Napa Valley's world famous wineries revolt against 'abusive' bureaucrats who ... trends now
Napa Valley's prestigious wineries have launched a revolt against 'abusive' county officials, accusing bureaucrats of killing the region's famous vineyards with absurd and excessive red tape.
Wealthy vintners say they are being 'crushed' by 'gross regulatory overreach', which has included penalizing wineries for planting trees, making jam and conducting wine tastings on their own land.
One vineyard was even fined $1million for making too much wine.
There are fears that officials are cowing to 'eco-mob extremists', who view unfettered growth as a threat to their rural idyll.
But the grape growers behind Napa's multibillion dollar industry are now fighting back, with a raft of lawsuits now pending against the county.
Lindsay Hoopes of Hoopes Vineyards has countersued the county after it told her she was not allowed to hold wine tastings at the winery she bought in 2017
Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards was fined $1m by the county for making too much wine
Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre wines has filed three lawsuits against the county, accusing bureaucrats of various forms of regulatory overreach
Jayson Woodbridge, who has launched three lawsuits accusing bureaucrats of various forms of unlawful obstruction, told DailyMail.com there was a 'rising tide of anger' about the way hard-working businesses were being treated.
The owner of Hundred Acre wines says he's taking a stand he'd watched 'so many people get crushed by the county'.
Winemaking is the lifeblood of Napa Valley, with its contribution to the region thought to be significantly larger than the $13billion estimate when the last comprehensive analysis was conducted in 2012.
It has established itself as one of the most famous wine growing regions in the world, attracting 3.8 million tourists a year.
But veteran vintners who have helped furnish Napa's reputation for excellence warn officials are now in danger of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
The county already has the strictest environmental checks for vineyards in California - and that is in a state notorious for heavy regulation.
It is the only wine-growing region in the world that does not allow weddings, while vineyards are restricted in their ability to profit from food sales or sell products other than wine.
The industry faces other headwinds, including drought and declining demand among younger generations.
Not to mention the FBI probe that rocked the community in December, when investigators requested records relating to as many 40 high-profile vintners and their wineries, including a former co-owner of the Dallas Cowboys and an ex-US ambassador.
So it is no surprise that vintners say they have enough on their plates without county officials ramping up enforcement actions against them.
'The climate has become terrible for business, particularly if you're small,' says Lindsay Hoopes.
Her winery, Hoopes Vineyard, is modest by Napa standards. Guests sip wine underneath a string of lights as pen of rescue animals squawk beside them.
But even this is too much for officials.
The county sued Hoopes in 2022, alleging she had created a 'public nuisance' by offering yoga classes, wine tastings, selling greeting cards and hand sanitiser, and not getting a permit for her 120 square feet chicken coop.
A lawyer representing the county said the rules are in place to keep Napa Valley from becoming 'Disneyland', a statement Hoopes believes is preposterous.
Hoopes Vineyard has been holding wine tastings among its modest surroundings, but the county has said it did not obtain the permit required to do so
Hoopes has countersued and has been joined in her legal action against the county by two other vintners, including Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone Vineyard (above)
Dave Phinney, the entrepreneur who created the wine brand Prisoner, was issued with code violations in 2019 over the selling of art, jellies, jams and other food services
The case hinges on whether small wineries established before 1990, when new regulations were introduced, have a right to offer tastings without a permit.
Hoopes, who is also a lawyer, bought her vineyard in 2017, but its previous owners had been hosting tastings for years before the new rules came in.
Vintners operating under these circumstances believe their right to hold tastings is grandfathered in.
But the county disagrees. Enforcement has been inconsistent.
Hoopes believes part of the problem is that officials don't know even what the regulations mean.
In a June deposition, former county enforcement officer Kelli Cahill admitted that officials aren't formally trained in evaluating codes, such as the small winery exemption.
