want to hear from you! To fill out the 2-min survey, scan the QR Code or visit this link: CityOfNapa.org/ParkingSurvey.

Rincón de llamada: Encuesta de Estacionamiento

La ciudad de Napa está recopilando comentarios sobre nuestro programa de estacionamiento, ¡y queremos saber de usted! Para completar la encuesta de 2 minutos, escanee el código QR a la derecha o visite este enlace: CityOfNapa.org/ParkingSurvey 

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