Frank Family Vineyards receives Napa Green certification for both winery and vineyards

Frank Family Vineyards, located at 1091 Larkmead Lane in Calistoga, CA, has received its certification for both Napa Green Certified Winery and Napa Green Certified Land programs. The Napa Green program is designed to conserve and improve the quality of the environment through vineyard-specific programs and the creation of winery programs that minimize energy and water use, waste, and pollution. This announcement coincides with the Napa Valley Vintners Down to Earth (#d2e) initiative this month, which, in conjunction with Earth Day, encourages California wineries to go green and apply environmentally friendly practices.

Frank Family Vineyards was founded in 1992 by former Disney Studios president Rich Frank. First constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884, the historic stone building on the property is the third oldest in Napa and appears on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the Frank Family owns over 380 acres of vineyards in the Napa Valley. Frank Family’s reputation for having the friendliest hospitality in Napa Valley has fans flocking to the tasting room on Larkmead Lane, making it one of the most popular tasting rooms in wine country. Moreover, Frank Family produces a limited number of reserve wines and sparkling wines, which are only available at the winery and on select restaurant wine lists. Frank Family’s Napa Valley Chardonnay ($35), Pinot Noir ($35), Zinfandel ($37), and Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) are available nationally.

Full details of the Napa Green Certified Land and Winery programs include:

The Napa Green Certified Land program is a third-party certified, voluntary program for Napa County vintners and grape growers that seeks to restore, protect and enhance the regional watershed. The program doesn’t only include farm or vineyard land. But also non-farm land and wild land, roadways, stream banks, drainages, and more within a specific property.

Plan details are unique to each owner’s property and include restoration of wildlife habitat. That’s in addition to healthy riparian environments and more in concert with sustainable agriculture practices. More than 61,000 acres are currently in the program. Moreover, nearly 35,000 acres have a certification, with thousands more about to receive official certification. A majority (90%) of the Napa River watershed is in private ownership. That makes this public/private partnership, Napa Green, vital to our community.

The certification is in partnership with Fish Friendly Farming, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Napa County Department of Agriculture’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, among others.

The Napa Green Certified Winery

The program was developed by the Napa Valley Vintners in coordination with the Napa County Department of Environmental Management (DEM). It’s based on the Association of Bay Area Government’s (ABAG) Green Business Program. That’s as a model due to its being a consistent, credible, and recognized program with a long track record.

ABAG’s winery-specific checklist is the certification method for Napa Green Certified Winery. That’s because it puts all the regulatory pieces into a comprehensive format that goes beyond compliance. The checklist includes water conservation, energy conservation, pollution prevention, and solid waste reduction elements. Moreover, it requires vintners to perform a comprehensive analysis of their operations. If a winery does not meet specific requirements, owners must make upgrades and adjustments to achieve certification.

Enrollment is offered to a defined number of wineries so that they receive the attention and assistance they need. Additionally, so that the DEM can manage inspections and certifications. Recently, the ABAG program was adopted as the statewide standard for green businesses in California. Once the program is complete, the winery receives certification by the DEM and California Green Business Program. Moreover, providing independent third-party certification.

Source: Napa Green programs, go to www.NapaGreen.org, April 15, 2015; Calistoga, CA