Save the Family Farms
A movement that helped create a future for Napa Valley’s smallest family-owned vineyards.
Founded in 2018 by a group of Napa Valley vineyard owners producing fewer than 5,000 cases annually, Save the Family Farms was created to protect and represent small, owner-occupied farms.
Its mission was to ensure that these family farms had a viable path to survive and thrive within a regulatory system that often favored large-scale operations—advocating for a framework that supports small, right-sized agriculture.
That mission became the foundation for the Micro-Winery Guild and the T.A.S.T.E. Experience.
The Movement Behind Save the Family Farms
Save the Family Farms was a coalition of owner-occupied grape growers and micro-producers in Napa Valley – families farming their own vineyards and producing small quantities of wine from estate fruit.
Most members produced roughly 1,000 cases annually, representing the smallest commercial wine producers in the region.
These farms represent a core agricultural tradition where the same families grow the grapes, craft the wine, and protect the land.
A System Designed for Large Wineries
For decades, Napa County regulations pushed all winery development through a one size fits all regulatory framework, regardless of scale.
Small family vineyards were required to pursue the same costly and complex permits intended for large commercial wineries.
In many cases, this meant:
- $5 million or more in infrastructure development and investment
- Years of regulatory approval
- Permitting systems designed for high-volume production
For many small family farms, there was no realistic path to compliance. Without change, they faced extinction.
Creating the Micro-Winery Ordinance
Save the Family Farms advocated for the creation of a Micro-Winery Ordinance – a regulatory pathway recognizing the unique scale and foundational differences of Napa’s smallest vineyard producers from large-scale wineries.
In May 2022, Napa County officially adopted the Micro-Winery Ordinance, which established a new category for small-scale wineries.
This milestone was a huge success in preserving Napa Valley’s tradition of independent agricultural producers, and protected a path forward for the next generation of family farms in the region.
How Save the Family Farms Became the Micro-Winery Guild
Save the Family Farms was created to address a specific regulatory challenge in Napa County. However, its success revealed a much larger opportunity in California’s wine industry.
Small family wineries needed not only a regulatory pathway, but also:
- Collective visibility
- Shared identity
- Consumer awareness
- Industry advocacy
From this realization, the Micro-Winery Guild was formed.
The MWG continues the mission of Save the Family Farms by strengthening the economic viability and cultural recognition of micro-wineries producing fewer than 5,000 cases annually.
The T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience
At the heart of the MWG is the T.A.S.T.E. Experience – a defined, peer-reviewed standard representing the highest expression of what makes family-run micro-wineries exceptional. Every experience is carefully curated, while emphasizing education, stewardship, and sensory understanding. It offers a depth of story and authenticity that stands apart from the standard tasting room models.
Terroir
Vineyard-driven experience rooted in place
Artisan
Led by the people who make the wine themselves
Small-scale
Intentionally limited to maximize quality
Trust
No script, no upsell, no spectacle
Engagement
Engage-ment
Real conversations and connection
The Work Continues
The essence of Save the Family Farms carries on through the Micro-Winery Guild. Today, the Guild is made up exclusively of micro-wineries and advocates specifically for micro-wineries, promotes authentic vineyard experiences, and helps ensure that family-run micro-wineries remain a vibrant component of California’s agricultural future.
The mission remains the same:
Protect family farms. Preserve agricultural heritage. Celebrate ethically-made wine.