Wine Country's next generation breaks from their parents

(SFGate) - When Napa County became an internationally recognized wine culture capital in the 1980s and '90s, many of the vintners were successful retirees from San Francisco and Silicon Valley looking for a second career and a nice view. A generation later, their kids who grew up among the vines aren't planning to leave.

Young, ambitious and eco-friendly, with hobbies like deer hunting and Porsche racing, the next generation of California's wine heirs is coming of age - and they think they'll do it better. Unfettered with romantic visions of relaxed Napa living, these new vintners are putting out funkier, sometimes cheaper and often radically different bottles than their parents did.

"A lot of Napa newcomers who you'd think would be super innovative because they come from Silicon Valley, aren't - they come and just plant Cabernet. They come for the romance," said Loren Trefethen, the 30-year-old heir to the award-winning Trefethen Estate, who is toying with the idea of starting a reality show based on young winemakers and their dinner parties. "We grew up in this. And that makes us see it differently. We're not afraid to make changes."

The heirs have started gathering together for monthly meetings and even formed a club, NG: The Next Generation in Wine (which they call NextGen). Founded by Chris Hall, whose parents started Longmeadow Ranch Winery, NextGen holds youth-oriented events like taco truck parties.