The 707
Napa Valley luxury wines hitch wagon to country music academy Nothing says “country music” quite like a bottle of 2019 Sonoma Cutrer Grand Brut Rose. At least it will soon, as the Academy of Country Music last month announced its “official wine partnership” with St. Helena-based Duckhorn wines. The Duckhorn Portfolio focuses on luxury wines—with 11 wineries, 10 winemaking facilities, eight tasting rooms and over 2,000 vineyard acres across 38 properties. The portfolio’s Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy and Sonoma-Cutrer will be featured at this year’s academy events. The academy’s premier 2025 event will be the 60th ACM Awards, taking place May 8 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. This year’s awards show is hosted by Reba McEntire. Duckhorn CEO Robert Hanson said he’s particularly excited to begin the three-year partnership with ACM during its milestone 60th anniversary. “Country music holds an important place in the hearts of many of our customers, and just like great wine, it has a powerful way of bringing people together,” said Hanson in an announcement about the partnership. Duckhorn, meanwhile, toasts a milestone anniversary next year, when the company celebrates the 50th year since Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Napa Valley’s Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976. Visit duckhornportfolio.com. — NBb
Sonoma County again issuing well permits, for now The County of Sonoma got a splash of good news last month when a state court of appeals granted the county’s request for a temporary stay in its legal battle over new well permits. The county can once again issue non-emergency water well permits while the stay is in place. Last fall, in the case of Russian Riverkeeper & California Coastkeeper vs. County of Sonoma, a Sonoma County Superior Court judge struck down amendments the county made to its well ordinance, saying the county overstepped its discretion and the changes were in violation of state environmental law. County officials argue the amendments are more protective of natural resourcest than the prior well ordinance, therefore are exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review. “The county believes the court’s order is flawed, requires more of the county than is legally required, ignored the environmental benefits created by the amendments, and ultimately provides no clear map for how to defensibly amend its well ordinance in the future,” county officials said in a press statement. The county is currently appealing the superior court decision.— NBb
Castle-style winery in Napa served hundreds of thousands more guests than allowed
They’re storming the castle gates, 21st-century style. That’s been the situation at Castello di Amorosa, the castle- like winery near Calistoga, which served over 400,000 people in 2019, far more than the 25,000 annual guests its county-issued permit allows, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat . The higher-than-allowed volume of service has resulted in an array of permit violations. The winery’s 1,600% overrun in visitors was addressed last month by Napa County officials, who agreed to allow the winery to apply for a retroactive permit change, bringing its permitted guests into the hundreds of thousands, while requiring the winery to upgrade safety conditions related to building occupancy and water, the PD reported.— NBb
12 NorthBaybiz
May 2025
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