With the North Coast harvest reaching an early conclusion this year, demand for property acquisitions has started lighting up lenders’ phones again.

Crews are set to start fanning out into North Coast vineyards this week to pick the first grapes of the season.

Consumers often have limited options for recycling the petroleum-based foam that cushions and insulates wine bottles during shipment, but a Napa Valley wine packaging company thinks it has found a way to make such recycling as easy as turning on a water spigot or stirring a compost pile.