BottleRock 2025
Billed as “the first taste of summer,” it’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since BottleRock blew onto the scene and nearly detonated in the inaugural year due to poor management and outstanding payments to vendors. But thanks to Latitude 38 Entertainment, the fest was spared from dead-on-arrival status and grew to superstardom, rivaling the headliners that descend on the Napa Valley Expo grounds every Memorial Weekend. When I tried to explain to my festival and music-obsessed brother who trailed Mick Jagger, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen and every other iconic classic rock band throughout our misspent youth (and middle-age era), the fest is worthy of an East to West Coast trek—it’s a slam dunk. Where else can you blend A-list headliners with culinary mashups, spa experiences in between sets, silent discos, wine cabanas, art installations and the ability to sip and swirl while slam-dancing to Green Day. I end with the fact that the Vine Transit offers free to-and-fro status to the events, paired with the fact that we can wine taste around the valley in our off hours.
This year’s festival has a dizzying array of acts set to take the stage in a couple weeks including Justin Timberlake, Noah Kahan, Sublime, 4 Non Blondes, Sofi Tukker, Public Enemy, and the list rocks on. BottleRock also did good by Los Angeles with a dollar-for-dollar match for the first $50,000 donated by fans to support FireAid, the benefit concert dedicated to supporting those affected by the devastating wildfires that blazed through the area in January.
After a successful 2024 inaugural year which drew a crowd of over 65,000, sister festival La Onda returns to the Expo just one week after BottleRock sings its last song, with a pulse-popping blend of Latin music, dance, cuisine and lucha libre.
In other jam-worthy news, JaM Cellars Napa Valley has partnered with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to produce the venue’s popular live music JaMSessions on the last Friday of the month. The collaboration was sparked to support career musicians and industry workers faced with financial hardship. 100% of wine proceeds during the events (up to $2,500 per show) will go directly to the fund, with SleaZZy Top performing on May 29.
Why wine
With way-out-there tariffs threatening to pummel an already taxed wine industry, Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) is doing its part to ensure wine remains firmly planted in the homes and hearts of people the world over with the return of its “Why Wine?” campaign, which launched last summer. The objective of the initiative is to bring together wineries, growers, industry partners and wine enthusiasts to inspire new and experienced wine drinkers to discover the unique aspects of wine and the special experiences that punctuate it.
This winter at Premiere Napa Valley, dozens of “Why Wine?” testimonials were captured from industry vets who shared their “why” with a toast and nod to the nuances that make our wines as distinct as the terrains that define them, each sharing the process that elevates their wines. Stacey Dolan Capitani, vice president of marketing at NVV shared in a release, “The wine industry has always thrived as a close-knit community with shared values. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for us to come together to secure the future of wine. In addition to ‘Why Wine?’ we are also excited to support similar initiatives, such as Come Over October and Share and Pair Sundays, that help bring wine to the forefront of consumers’ minds.”
With missives from Tom Wark’s e-zine Fermentation, where he drew a disheartening road map of the real-world impacts of 200% tariffs, it feels more important than ever to embrace and support our Napa Valley wines and makers. Wark did the math so I wouldn’t have to, as he detailed how a $20 bottle of wine to consumers could jump to $59 with an equally heavy hit to importers whose cost for the same bottle could escalate from $8.50 to $25.50 with such a spike in tariffs.
Sustainability
Last month marked the 14th annual California Wines Down to Earth campaign, which highlighted the ways California is a leader in sustainable viticulture and winemaking through environmental stewardship, economic impact, social equity and community engagement. Wineries across the state hosted events and activities that showcased in-the-field examples with everything from eco-focused vineyard tours and hikes to curated wine tastings and festivals. There have been dramatic increases in sustainable certifications across the state including, the
number of vineyards that were certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program which has grown 86% since 2018. Other jumps included a 50% increase in certified wineries during the same period. If all of that isn’t a climate-friendly global call to action, the fact that 90% of California wines are currently being produced in a certified-sustainable winery sure should be.
While the future of the industry remains uncertain and won’t stabilize anytime soon, we can raise a glass to events like BottleRock and La Onda, which continue to bring a welcome boost to the local economy, and a reminder that Napa Valley will rock on.
