Cynthia Mersten | Bottle Raiders |
The Guardian reported on Sunday that some of the wealthy individuals behind well-thought-of Napa Valley wineries are fighting back against what the outlet refers to as the “woke ‘mob’” and “eco-zealots” in charge of the county government.
These wealthy vineyard owners claim that the ideology behind recent government regulations has harmed their business. The Guardian cited a recent example of Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards being fined $1 million by Napa County for “making too much wine.”
“There’s rampant recklessness and negligence in how the regulations are being interpreted,” said Lindsay Hoopes, a lawyer and vineyard owner. “They are being interpreted in line with political climate, instead of faithfulness to their purpose.”
Hoopes is the owner of Hoopes Vineyard, which she purchased in 2017. According to the brand’s website, Hoopes Vineyard produces a modest amount of less than 300 cases of wine per label.
Yet, Hoopes was sued by Napa County in 2022 for allegedly offering yoga classes, wine tastings, selling hand sanitizer and greeting cards. She also owned an unpermitted chicken coop, which the county cited as an additional reason for the lawsuit.
The county claimed it was pressing legal charges against Hoopes to prevent Napa from becoming “Disneyland.” According to the outlet, vineyards operating before 1990 did not have to get a permit to conduct tastings. Since Hoopes Vineyard is relatively new, Lindsay has to deal with more red tape.
“The climate has become terrible for business, particularly if you’re small,” she expressed to the outlet.
Hoopes responded to the lawsuit by countersuing Napa County. Two other wineries have since joined her cause.
The county escalated the matter by asking for an injunction against her winery, but a local judge denied the ruling and claimed officials did not have enough evidence that actual violations took place.
Though the judge claimed Napa County would likely lose if the case moved forward, officials continued to press on with the case and The Guardian reported taxpayers had to pay $500,000 in legal fees. Hoope’s case is just one of many.
Other instances include Dave Phinney’s winery getting slapped with violations for selling jam. Phinney’s signature claim to fame is “The Prisoner” wine.
Jayson Woodbridge, the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, filed three lawsuits against Napa County, citing unlawful obstruction. He decided to take action after the county threatened to penalize him for planting trees on his vineyard without an “environmental review” after the Glass Fire in 2020.
Woodbridge’s other suits involve Napa County not granting him permits for water wells.
“Elected regulators should be working with the farmers and vintners that have made Napa one of the most honored regions in the world with some of the [most] sought-after wines and agricultural harvests on this planet to ensure continued access to water,” Woodbridge said, according to Daily Mail. “Instead, some bureaucrats have engaged in decades of gross regulatory overreach and obstruction that have harmed property owners by failing to consider and ignoring the consequences of these regulatory actions.”
The latest instances of lawsuits continue to put the local government in Napa County under scrutiny after news broke out earlier this year of an ongoing FBI probe involving an elected official.
Everything About the Federal Probe in Napa Valley
In February, the Napa Valley Register reported that the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed Napa County for documents involving some of the biggest names in wine country.
Chuck Wagner, owner of Caymus Vineyards and Dave Phinney’s names were mentioned in the probe. The government did not mention why the owners of these prestigious wineries were included, though the outlet surmised a connection to a local official: Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza.
Pedroza faced a recall effort in February 2023 over supporting a vineyard development project when information broke out that his father-in-law’s home abutted the property. The recall effort claimed that should the project go through, his father-in-law would benefit financially.
In March, the Press Democrat reported that the FBI raided Pedroza’s home. The outlet alleged that Pedroza might be a central figure in a government probe of Napa County regarding infrastructure, the airport and “agricultural interests.”
Pedroza emailed the Press Democrat claiming that he was fully cooperating with the investigation.
“I believe everyone should cooperate fully with all branches of federal and state government and I have always encouraged citizens in Napa and all Napa public authorities to do so. There is no reason to do otherwise.”