Napa County approves AB 720 estate-tasting pilot allowing up to 49 guests on vineyard parcels

NAPA COUNTY — The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16 unanimously approved a local pilot to implement Assembly Bill 720, allowing limited ‘‘estate tasting’’ events on vineyard parcels that do not have winery production facilities.

The pilot, presented by Napa County Fire Marshal Jason Downs, authorizes up to 49 people per event (including staff), limits events to a single calendar day during daylight hours, and disallows temporary structures such as tents that would require separate building permits. Downs said the 49-person cap keeps events below state and local fire-code thresholds that would otherwise trigger more intensive assembly and building requirements: “49 persons, total. 49 is the gonna be the limit, and that includes staff and guests.”

Why it matters: supporters from small growers to industry groups said the measure provides a practical pathway for small, vineyard-based businesses to host intimate, educational experiences rooted in farming while preserving the county’s agricultural and safety standards. Michelle Novy of Napa Valley Vintners told the board the proposal is “intimate,…