Podcast appearances and mentions of alex baines

Part II of my Hidden Bench Estate Winery interviews is with their winemaker, Alex Baines. We chat about the scariest moment of a harvest, why does Duck go so well with Pinot and the powerful role that fate played in his wine journey. I got to try their unique 100% Malbec along with their award winning Pinot's. Not a bad pairing as I got to learn more about this on the rise winemaker and this remarkable boutique Niagara winery. I'm shocked it took so long to finally sit down with the good people of Hidden Bench.

I can't believe it took me this long to finally sit down with the good people of Hidden Bench Estate Winery. Part I is with Harald Thiel, the Vigneron and Proprietor for Hidden Bench.  (Translation: Harold is the owner and plays a big part in the growing for his grapes and the final decisions on the wines of Hidden Bench)  In over 200 episodes no one has a more dramatic wine origin story than Harald. Loved my time with Harald! Part II, coming next will be with winemaker Alex Baines. 

In the latest AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds podcast we’re looking at business skills for farmers; taking us away from the roots and shoots to look at focus on some other topics that can have a huge impact on your business. The episode features Sian Bushell and her recent workshops on succession planning; an interview with farmer Alex Baines on professional development; and Taunton Monitor Farm host Richard Payne. Find out more: [AHDB skills training](https://ahdb.org.uk/skills-programme)  [Succession webinar, 25 October 2018](https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/get-involved/webinars.aspx) [AHDB Monitor Farm programme](https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/monitorfarms)

Alex Baines explains the impact a mid-construction delay has had on him, his family, and his Long Barrow Passivhaus project. Check out the show notes for more details.  

We have been following Alex Baines’ Long Barrow Passivhaus self build project in previous podcast and Hub episodes. This time we catch up with him to use his experience of working in the renewables industry, together with his current role as a Passivhaus consultant, to understand how renewables and a fabric first approach can be balanced when building your own energy efficient house.  Check out the show notes for more information.

We catch up with Alex Baines, a Passivhaus consultant who you may remember from episode 74. We spoke to him then about how gaining support for his semi earth-sheltered rural self-build from his local community helped him achieve the necessary planning permissions. Almost a year on we spoke with him again to see what progress he has made on the build so far. Check out the show notes to see some pictures of the progress.

Alex Baines talks through the plans for his semi earth-sheltered home, to be constructed to Passivhaus standard, and explains why involving the local community in the early stages was essential in gaining the relevant permissions.