A self-described “startup junkie,” Chuck—who with his wife, Anne, is the owner of Vineyard 29 winery in St. Helena—founded the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition in 2008 to develop a 47-mile walking and cycling path through Napa Valley. With 20 miles of the trail now in place, including a popular 12.5-mile path between Napa and Yountville, the Vine Trail became an ever bigger draw during 2020’s pandemic lockdowns, when indoor activities were restricted.

“Anne and I love to rent bikes when we travel to new places on vacation, and I felt we were missing a great opportunity to have a similar trail in Napa County for both our residents and visitors,” Chuck says. “When I talked to people about the idea, everyone thought it was great, but no one could really tell me why it had never been done. That felt like a real opportunity.”

As the Vine Trail expands, Chuck says he loves watching all kinds of people enjoy the trail. “We have adults, kids, dogs, bikes, walkers, runners, rollerbladers, and baby strollers,” he says. “During COVID we saw use of the trail go up 46% to 520,000 users in 2020, so we’re giving joy to a lot of people.”