A reformist movement is brewing in Napa Valley, notorious for being California’s most regulated wine region.
Napa winery permits, which are expensive and often slow to obtain, dictate exactly how individual wineries can operate, including how many employees they can have; how much wine they can produce; how many visitors they can see each week; what types of experiences they can (and cannot) offer; and whether they can host weddings (most can’t). These laws, established in 1990 under Napa County’s Winery Definition Ordinance, were designed to protect the region’s agricultural environment, in part by curbing commercial development.
Since 1990, Napa Valley has grown dramatically, far exceeding what the local government likely believed was possible back then. The winery count in what’s now one of the world’s most acclaimed wine destinations has more than doubled, to roughly 500, and owners are frequently at odds with the region’s 36-year-old laws, arguing that they’re preventing them from remaining competitive…