Four years ago, when the tourism economy was flourishing, Supervisor Mark Luce introduced the idea of allowing weddings at Napa Valley wineries. This idea was met with a vociferous opposition, causing Luce to back down. Faced with the present-day poor economy, many Napa residents and businesses are reconsidering. David Aten, a Napa event planner, described their predicament: "The economy is the worst it's ever been, and things are not picking up here. And it's not just wineries, it has a trickle down effect." Lowell Downey, a Napa photographer who estimates that business in the local hospitality industry is down between 40 and 70 percent, blames the restrictive Winery Definition Ordinance. He explained that hosting weddings at wineries would benefit more than just the wineries, "When (tourists) come for a wedding, they come in for days. We're talking about everybody from the mud baths to the restaurants to the chauffeurs to the limousine operators to the photographers to the caterers and gardeners who landscape the place."
Currently, Napa has some of the most stringent laws over events of any wine-growing region. This is partly due to the county's agricultural history, and consequent General Plan which states that the primary use of the unincorporated areas is agriculture. Thus, the movement to ease the restrictions on weddings has met some resistance. Grape grower Andy Beckstoffer articulates the view of the opposition: "The Napa brand is about history and agriculture. It's not about trinket shops."
On October 6th, the Napa Valley Board of Supervisors and the Napa County Planning Commission will discuss the issue of changing the Winery Definition Ordinance.
