Koshu (KO-shoo)

C.

Ninety-five percent of the physical wineries in Napa Valley—roughly 450 out of the 475 brick-and-mortar operations—are family-owned. Even though global corporations and luxury empires (like Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy or Treasury Wine Estates) own some Napa estates, independent families still make up the backbone of the valley. The majority of these family businesses are produce fewer than 10,000 cases of wine each year. While about 30% of Napa Valley’s family-owned businesses are run by the second or third generations, most of the current owners of small wineries moved to Napa to start a second career.