Come April 15, gatherings can resume in California for the first time since March 2020. Some in Napa Valley s events industry say the future is still uncertain.
MICHAEL SILACCI
On a crisp January morning, under clear blue skies, Alfredo Llamas walks up to a vine in a Napa Valley vineyard. He kicks the grape stake to see if it was broken, gives the vine a once over, and begins to prune it.
Once Alfredo has given the stake a gentle kick, the vine has his complete attention and focus. He evaluates the length and girth of the canes, judging the number of buds to leave at the position.
Strong canes require additional buds to compensate for excess vigor, and Alfredo will leave fewer buds on weak canes to strengthen the position. The excess wood will be removed, and precise cuts made to leave enough cane above the bud to protect the bud from drying out, but not so much that pests find a place to harbor.
Save the Family Farms is trying to get its micro-producer, mom-and-pop wine world proposals on Napa Countyâs 2021 âto-doâ list.
Members first approached the Board of Supervisors publicly more than two years ago. They say grape growers producing small amounts of wine should be able to hold wine tastings on their farms without building a winery â perhaps at a picnic table near vineyards.
Without a solution, small family farms will cease to exist, said Ken Nerlove, who owns vineyards near Jameson Canyon and makes his Elkhorn Peak wines offsite.
âThat would be a shame, because most of us remember how it started: small,â he recently told the Board of Supervisors. âThe small guys made this valley. Without the small guy, Napa Valley will lose its soul.â