"Dairyman" winery project next for Napa entrepreneur

[Sara S]

from the Press Democrat, 9/2:

Dairyman hurdles
EDITOR: As Napa County struggles to rein in the growth of its wine industry, 33-year-old wine entrepreneur Joseph Wagner has turned his focus to Sonoma County and the development of the hotly debated Dairyman project, which your article describes as “a facility that can produce up to 500,000 cases of wine and 250,000 gallons of distilled spirits annually, an administration building and hospitality center” (“Wagner shifts focus from Meiomi to Dairyman,” Aug. 20).
Even without a drought to contend with, where will the water come from to support a full-fledged industrial facility and entertainment center? Whose wells will go dry?
While he does refer to Highway 12 access as the biggest hurdle, he doesn’t even mention water, which is the really big hurdle.
Wagner states that he believes if you control the land, you will control your own destiny as a wine maker. Maybe.
The problem is he who controls the land also controls the community, the people, the wildlife, the ecosystem, the commons. Napa County is finding that out now.
PATRICE WARRENDER
Sebastopol