Napa Valley’s Yao Family Wines leads industry move into cyber tokens
Napa Valley-based Yao Family Wines, founded by retired basketball star and global humanitarian Yao Ming, is releasing its most exclusive wine "The Chop" paired with a limited-edition nonfungible token, or NFT.
Yao Family Wines becomes the first winery in the world to offer a wine for auction paired with a NFT digital collectible.
The Chop 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from a single barrel of wine from a single vineyard in the famed Rutherford District of Napa Valley.
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The Small Business Administration announced requirements to apply for the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden and its $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund). The SBA will administer the funds to the hardest-hit small restaurants.
Details on application requirements, eligibility, and a program guide are now available in English at www.sba.gov/restaurants or in Spanish at www.sba.gov/restaurantes.
The official application launch date will be announced at a later date. For the first 21 days that the program is open, the SBA will prioritize reviewing applications from small businesses owned by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Following the 21-day period, all eligible applicants are encouraged to submit applications.
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Owner or tenant? Legal weekend vacationer or illegal short-term renter?
Yountville leaders are confronting such questions as the prospect of buyers splitting ownership of newly purchased homes calls into question whether their use amounts to ordinary second-home ownership — or an end-run around a local ban on hotel-style vacation rentals of less than a month.
No such "fractional" entities — in which a group of buyers, often eight at a time, receive equal blocks of the year to occupy a shared home — are yet known to have bought into Yountville, a wine-country destination whose 2,800 residents are largely overshadowed by its high-end resorts and hotels.
But amid a brewing legal fight over fractional housing in St. Helena, Yountville's Town Council recently debated how quickly it should move to limit the practice, in hopes of preventing second-home and weekend owners from pushing out full-year residents.
"I support all efforts to limit this type of ownership," Councilmember Eric Knight said during the council's virtual meeting last week. "I agree that it seems like an end-around to promote timeshare ownership, and it would be detrimental to the health of our neighborhoods."
Fractional homeownership brings together partners who buy equal shares in a home, form a limited-liability corporation, and agree to use the home for predetermined time periods. An operating agreement spells out the co-owners' responsibility for covering maintenance, expenses and other duties, the Napa Valley Register reported.
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Naturalis Wines — a new line of wines made from 100% certified organic grapes — announced its debut with sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. These gluten-free, vegan-friendly, non-GMO wines are bottled in eco-minded lightweight glass and available nationwide at suggested retail price of $14, the company stated.
This line from the fifth-generation Angove winemaking family is the latest to join the Angove Family Winemakers portfolio, imported by Trinchero Family Estates for more than 15 years.
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Land Trust of Napa County announced the completion of two conservation easements protecting almost 200 acres near Mount Veeder, along the Napa-Sonoma county line.
Land Trust of Napa County announced the completion of two conservation easements protecting almost 200 acres near Mount Veeder, along the Napa-Sonoma county line.
The property also contains upper watershed lands for Redwood Creek, one of the longest tributaries of the Napa River that descends from Mount Veeder and then runs through the City of Napa before joining the river.
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Jameson Humane, a nonprofit organization that collaborates and educates “to inspire change in animal welfare,” plans to hold its annual fundraising event, WineaPAWlooza 2021, virtually on Saturday, June 19, 5 p.m.
This year’s event features rare, handcrafted wines from more than 50 vintners and winemakers; a special video message from Jameson Humane volunteers and staff; and a live, interactive auction of 12 lots led by auctioneer Fritz Hatton.
Tickets on sale at jamesonhumane.ejoinme.org/wineapawlooza2021.
Ticket pricing and levels span a range of packages, which include rare wines, broader access to the event, and special offers. To inquire about ticketing, please contact: Arwen Gallenkamp, development manager at arwen@jamesonhumane.org or 707-337-9409.
