Pummeled by the brutal economic climate, Napa Valley wineries are reconsidering a decades-old prohibition on mixing chapel bells and chardonnay.

Napa County outlawed weddings and other large events at wineries in 1989 when leaders from across the wine industry drafted the landmark Winery Definition Ordinance.

Written with an eye toward the preservation of agriculture, the ordinance placed numerous restrictions on the great majority of wineries. The restrictions are aimed at ensuring that commercial activity doesn’t encroach on agriculture.

But today, with many Napa Valley wineries struggling from a dismal economic climate and increased global competition, some wineries are lobbying for more freedom to market their wine.

Particularly as wine drinkers trend toward buying wine directly from wineries rather than through other retail channels, some local wineries say the best way to increase business is to get customers through their front doors. What better way, they say, than with corporate events and weddings?

The topic is a divisive one for the Napa Valley industry, where wineries are struggling to find a balance between boosting sales now and maintaining the long-term agricultural health of the valley.

“I feel like this has become a civil war within our community,” said David Aten, a Napa-based event planner behind recent efforts to ease up on restrictions on Napa County wineries.

The winery event debate surfaced briefly back in 2005, but the proposal to allow weddings at wineries never gained traction. Now, with the economy in a slump, wine industry representatives — though split — appear to be at least open to discussing the idea.

During a joint meeting between the Napa County Board of Supervisors and Napa County Planning Commission last month, county officials charged wine industry representatives to come up with their own proposal for amending the winery definition ordinance. It’s slow going, but the discussions appear to be moving.

In a meeting by the planning commission Wednesday, Pat Stotesbery of Ladera Vineyards, member and past president of the Napa Valley Vintners, said his organization has a task force debating the issue now. He said the vintners — whose membership includes some 350 wineries — hopes to come to a consensus in time for a Dec. 11 meeting between the four main trade organizations: the vintners, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Winegrowers of Napa County and Napa County Farm Bureau.

Stotesbery added that if all goes well, representatives from the industry will come back to the Napa County Board of Supervisors in January with an official recommendation.

It won’t be an easy feat, acknowledged Rex Stults, industry relations director for the Napa Valley Vintners.

“It will be difficult to have consensus within the Napa Valley Vintners and industry-wide,” he said.

Even those who support changes to the Winery Definition Ordinance disagree about what those changes should be.

At a planning commission hearing Wednesday, Commissioner Heather Phillips reiterated that the task is to come up with a short-term boost for the local economy.

Other commissioners spokes in favor of a longer-term approach.

Commissioner Mike Basayne said Napa County should think about more than just temporary solutions. “We need a permanent solution that allows wineries to create alternative revenue sources,” he said.

Commission chairman Bob Fiddaman warned against rushing into drastic changes in response to the economic downturn. “We’re opening Pandora’s box here, and we better be pretty thoughtful about that,” he said.

Napa County Planning Director Hillary Gitelman agreed. “We certainly have a lot more work to do,” she said, adding, “We don’t want to get ahead of the (wine) industry process.”