Matt Lewis speaking on "Smoke and Mirrors:  Looking for Clarity in the Smoke Taint Haze" at the Napa County Bar Association.

Wildfires are likely to be a fact of wine industry life for the foreseeable future. Yet 2017 and 2020 found many growers and wineries unprepared to deal with the uncertainties and practical and legal problems that erupt when growing grapes are exposed to wildfire smoke.

In this presentation, we will look at what smoke taint is and why it is different from other farming hazards, how smoke taint and the Uniform Commercial Code are a poor fit, the ways in which most grape contracts fail to address smoke taint, what we learned from 2017 and 2020, and some of the specific problems smoke taint creates and possible approaches for addressing them.

Please join us on March 26, 2021, at noon PST to learn more about this topic that affects many of our clients, our friends, and our colleagues.

Cost:  $15
Please use this link to register at EventBrite.