Wine industry veterans Tony Cartlidge and John Hawkins plan to build a self-contained village of small wineries in American Canyon.

Napa Humane’s fourth “Cause for the Paws” benefit is 1-5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Grove at Silverado Resort in Napa.

A new member has joined the team walking the vineyards and scrutinizing the progress of the young grapes.

Even though direct sales of wine are still a relatively small part of total wine sales, selling directly to consumers is the fastest-growing segment of the market.