Small Town Glory, Liquid Gold

Among the things I’ve enjoyed about swapping city life for country are the annual traditions that define Napa Valley living: Calistoga’s Fourth of July and Lighted Tractor parades, the St. Helena Harvest Festival and Pet Parade, the Napa Lighted Art Festival, Harvest Table, Music in the Vineyards, and more—each event making an imprint and statement about the heartbeat of the respective town and the inherent charms of small-town life.

And for every tradition, there are iconic event spaces that have made their marks. Be it the Opera House and Uptown in downtown Napa, or the longstanding Bale Grist Mill and Napa County Fair Grounds, though the latter has been paralyzed for the last few years. The fairgrounds, which dates back to 1935, has been out of commission while the city and county deliberate over the sale, status and maintenance of the 70-acre property, which has served as home for the Napa County Fair, Calistoga Speedway, an RV park, golf course and special event space.

In 2016 the Calistoga City Council appointed a special committee to explore the possibility of joint ownership and operations of the grounds with the County of Napa. By 2018, discussions began to bend toward the city purchasing some or all of the property—a move that prompted the Napa County Board of Supervisors to appoint its own committee. Talks ultimately led to the city making a play to purchase 34.3 acres in 2019.

But just as townies rallied over the win, the COVID storm cloud moved in, and purchase plans were eventually canned thanks to changed circumstances due to the pandemic. But time passed, plans progressed, and in fall of 2021 the city one-upped its original deal with a new one to purchase the full 70.6-acre parcel. A year later the purchase of the property was approved with a sale agreement of $225,000 per acre for an estimated total purchase price of nearly $15.9 million. But even miracles have loopholes, and this rendition goes something like this: In order for the deal to go through, a two-thirds majority of Calistoga voters must decide to fund the purchase via a special parcel tax—on the ballot this March—which would be used to cover required infrastructure improvements to the tune of $9.1 million. The City Council set the maximum tax per single-family home or condo at 32 cents per square foot, or about $500 a year for a 1,600-square-foot residence.

As the saga has unfolded during the property’s dormant years, residents have fought to save the fairgrounds with the assistance of groups, including Celebrate Napa Valley (once known as the Calistoga Fair Association), which has worked tirelessly to bring back many of the revered annual events. Last year the organization made strides by producing modified versions of popular events, which included a Fourth of July carnival (with a fire-friendly laser show) and the popular holiday fair that, in lieu of the final deal being done, were both held at the town’s Pioneer Park. Fittingly or not, the fate of the fairgrounds now sits in the hands of the people who stand to benefit from the resurrection of the fairgrounds and its programming, by voting and ponying up tax dollars to keep the legacy alive. As for this small-town-life lover, I can say, they’ve got my vote.

For the love of grapes

In much the same way small-town traditions define the Napa Valley lifestyle, so do our wines. According to the Economic Impact of California and Grapes 2022 report, commissioned by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), I am not alone in my adoration. The 2022 report showed a 27% statewide economic impact growth spurt, up from $57.6 to $73 billion, with the national average besting that with a 49% uptick (from $114.1 to $170.5 billion) over the past six years.

“California wine is an economic force across our nation, proving once again that it is the ultimate value-added, sustainable agricultural product,” said Wine Institute President and CEO Robert P. Koch in a release. “Our predominantly small, multi-generational family-owned businesses support communities everywhere by growing jobs, generating economic activity, tourism and tax revenues and generously contributing to charities.” Koch also credited the Craft Beverage Modernization Act, federal legislation originally passed by Congress in 2017, which reduces federal excise tax rates for wineries and fosters investment and growth.

The report reads like an All-Star Hall of Fame announcement with each stat further pointing to how the state’s wine and grapes bolster the country’s economy. Beyond the $170 billion figure nationally, the industry accounts for over 1 million full-time-equivalent jobs, $21.9 billion in taxes, and contributes $8.6 billion in wine-visitor-related spending, and 25.9 billion wine-related visits.

Together with the Napa Valley Vintners, the Wine Institute also hosted its first-ever Fine Wine Summit this past November, which brought together 125 industry leaders to discuss the future of fine wine in California. The state currently produces 95% of all U.S. wine exports, and ranks as the fourth-largest wine producer in the world after Italy, France and Spain. The goal, according to Honore Comfort, the Wine Institute’s vice president of international marketing, is to double the current $1.4 billion in statewide exports over the next decade. Mission impossible or a forgone conclusion? It’s hard to know, but it’s safe to say that the wine race will roll on, pandemic and petering economy or not.