Podcasts about sustainable wine

As biological technologies continue to advance, many growers are exploring how best to integrate them into their farming operations. Nevada Smith, Head of Marketing North America, and Robert Blundell, Research Plant Pathologist, both with Pro Farm Group, highlight the role of biological pesticides and biofertilizers in sustainable winegrowing. Biological pesticides, derived from microbial sources or natural products such as plants, fungi, bacteria, or nematodes, play a crucial role in pest management by inhibiting or delaying growth or directly causing pest mortality. Understanding which biological products to use and when to apply them within an integrated pest management system is essential for maximizing their effectiveness. Biofertilizers, which enhance plant health and resilience to abiotic stresses, are another key tool for sustainable viticulture. Nevada and Robert discuss the growing importance of these technologies in improving soil health and supporting long-term agricultural productivity. Resources:         REGISTER: 5/9/25 Biochar Field Day 117: Grapevine Mildew Control with UV Light 123: What is Happening in Biologicals for Pest Management and Plant Health 266: Soft Pesticide Trial: Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Botrytis, and Sour Rot Healthy Soils Playlist Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles ProFarm What are Biopesticides? Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet   Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.   Transcript [00:00:00] Beth Vukmanic: As biological technologies continue to advance, many growers are exploring how to best integrate them into their farming operations. [00:00:13] Welcome to Sustainable Wine, growing with Vineyard Team, where we bring you the latest in science and research for the wine industry. I'm Beth Vukmanic, executive director. [00:00:23] In today's podcast, Craig McMillan, critical resource Manager at Niner Wine Estates. With Longtime SIP certified Vineyard in the first ever SIP certified winery speaks with Nevada Smith Head of Marketing North America and Robert Blundell research plant pathologist, both with Pro Farm Group. Together, they highlight the role of biological pesticides and bio fertilizers in sustainable wine. Growing [00:00:49] biological pesticides are derived from microbial sources or natural products such as plants, fungi, bacteria, or nematodes. They play a crucial role in pest management by inhibiting or delaying growth or directly causing pest mortality [00:01:04] Understanding which biological products to use and when to apply them within an integrated pest management system is essential for maximizing their effectiveness. [00:01:13] Bio fertilizers, which enhance plant health and resilience to abiotic stresses are another key tool for sustainable viticulture, Nevada and Robert discussed the growing importance of these technologies and improving soil health and supporting long-term agricultural productivity. [00:01:30] If you're gonna be in Paso Robles, California on May 9th, 2025. Join us at Niner Wine Estates for a Biochar Field day. This interactive morning features live demonstrations and expert discussions on the benefits of biochar for soil health and sustainable farming. Learn how to integrate biochar into your farming operations through practical insights and hands-on experiences. Go to vineyard team.org/events or look for the link in the show notes to get registered. [00:02:00] Now let's listen in.   [00:02:05] Craig Macmillan: My guest today are Nevada Smith. He is Head of Marketing North America and Robert Blundell, who's a research plant pathologist, both with Pro Farm Group. Thank you for being on the podcast [00:02:15] Rob Blundell: Thank you, Craig. [00:02:16] Nevada Smith: Thank you. [00:02:18] Craig Macmillan: Today we're gonna be talking about bio pesticides and we might as well start with the the basics. What is a biological pesticide? Robert, why don't you start? [00:02:26] Rob Blundell: Yeah, that's a good question, Craig. And and you know, honestly, it's. So when I first was kind of thinking about this, it's not as simple explanation as you might think. It's a constantly kind of evolving term and depending on who you are asking, you can get a, a very different answer. And it's, it's really kind of this large umbrella term. [00:02:42] . It's kind of a microbially based product or natural product typically derived from a plant, fungi, bacteria, nematode, you know. That pretty much has the ability to inhibit or delay the growth or, you know, cause the death of a pest. [00:02:56] And you know, with the term biological pesticide, pesticide being extremely broad whether it's, you know, insect, fungi, even rodent, you know, rodent sides, things like that. So yeah, again, it's a very broad term and different, different grooves, different commodities are gonna kind of have their own explanation. [00:03:09] Even the EU has a different, I think definition versus the EPA as well. So it's an evolving, evolving term. [00:03:15] Craig Macmillan: What about you, Nevada? Do you have anything to add to that? [00:03:17] Nevada Smith: I'm kind of with Robert, it's almost like sustainability. What does that mean? It means to me, I get to keep farming every year. But I think for everyone else it might have different definitions. And I think basically the, the premise is, is it's biologically based. It's based on a living organism, something that we can repeat, regrow, and, you know, the societal part of it, bio pesticide, it means it's acting or killing or helping mitigate pest. For proform have a biologically based strategy. And so we, that's what we deliver is those type of tools. [00:03:50] Craig Macmillan: One of the major pets on grapes is powdery mildew. Around the globe. Probably the major pest overall, I would say fungal disease. I have been seeing a lot of increase in the use of bio pesticides specifically for powdery mildew, some in organic systems, some in more traditional sustainability oriented systems. [00:04:09] What kind of mechanisms are there out there in the biological world for managing powdery mildew and how does that, how do they work? Nevada, do you wanna start? [00:04:18] Nevada Smith: Yeah, so for biological pesticides, there's sort of different categories and I'll even. Even throwing some sort of organic pesticides as well into this whole mix. I think as a grower or a wine processor, you have a choice and it's like, either I'm going conventional, I'm looking to maximize my value proposition on my vineyard or my process my wines. And so one of the ways we really think about this is how do you integrate bio pesticides into the overall spray for bio mildew, like our winemaker at our place they always say, Hey, if it's more than 3% power mildew it's a no go. It's a bad day for us. And so for us to take the risk on our farm. For a biologicial pesticide, we had to have some data to really get us excited about it. [00:05:02] Overall, we wanna see performance. We need to see at least seven to 10 days. And I think that's maybe the biggest challenge a powerdy mildew issue is depending on what sort of climate and what variety of grapes you're growing is how long does it take me to get across the vineyard? [00:05:17] It's really what it comes down to. [00:05:18] And you know, maybe from a pathology point of view, Robert has some perspective. [00:05:24] Rob Blundell: The way we want to kind of think about powdery mildew is it's, you know, it's, it's always gonna be there. It's gonna be present. And biologicals, when used in the right way, can be a fantastic you know, tool in the arsenal. For, for growers or farmers against a deadly pathogen like this. [00:05:38] Growers really need to kind of consider the goal of using a biological, because there's so many different mechanisms of action of a biological, I mean, it can be live, it can be live, it can be the, you know, the spent fermentation product of a biological, which is gonna work very differently versus an actual liable organism you're gonna put in your field. [00:05:53] So kind of having a clear mindset from the, from the start is gonna be crucial to knowing. What kind of biological do you use? And also importantly, kind of when to use it as well. Because you can have drastically different outcomes based on like the time of your, you know, the time of venue production and then, and then the time of the season as well. [00:06:09] But yes yeah, ultimately there's broad, broad mechanism of actions. So if we're putting something on there live you know, you know, with something like powder mildew, this, pathogen functions because it attaches onto leaves. So we have these overwintering structures called cassia. [00:06:24] So these are basically the dormant structures that are gonna help powerdy mildew, survive. That's why it's been around for so long. That's why it's, it comes back every year. So it basically shuts down, it's fungal mycelium into these dormant hard structures. And then every year it basically reawakens around spring when we get the rainfall. [00:06:39] So we're gonna get ASCO spores. These are specialized spore structures within that kind of dormant structure. They get released out. So, you know, with the, with the weather coming in this week, that's gonna be, huge out there right now. So we're gonna get the release of those spores. [00:06:51] They're gonna land on that leaf. So really that's kind of our prime target of having protection is when they're gonna be landing and then adhesing to that leaf. So with something like a biological, if we can get that onto that leaf and then, you know, that's kind of our line of defense really. We want to be setting like a line of defense early in the season. [00:07:08] Know we have a product regalia. So that gets on there. It has these antimicrobial compounds, which the first point of contact is gonna. Prevent you know, it's gonna help mitigate that interaction between the leaf and the pathogen acts as kind of that medium layer. And then it's also gonna boost the plant's natural defense. [00:07:24] So how powdery mildew you kind of functions it. Once it gets on that leaf, it has a very specialized structure. Call it, they would call it a whole story or an appium, depending on where you are in the world and specialized structure that will kind of get through that cell wall, under that cell membrane and then sucks out the nutrients from the leaf so we can get a biological on the early to boost that plant defense, boost those, you know, defense fight hormone pathways. [00:07:46] We're gonna kind of mitigate that as a an initial point of contact. And then hopefully that's gonna set us off for a you know, a good season after that. But the time, yeah, the timing is definitely crucial. [00:07:55] Nevada Smith: I think to add to Robert's point is really to start your season off right and clean. So that's why as growers or as winemakers, you choose to use some sulfur to kind of mitigate, which is not necessarily a bio pesticide, but it could be organic, you know, depending on what your source of there. But those tools to me, are foundational for getting a clean start if you start bad, and it's gonna be a hell of a year all year long. [00:08:20] And I think that's the biggest challenge of bio pesticide uses overall is. Where do they fit, what growers they fit in? And it's not a solution for all, for sure. I mean, if you're growing Chardonnay or Pinot Noir on the Sonoma Coast in a foggy bank off of Bodega Bay, tough times, you know? But if you're in Pastor Robles, maybe in the Napa Valley in the valley where it's a little bit drier, you go in cab. Issue. You probably can integrate a nice bio pesticide program into it, and I think that's the secret. [00:08:58] Craig Macmillan: You mentioned regalia. What is the actual ingredient in regalia? What does it come from? [00:09:03] Rob Blundell: Yeah, so for Regalia the active ingredient comes from giant knotweed, so Ray Nectria. So that's a giant knotweed extract essentially that's been procured and then optimized in r and d and then applied typically as a folia spray for, for grape vines. [00:09:17] Craig Macmillan: And then the plant reacts to that, and that's what increases the plant defense mechanism. [00:09:22] Rob Blundell: Yeah, yeah, pretty much. There's kind of a few, few tiers of how, you know, Regilia kind of functions. So yeah, so we do that kind of initial application pretty much as soon as you, you have any green tissue, you know, really that's a great time to kind of get that on there. And then so the plant is gonna respond to that so typically a plant, defence pathway. [00:09:39] We have salicylic acid, so that is a key phyto hormones. So phyto hormones are kind of the driving force behind the plant defense. And this is very, you know, this is typical for all kind of pathogens, all kind of crops really. So you're gonna have a pathogen interact and we'll have its initial interaction with a plant. [00:09:55] And then you're gonna get this initial, like, response straight away from a plan. It's gonna be, Hey, I, my defenses are up. I, I sense this as a foreign agent. Basically I need to, you know, protect myself. So you get this upregulation of fighter hormones. They're very regulated. Pathways that then have these cascading effects to ultimately kind of therefore have longer term defense. [00:10:14] So you have an upregulation of fighter hormones. This is gonna signal to the plant that, Hey, I need to strengthen my cell walls, for example. So I'm gonna send more liening cell lignin being a crucial component a cell. wall . That's something we see upregulated as a result of regalia. So we get that increase in phyto hormones, we'll get lignin sent to the cell wall. [00:10:32] We get an increase in antioxidants as well to kinda help break down the pathogen as well. Limiteds effects we get polyphenols various other kind of antimicrobials as a result. So we have kind of direct effects, but then crucially with regalia, so we're gonna have the plant initially respond to its application, and then when the pathogen does. [00:10:50] Come around for a, an attack. That plan already kind of is, is heightened its responses, it's ready for it, so it's gonna be a faster kind of response time and therefore what we kind of consider more of a, a longer term defense response. [00:11:02] Craig Macmillan: Are there other modes of action, perhaps ones that are live? [00:11:05] Nevada Smith: Yeah. And that, I think that's a great point. Is there, you know, the, the bacillus category has been a big category the last dozen years or so. And this could be anything waiting from a bacillus subtles to bacillus Emli. There's other bacilli out there too. And I think they're more of an integrated approach. [00:11:22] So I conventional our farm vineyards. We're gonna just rotate it in there. So just like if you're straight organic or you're straight bio pesticide, it'd be a regalia, as an example, rotated with a bacillus product. We happen to have one as well, a very nice one called Sargus. But there's other great solutions out there in the marketplace today. There's other living organisms as well. There's some products in the Streptomyces categories as well. They're used in grow rotation, but I think to me as a grower and as a winemaker myself. I'm just looking for integration, IPM strategy all the way along. And depend on how, what your guard rails are for farming that would dictate what your options are overall. [00:12:07] Craig Macmillan: So, , to you, Robert, , how do these actually work? Like bacillus subtilis and things? [00:12:11] How do they actually either prevent or treat powdery mildew in grape. [00:12:15] Rob Blundell: Yeah, good question. So for Bacillus with Star in particular so we're actually not looking to treat powdery mildew kind of outright with this product itself. That's more where regalia is gonna come as a benefit. So actually Bacillus is great for something like botrytis in grapes. So, and this is really, really where we can kind of combine regalia and stargus together for a very effective program. [00:12:34] Kind of a one-two punch. So we, you have a live bacillus product. So we have spores that are gonna colonize a surface. So whether that's being the soil, you know, microbia the leaves or the berries, and with botrytis infecting berries causing damage, necrotic lesions in those berries, that's where something like stargus , a bacillus product can be applied to those berries to effectively colonize it. [00:12:55] And again, kind of creating like a nice. Kind of shield essentially from pretty much all fungal pathogens work the same. They have to attach, then they have to penetrate to essentially, hold on. So if we can kind of form a physical, kind of physical barrier, that's gonna be great. So for a lot of the Bacillus products they produce a suite of antimicrobials. [00:13:13] So star for our company we have a suite of antimicrobials that produces, so we have things like Itur, Phin, these are all really good antimicrobials. They're gonna have a direct effect on it. So those spores will be able to, you know, colonize the berry, for example, and then help Yeah. Prevent prevent powerdy mildew So you have this live culture essentially that's on the grapes and it's producing compounds, and that's where the, the antimicrobial comes in or the antifungal comes in. [00:13:40] Nevada Smith: Yes. And. [00:13:47] So there's two registrations from an EPA standpoint. There's the live bacteria count, which people are familiar with from back in the day when there was bts, right cells ths for worm protection. And so we measure the CFUs, which is a colony forming unit. So the bacteria, and there's a minimum threshold that we have for our product as well as anybody else that registers their bacteria. Just sort of a quality control thing for the grower to know this is the level we produce. What we. Seeing the production for our solution is really around the chemical compounds being created in the fermentation process, this lipopeptides cycle. And so that's what's important to know that there's some differentiation. [00:14:25] And I always use the example, I'm a huge basketball fan and you know, there's a difference between Michael Jordan and myself. I'm not at his level. And so not all bacilli are created equal, but they all do have some performance values for them. And obviously, you know, the more you can look into science and whether it be uc, extension and the Gubler Eskalen models and local trial researchers will give you the value proposition each of these products brings to you. [00:14:50] Craig Macmillan: Now, this is something that I, I don't think I've heard before and I wanna make sure that I heard it correctly. So, some of the protection is actually coming from things that are being produced during the fermentation production of the bacteria themselves. And so these are side things. And then that makes it into the final product. [00:15:05] Nevada Smith: Yeah, that's actually the most important thing on foliar. So holistically for bacillus, and this is a very broad brush here unless you're in a tropical environment like bananas in. Columbia or Costa Rica, you're not growing more spores on the leaf surface. You might have that happen a little bit depending on sort of your micro environments. What you really want is coverage and then that eradicates. [00:15:29] The way that the the bacillus really works, it really pokes holes into the cell wall of power mildew. So that's, and it just kinda leaks out and dies. And so it's botrytis , and or powder mildew. That's the major effects that it has on these pest diseases. [00:15:43] But in those rare examples, I'll tell you, we've seen some results of our products being used in crops and tropical environments. If it can grow, it's creating more value. Now let's talk about something different. You put bacillus. Sargus into the ground in a soil treatment. It has tremendous effects on colonizing around the roots. [00:16:01] And so that's where bacillus is actually known in its natural environment into the soil profile. So that's where we really see that the one two value. Now, that's not what we're using it for in grapes. Grapes, is for foliar control of. And mild diseases. But we have many other crops that we use bacillus for like corn, for root management and prolification around the diseases down there. [00:16:27] Craig Macmillan: Do you have anything to add to that, Robert?  [00:16:29] Rob Blundell: Yeah, so that's, yeah, excellent points from Nevada. So yeah, kind, kind of getting, talking about how we can use bacillus, you know, actually to go into the soil. So something like nematodes, you know, that's, that's a huge issue in grapes always has been. It's where we have, you know, root stocks engineered over the years to have, you know, nematode resistant root stocks. [00:16:43] Again, not, not kind of the primary purpose of what we'd be looking to use stargus, and vineyards, but again, having a soil colonizer is fantastic. You know, a lot of the. The majority of diseases, especially in like the row crops, they're coming from the below ground. You know, you've got the pythium and lettuce. [00:16:57] You've got like sclero, things like that, huge kind of soil-borne pathogens. So again, having something that you can add to the soil, you know, the soil already has its own fantastic suite of, naturally present. You know, bacteria, fungi, that's, you know, like Nevada said, that's what we got ab baus from, stargus from. [00:17:12] So we're just kind of adding to that to kind of help boost the fight. And we can always kind of think of the interaction between pathogens and plants as kind of this arms race. There's a ways, you know, the pathogen kind of gets ahead by evolving slightly, and then you have the ho response from the plant and then the, the microbiome as well. [00:17:27] So we're just trying to kind of tip the scales and our balance is how a good way to kind of think of biologicals as well. And I think as you were mentioning, kind of the, the fermentation process, and that's where we get our microbials from. [00:17:37] Every microbe has primary metabolites. That's what's key to basically the survival of a microbe. But then we have secondary metabolites, and these are very highly specialized products that get produced. For bacillus, during that fermentation process, this is a, you know, these are unique metabolites. You know, metabolites are produced by the majority of. Micros, but the in particular can produce these like fantastic suite of very unique metabolites. So that's where the, a non-life product kind of comes into itself as well. By us able to understand what are those metabolites we're producing same fermentation, can we optimize those? And then do we, do we even need a live product as a result of that? [00:18:12] Craig Macmillan: Um, it sounds like this could have a really dramatic impact or role in fungicide resistance management. I. What is that role? Or are we talking about going over completely to biological for a program or are we including in a rotation with other materials? What about organic growing where we have a, a little smaller suite of things that we can use? [00:18:35] Nevada Smith: , I'll start with that if you don't mind. [00:18:36] I think it's a great question and where I see it fitting is most synthetic pesticides for disease control are really affecting the mitochondria on the inside of the dupo. And where I see it fitting is the sort of one, two, I would say contact plus systemic. That's an a de-risk, your resistance management issues. But B, increase the likelihood that those products work better and longer. [00:19:02] So today we position a product like Sargus other bacillus products in the marketplace to be in combination with a. SDHI chemistry, like Luna would be an example of that, or Pristine. We would see those integrated in the cycle of sprays, which is, it's very similar to why you use sulfur with those products as well. [00:19:23] But I think, you know, as a winemaker, I want less sulfur my crop as possible, but obviously I want, as a farmer too, I want it to be clean as can be. So it's kind of this yin and yang overall. [00:19:33] But for resistance management, I think you have to really think about the whole approach. And once again, back guardrails. Of what your restrictions are for you as a farmer and maybe the winemaker working together with them. How do you really get to the. And, you know, I, it's kind of a joke too, but we talked about earlier the word sustainability be very broad. Stroke. Well, I'm wanna farm into the future years. I wanna have that vineyard for a hundred years and not to replant it. So I'm really trying to keep as clean as possible all the time, especially for the over wintering stuff. And so to me early often protection, control contact plus systemic is the approach that we take at our farm as well. [00:20:10] Craig Macmillan: When we say earlier, are we talking bud break, two inches, four leaves?   [00:20:15] Nevada Smith: For powder. Yeah. But then we could debate, you know, on these opsis issues and can cane issues. [00:20:24] Craig Macmillan: When would I wanna put on a bacillus? [00:20:27] Nevada Smith: I would start with a sulfur spray about bud break here, and then kind of rotate back into the bloom time for the first bloom spray, about 50% bloom, more or less. I kind of time it too, and if it's a little later, I'm okay with that. That would be the major time where I get the first shots on and that we, I would start with regalia, for example, just because it's a different mode of action. And then I'd come back with the bacillus here about seven to 10 days later. [00:20:51] Craig Macmillan: And would you then include synthetic materials as well, I'm assuming. [00:20:55] Nevada Smith: Yeah, on our farm we would typically our biggest issue is getting across the, the vineyard. And so we're looking to start off with a synthetic material first, just so we can get a nice, well, sulfur first, sorry. That probably like A-S-D-H-I chemistry. And then I'd start to think about how can I integrate my approaches to, being softer chemistry based through the rest of the season. [00:21:17] Craig Macmillan: Does that make sense to you, Robert? [00:21:19] Rob Blundell: Yes. And actually I'm just gonna jump back a little bit in our conversation. I just add a few more details kind of on this approach as well. So yeah, a little bit earlier, I kinda mentioned this arms race between the pathogen and the host and, you know, the available treatments that we have and really kind of a huge benefit of. Adding a biological, say, into your conventional program or just introducing more biologicals in general for your, your fungicides is you know, as, as Nata was saying, you know, a lot of the conventional chemistry is targeted in that mitochondria. It's a very specialized kind of function. It's there, it does a great job when it works well, but then. [00:21:51] We get pathogen resistance, obviously. So there's kind of two types of resistance. You get qualitative resistance and quantitative. So qualitative is when there is a kind of sudden or abrupt loss in the ability of say, a fungicide to work. And then you have quantitative where it's kind of more of a gradual decline in effectiveness. [00:22:08] And then you get kind of these varying levels of fungicide sensitivity versus that qualitative where you're having either resistant or a sensitive is isolate. And this. It's great. We're talking about grapes and powerdy mildew, 'cause this is one of like, this is like the classic textbook example. We kind of get taught in pathology about this because powerdy mildew, it has these really quick cycling times, produces a number of generations per season, very easily dispersed. [00:22:28] So this is such a high risk kind of category for this fungicide resistance. So again, if we have just a whole range of availabilities in terms of different fungicide options, you know, chemistry, soft chemistry, biologicals various other options, we're just kind of increasing our chances of really. Just well, and one not having any pathogen resistance. [00:22:49] Because again, as soon as you have that, then you have you, you really lose your options for your chemistries. So again, just, you know, introducing a few biologicals here and there, especially for, you know, grapes on the West coast, which is the amount of sprays we're having to do in other states where you have less sprays, you can kind of get away with kind of not considering your approach a little bit more. [00:23:05] You don't have to kind of. Do your frack checks as much because maybe you're only doing one or two sprays. But here we have to be very, very concerned with our, you know, what products we're using and then at what timing they're using. So again, just having a biological to really kind of take the pressure off some of those chemistries is a, is a huge a huge, valuable source of preserving the life of your chemistry. [00:23:23] And then have, like Nevada said, you know, having sustainable wines for the years to come. [00:23:28] Craig Macmillan: Actually, that made me think of something. Is there a risk of resistance being developed to biological strategies? [00:23:38] Rob Blundell: Yeah, that's, that's a really good question. So yes. [00:23:41] It's kind of a newer question. Yeah. So again, with a lot of these chemistries being very, very site specific function, all you have to do is have a very small mutation in your, say, powerdy mildew, to overcome that. And typically with biologicals, the typically, I say typically the mode of action is a little bit more broad. [00:23:57] So very rarely are you gonna have an extremely like. , so like a lot of the chemistries buy into certain receptors that their job that do that really well. Biologicals don't tend to do that as much. They're more of a broad spectrum. That's why we see a, like for our fungicides, we see a range of control against a lot of different, you know, powerd mildew, we've got ascomiscies,, Presidio, my seeds, they pretty much do well across a range because they are more broad spectrum. [00:24:19] Not to say that in time we're gonna start to see a decline. It's, you know, again, it's kind of really how we consider using them. And we. Whether we wanna like, fully rely on them or hey, that's, let's, let's use more of a, a combined approach. So again, we just really make that sustainable as well. [00:24:33] So kind of to answer your question definitely it comes with risk but kind of inherently due to the more broad spectrum nature of biologicals, we're not too worried about the kind of resistance that we've seen developed as a result of c chemistries in that very, very specific function of a chemistry. [00:24:48] Craig Macmillan: That makes a lot of sense. I know that you had mentioned you're farming in a more traditional fashion, Nevada, but your products, and obviously I know some folks in the organic area. What role do biologicals play in an organic fungicide program? Nevada? [00:25:03] Nevada Smith: I think it's definitely at the core of your foundation of seeing how you are gonna approach powerdy, mildew and botrytus. Is it a typical, you know, seven spray system, which I'd say it's kind of typical for the northern coast markets or the coastal range. Or if you're in the valley floor are you more in that three to five applications for bio pesticides and, and what timing and how you're approaching those things are critical overall to assessing those on the organic. [00:25:30] You don't have to be just organic. You could be, from a theoretical point of view, you can just choose to be this type of farmer, which is, I want to choose softer chemistries. And I think that's the mixed bag that we deal with with customers, a crop and the crop advisors out there. [00:25:44] Rob Blundell: Yeah, and I was gonna say just to kinda add to that as well. So again, regardless whether you're doing organic or chemistry or biologicals, you know. Really key as well. Foundation is just having good cultural control as well. Something we haven't really touched on today, but again, you can really increase the effectiveness of your biological, your chemistry based on what you're doing in, in the vineyard. [00:26:02] So, you know, things like, you know, canopy thinning, so if you're using say, a biological, you wanna try to colonize those berries, you wanna kind of thin out that kind of piece. You're getting a better spray coverage. You're also gonna, you know, reduce the humidity and that kind of pee of things like mildew you know, effective pruning in dry conditions. [00:26:18] Navar was kind of talking about opsis, some of those canker pathogens. So those grapevine trunk diseases, that is still the most effective way to control a grapevine trunk disease is just to prune under the right conditions. 'cause you need that wound, that pruning wound to heal when it's, you're not gonna get a, let's see, you know, we got that ring coming in this week. [00:26:33] So, grapevine trunk disease is dormant on those on the, on the parts of the vine. They're gonna be airborne. So you need to make sure there's a very good dry window. So again, like cultural practice is always, always key to whatever approach or biologicals or chemicals. [00:26:46] Nevada Smith: I think the add to that, one of the biggest things I remember, I wanna say it's like in 2010, I saw Gubler trials, Gubler, uc, Davis, you know, famous for everything. And he had the trial and all he did was pull leaves. On the bunch closures, and I was like, wow, that looked amazing. And I said, what? What spray did you have on there? [00:27:02] And they're like, nothing. We just pulled leaves and just literally that airflow coming across there, drying out, I assume it was just drying out the spores was amazing. I was like, wow. But then I started doing the cost analysis as a grower. I'm like, I can't send a crew there and pull leaves all the time. So, [00:27:19] Craig Macmillan: Yeah, it's true. I mean, and that's why it's a mix of things. I think. It's integrated pest management. You, you know, you do want to get some airflow through there. You will probably do some canopy management, whether you do shoot thinning or leaf removal. Some of that also helps with coverage. [00:27:32] Right. So using a mix of cultural and chemical or pesticide techniques is probably, probably wise. I'm not a pest control advisor, so I probably shouldn't say that. I. But I think I, you, they're not the first folks that have, have reminded me of that. And sometimes I know that, I think we kind of forget. [00:27:49] I wanna change topics a little bit. There's a, I don't wanna say new, but new to me. Area bio fertilizers a totally different kind of strategy for plant nutrition Nevada. What is a bio fertilizer? What, how do they work? What is it and how does it work? [00:28:05] Nevada Smith: So bio fertilizers can be a multitude of things, but once again, back to bio based on living organisms prior living organisms. We happen to have one that we're just launching this year into the grape industry called Illustra. It's based on this unique technology, UBP. Universal biological platform. I'm not trying to be a billboard ad here, but the reason why I'm bringing it up is it, it's really is a platform, which is interesting about it because it's, it's a technology that we can change and manipulate depending on how we go through the production cycle. And so we're creating tools that are more made for abiotic stresses. [00:28:39] And so we're trying to deal with different stresses that. Crop can deal with. And so right now the core market that we've been using these products , for is like soybeans and corn. [00:28:49] But as we think about the permanent crop markets of grapes, tree nuts, citrus, it's a little bit different as far as cycle and how you approach it. And so what we've seen through the data, these bio fertilizers is really trying to mitigate abiotic stresses. So what we're really mitigating is one, like you, you think about herbicide applications. You kind do a banded application near the tree trunk into about a third of the spray row. That herbicide usually hits that tree trunk. [00:29:14] There is a cause and effect on the grapevine itself. What if you could put a tool down that was sprayed on the same time to mitigate that stress or de-stress it from even how much time and pressure it's having? So. Our product is really one of those tools today that's really focused on mitigating biotic stresses. [00:29:30] Other things I can think about as a farmer is like salinity in the soil. The roots are pushing. You have water issues in California. We all talk about that. How do you mitigate the plant that still maximize the yield? So. Choosing the bio fertilizer today that's really focused on that, not just being a typical, you know, can 17 or un 30 twos based nitrogen based products. [00:29:51] This is something else to bring into the marketplace. They're kind of more niche based, depending on what you're dealing with. But there there's several out there. There's, seaweed extracts would be a big one, right? That people use a lot around farms. There's humic, andic acids, organic acids in general. So those are the kind of the buckets of items today that farmers are choosing for bio fertilizers. [00:30:14] Rob Blundell: Hmm. Yeah. And I can yeah, touch a little bit more on the, on the UBP illustrate product as well in terms of kind of how, how that really functions. And as Navar said, it's, you know, helping bounce back after, say, some herbicide damage, promoting that early season boost in biomass. [00:30:27] So, you know, a product like this, this UBP will basically kind of. Inducing cell division. So in you know, increasing mitochondrial activity, more cell division essentially leads to more chlorophyll, more photosynthesis graded by a mass production. And it's actually done by acidifying the cell wall. So we acidify a cell wall. You get more what we have these, there's proton pumps on these cell wall. [00:30:48] We're basically pumping in more protons, increasing the rate of that cell division. So we're basically yeah, boosting that in ocean season biomass. Therefore having that. You know, quicker resilience to say, you know, abiotic stresses like no said, whether it's salinity, salt, drought, water, things like that. [00:31:02] So yeah, numerous, numerous benefits of some of these fertilizers. [00:31:07] Craig Macmillan: Which actually talking about antibiotic stress, that it reminds me of something. I want to apply it to this, but I also want to go back. If you're using a live material, a bacillus or something, or if you have a, a bio fertilizer that may is are there living things in bio fertilizers. [00:31:22] Nevada Smith: There can be, [00:31:24] uh [00:31:24] Craig Macmillan: be. Okay. [00:31:25] Nevada Smith: We don't have anything in ours today, but I think there are, let's call the word impregnated Fertilizers. With living organisms. It could be trico, dermas, it could be other things, bacillus. And those are good, good tools to use. [00:31:39] The hard part is like, you know, now we start to open the can of worms around like compost tea, like what's in there. And I think that's the biggest challenge that growers, those things do work as a whole. But then you start to run into the quality assurance, quality control. And I think that's where companies invest in the bio pesticide industry are really trying to. Tell the story and not just be perceived as snake oils and saying, Hey, replicated work we measure to this level, like CFU content and here's what we expect results to be consistently. [00:32:08] And this is sort of the shelf life issues and we're kind of getting as a, you know, the world evolves. I think there's just this environmental things that people choose to do. And I think, you know, everything works. Just a question of how you integrate it into your own farming systems. [00:32:24] Craig Macmillan: So speaking of environmental factors and antibiotic stress one thing that's occurred to me is that if I have something that's that's out there, either that's living or maybe maybe a fragile compound, how do things like drought and heat affect these materials in the field? [00:32:38] Rob Blundell: Yeah. Yeah, very good question. I think historically that was always kind of. What people thought of the negative of biologicals were like, well, is only gonna work under certain conditions. You know, where, where have you tested it? So yeah, it's, it's a good question as well. [00:32:50] It's , case by case dependent you know, certain extremes and temperatures, various conditions as well are gonna have effects on, you know, the, the longevity of that. But we, you know, we try to test it under. There a variety of conditions. And then for particularly something you know, with our fungicides as well for, for the grape industry, you know, these new be tested on a variety of key varietals as well. [00:33:10] You know, it's, Hey, it might work for Chardonnay but not for Sauvignon Blanc. So that's important to evaluate as well, rather than just bring a product to market that like you, it's only gonna work on very certain aspects of a, of the single industry. [00:33:22] Craig Macmillan: So heat as an example, , you have a fair amount of confidence that I can apply something in the, in the heat if I have a hot, dry condition in the summer that it's not going to. Break down those materials that are there from the fermentation or kill the live organism. We, we think there's a fair amount of resilience here. [00:33:39] Rob Blundell: Yeah, again, definitely gonna be dependent on the, the type of microbe and the type of metabolite that it's producing. But you know, microbes in nature are exposed to these extreme conditions just naturally anyway, you know, so we have epi amplified slipping on the surface of products. So on the surface of. [00:33:54] Structures. So like a grapevine, like a leaf. They're obviously out there and exposed to the elements every single day. And then the soil is a, is a chaotic environment. There's a lot going on in the soil. So microbes are just, you know, extremely resilient in nature themselves. So there's gonna be a, again it's gonna vary depending on, you know, the microbe and, and the product we're using. [00:34:12] But there's good efficacy. [00:34:16] Craig Macmillan: What's the future? What is the future looking like for biological products, living or extra? [00:34:23] Nevada Smith: for the marketing hat on myself, not the farmer side. [00:34:27] It, I think everything's coming down to specialized sprays. And if I had to vision what the features look like to me, it's gonna be about. Seeing robots down the vineyard. They have 18 different things and their little mechanisms and there's, they're just, they're analogizing what's going on in that grape cluster itself. [00:34:44] They're spot spraying three or four things and they're going down the next level. That to me, is where we're gonna get down to the future, where the grapes themselves will naturally grow less chemicals to be used overall. [00:34:54] but if you need to go through and really take care of a problem, you're gonna go through and take care of a problem. And I think that's where it's become very exciting to me. You're gonna put less of a prophylactic spray across all systems, and you're kind of really create some microenvironments where you think that Vine number seven got sprayed a lot. Vine number 21 has not been sprayed all season. Wonder why? Let's go check it out. Let's understand and investigate. [00:35:18] The other big thing I think in grapes that's really interesting from exploratory research and development side for our company is like viruses. Viruses have not been addressed and it's becoming an issue. It's something I want to kind of explore and put on our docket of, you know, assessment stuff and how we can take new technologies to really improve virus transmissions. How do you mitigate once you have a virus? And it still produce that vine for another 10 plus years. So it gets quality and quantity out of it. Those are the kind of things interesting to me. [00:35:50] Craig Macmillan: Robert. [00:35:51] Rob Blundell: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, really good point, Sarah as well. And yeah, viruses in particular is, is something we see about in the grapevine industry. And yeah, often biological companies we're focused on, you know, the, the fungal issues, the bacteria, the, the nematodes. So that's, that's a huge area that really needs some more dedication. [00:36:06] So there's gonna be some great technologies available for that in the future. Yeah, I think to speak to no Nevada's points on kind of the future of it, I think like a really kind of custom tailored approach is gonna be available for those that want it. Particularly from the pathology side of my interest. [00:36:19] I think precision monitoring and detection of disease is just, I. Advancing leaps and bounds. So again, like, you know, going out there and doing scouting, hopefully people are gonna have a lot better tools available, available to 'em in the near future to really kind of understand crucial times in their season where disease is coming in. [00:36:36] And then again, like I. Just having better tools to kind of really actually di inform us of the pathogen as well that's present rather than just again, a lot of, a lot of diseases is hard to pinpoint to an exact pathogen. We're lucky in grapes, powerdy, mildew, and, botrytis are very obvious. We know what those are, we think are some of the row crops. [00:36:52] It could be a whole host of things. We've got nematodes, we've got various sore pathogens that we can't actually see. So I think yeah, improving disease diagnosis and detection, having these precision tools is gonna be a huge part of the future where biologicals can integrate themselves in as well. [00:37:07] Craig Macmillan: That sounds pretty exciting. I wanna thank you both for being on the program. This has been a really great conversation. My guests today we're Nevada Smith. He is the head of Marketing North America and Robert Blande, who's a research plant pathologist, both with Pro Farm Group. Thanks for being on the podcast. [00:37:22] Nevada Smith: Appreciate you. [00:37:23] Rob Blundell: Thank you very much, Craig. It was a pleasure. [00:37:25] Craig Macmillan: And to our listeners, thank you for listening to Sustainable Wine Growing Vineyard team. [00:37:29] Nevada Smith: Craig, one more thing. We gotta just drink more wine.  [00:37:40] Beth Vukmanic: Thank you for listening. [00:37:41] Today's podcast was brought to you by Vineyard Industry Products serving the needs of growers since 1979. Vineyard industry products believes that integrity is vital to building long-term customer, employee, and vendor relationships. And they work hard to provide quality products at the best prices they can find. Vineyard industry products gives back investing in both the community and the industry. [00:38:06] Make sure you check out the show notes for links to Pro Farm, an article titled, what are Bio Pesticides Plus Related Sustainable Wine Growing Podcast episodes. 117 Grapevine Mildew Control with UV Light 123. What's happening in biologicals for pest management and plant health? 266 Soft pesticide trial for powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis and sour rot, and a healthy soils playlist. [00:38:34] If you'd like the show, do us a big favor by sharing it with a friend, subscribing and leaving us a review. You can find all of the podcasts on vineyard team.org/podcast, and you can reach us at podcast@vineyardteam.org. Until next time, this is Sustainable Wine Growing with the Vineyard team.   Nearly perfect transcription by Descript

Amid news of oversupply and decreased demand, the wine industry has an opportunity to adapt to the changing market. Audra Cooper, Director of Grape Brokerage, and Eddie Urman, Central Coast Grape Broker at Turrentine Brokerage, discuss key grape and wine industry trends, from oversupply and vineyard removals to the growing necessity of sustainable certification. They explore regional dynamics, bulk wine market shifts, and future trends, emphasizing innovation, industry collaboration, and better marketing to stay competitive. Resources:         REGISTER: 4/5/25 Fungicide Spraying: Evolving Strategies & Grower Insights Tailgate 258: 5 Ways Certification Makes Brands the SIP | Marketing Tip Monday 259: Winegrape Market Trends of 2024 265: How to Stand Out on Social Media in 2025 268: How to Tackle Leadership Transitions Successfully Turrentine Brokerage Turrentine Brokerage - Newsletter Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet   Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.   Transcript [00:00:00] Beth Vukmanic: Amid news of oversupply and decreased demand, the wine industry has an opportunity to adapt to the changing market. [00:00:11] Welcome to Sustainable Wine, growing with the Vineyard team, where we bring you the latest in science and research for the wine industry. I'm Beth Vukmanic executive director. [00:00:22] In today's podcast, Craig McMillan, critical resource Manager at Niner Wine Estates. With Longtime SIP Certified Vineyard, and the first ever SIP certified winery speaks with Audra Cooper, director of Grape Brokerage and Eddie Urman, central Coast Grape Broker At Turrentine Brokerage, [00:00:41] they discuss key grape and wine industry trends from oversupply to vineyard removals to the growing necessity of sustainable certification. They explore regional dynamics, bulk wine market shifts and future trends. Emphasizing innovation, industry collaboration, and better marketing to stay competitive. [00:01:01] If you love infield education and are on California Central Coast on April 25th, 2025, please join us at the fungicide spring tailgate hosted at Cal Poly. In San Luis Obispo, California, Dr. Shunping Ding will share updated results from a 2024 study on fungicide programs using bio fungicides and their impact on grape yield and berry chemistry. Then we'll visit the Cal Poly Vineyard to explore new powdered mildew management technologies and discuss fungicide spraying programs. With farmers from throughout the central coast to register, go to vineyard team.org/events or look for the link in the show notes. [00:01:44] Craig Macmillan: Our guests today are Audra Cooper. She's Director of Grape Brokerage with Turrentine Brokerage. And also, Eddie Urman, who's Central Coast Grape Broker with Turrentine Brokerage as well. And thanks for coming back. This is part two of a, of a, of an episode here. So, I really appreciate you folks making time to come back. [00:02:00] Audra Cooper: Thank you for having us back. We're excited to join you once again. [00:02:04] Eddie Urman: Yeah, thanks for having us. [00:02:05] Craig Macmillan: So Audra, let's start with you. In our last conversation . [00:02:17] And that was kind of where we left it that then started a conversation amongst the three of us afterward. We were like, okay, there's a lot more to talk about here. So let's do it. [00:02:24] Can you give some examples of what you mean by getting ahead of changes? [00:02:30] Audra Cooper: I think it's a sound business strategy to always try and stay ahead of the curve regardless of what component of business or what industry you're in, right? It's just a, a good strategy to have and a good philosophy to have. It's really important in this industry to continue to stay relevant and in order to stay relevant, you have to stay within the trend or ahead of the trend. [00:02:51] Being behind the eight ball is, never a good thing . You need to be ahead of the curve. A good example of that is sustainable certification. And we still have these discussions on the daily and Eddie, you can talk to this too about how often we have to talk about if you're not sustainably certified, you are cutting your buyer pool, probably roughly in half, as I mentioned in the previous podcast, and you're limiting yourself. [00:03:18] And the majority of the practices, most growers are probably already doing, and they're just not going through the certification process and getting that done. And if you look back a little over a decade ago, it was something that wineries were paying, you know, 25, 50 per ton more for, they were paying a premium. [00:03:36] And then it became more of a, this is really nice to have. And so more and more growers We're doing it as a point of differentiation in their marketing. And now today it's almost a necessity. It's no longer something that's necessarily going to get you a premium price for your grapes. It's also not necessarily a point of differentiation any longer. [00:03:55] It's a need to have. [00:03:57] Craig Macmillan: Yeah, Eddie, do you have anything to add to that? [00:03:59] Eddie Urman: No, I think that's a great example. , Audra offered up. [00:04:02] Craig Macmillan: So there's, trends around that, and there's a lot of certifications now, and I agree, I think a lot of folks don't need to be afraid of whatever the certification is, because you're probably doing a lot of those things already, a lot of common practices. [00:04:13] I think that's an interesting insight that now it's kind of becoming expected or certainly a requirement for a lot of wineries. [00:04:19] Let's talk about changes in acreage. That's where we left off last time when we were talking about the difference between vineyard removals, which have been suggested, recommended, et cetera, by a number of folks in the industry as we just are in oversupply period I've heard estimates that we may have 30 to 35, 000 acres of grapes, more than we need based on current demand. [00:04:40] how accurate do you think that is? , how bad is it on the supply side? [00:04:45] Audra Cooper: Well, I think you have a couple parts to that question, right? Let's dissect that a little bit and start with, we just got back from the Unified Wine Grape Symposium in Sacramento, and of course, during the State of the Industry, Jeff Bitter gave his annual synopsis of the nursery survey that they do annually on how many vines were sold, and they do a, A lot of data work in regards to what were removals and his number that he reported over the last two years was 37, 500 acres have been removed from the state of California. [00:05:15] He believes based on their research that another 50, 000 acres need to be removed to reach the point of balance, assuming that consumption stays at its current rate or drops just a tiny bit. [00:05:29] And when we look at our information internally, now we don't do a survey like Allied does, but we're tracking a lot of information, both with our winery partners as well as our grower partners in regards to who's doing what, and our number's a little bit higher, but we also go back four years technically going back to 2022, our number for the state of California is closer to about 50, 000 acres that have been removed, and, you know, I would argue that If consumption stays flat, certainly there will need more removals, but I don't know about 50, 000 acres more. [00:06:04] That seems like an awful lot of acres that need to be removed. If his numbers are right, that would put us back to Basically global recession numbers, which would be around 500, 000 acres bearing.  [00:06:16] Craig Macmillan: right. in the Grape Crush Report, which is an annual report that's put out by, uh, California Department Of Food and Agriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there is a non bearing acres section in there, which I always find very interesting. Are we able to glean anything from that data in terms of what's been sold, what we think's gonna go back in, et cetera? [00:06:39] I want to put a timestamp on this. So this is being recorded first week of February, 2025. So the unified was in 2025. The report that's coming out is going to be for the 2024 year. [00:06:48] What can we learn from that non bearing acreage report?  [00:06:51] Audra Cooper: So there's two different reports. the acreage report will be coming out a little bit later in the year. We're going to have our crush report come out on February 10. I think you can glean two pieces of information, but both are very similar. And that is how much acreage has actually been removed and how light the crop truly was, particularly in the coastal regions for 2024. [00:07:10] And so when we look at, for example, a 23 bearing and non bearing acreage information from the state of California they're reporting 446, 000 acres of bearing wine grapes. And if you take that at, say, 7 tons an acre, that's 3. 12 million tons. And we know with certainty at 7 tons an acre, That acreage seems pretty low. [00:07:35] It doesn't seem realistic. So unfortunately, because it's a voluntary report when it comes to bearing versus non bearing acres, I do think that the state's probably about two years behind on real data trends. And so unfortunately right now, if you were to use that report as, you know, an analysis of the industry, you'd probably be a bit off. [00:07:54] Craig Macmillan: got it, got it. Are there trends in what varieties are coming out and what varieties are going back in? Because that's often been the driving force for removals and replants, is chasing the marketplace. Are we seeing that kind of thing in California? [00:08:11] Audra Cooper: Yeah, you know, I'll I'll touch on this a little bit and then turn it over to Eddie. It's, it's really difficult to predict in our industry how and what and when to plant, right? Because you are following a trend and a trend that you're going to be lagging behind in trying to meet because of the amount of time it takes to get a crop and a crop that is productive. [00:08:31] And so oftentimes we're abridged, Yeah. Yeah. too far behind in regards to consumer trends. When we look at the central coast as a whole, there's certainly some segmented dynamics on what's being removed versus planted. And, you know, a good place to start, of course, is Paso. Eddie, do you want to talk a little bit more about that? [00:08:51] Eddie Urman: Yeah we do see some trends of, varieties, being pushed out more frequently than others. You know, for the Central Coast, a couple that come to mind are, Zin, Pinot Noir Merlot is one that historically came out. If it's still there, still going out, and then more specifically, old vines is probably the more specific categories. You are seeing a lot of Cab being pushed, that are old vines, but likely to go back into Cab if it gets replanted. [00:09:17] Audra Cooper: that's an interesting trend, because when we're looking at what was purchased based on the survey numbers that Jeff Bitter reported, he was talking about 12, 000 acres being planted based on their survey in 2024, and an overwhelming percentage was still red varietals, which really bucks the trend on what we're seeing observing boots on the ground. [00:09:41] What we've mainly been seeing planted are more alternative whites and niche whites like Grenache Blanc, Pinot Grigio Astrotico, you know, very specific alternative whites in which they're trending with DTC and kind of smaller producers. Certainly we still see some redevelopment of Cabernet as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, not so much on the red blender side or Merlot. [00:10:06] Those seem to be being pulled out and not redeveloped. [00:10:09] Craig Macmillan: Are we seeing any changes or trends around Okay, I'm pushing out Cabernet. I'm going to replant Cabernet. , am I going to replant the same amount of Cabernet? Am I using this as an opportunity to plant new ground? Do we have any information about that kind of thing? [00:10:24] Audra Cooper: Yeah, I mean, to give you hard data would be challenging. I don't know that anyone really has, a hard, fast calculation of what they do and don't do in regards to, the varietal makeup of a redevelopment. And I do want to clarify, I think there's a common misconception, particularly in the coastal regions that This is new net acreage. [00:10:43] It's not new net acreage. A lot of this is redeveloped acreage, but it will be higher in productivity based on, you know, better vines, healthier vines, better spacing, new farming technology, and so forth. And so we'll have new net supply based off that acreage. In full production. When you look at the new developments, though, and it was save paso cab, for example, it's really difficult to say, Oh, well, let's do 50 percent cab and 50 percent red blenders. [00:11:14] I mean, that's a tough decision to make. And you're really making a a pretty risky bet. I think for most people, they're going to plant to the site and also to the trend in the market. And so oftentimes, for example, again, Paso Cab, you're still going to have Cabernet largely go back in on those redevelopments. [00:11:31] When you look at Santa Barbara County, I think they're diversifying a little bit more than they had been in the past. You're not largely just Chardonnay Pinot Cab. You're also seeing alternative reds and whites being planted in that area. Monterey County, when you look at that region, it tends to be a little bit more mixed bag, but still largely chardonnay then in the southern Monterey County area, cabernet and red blenders. [00:11:54] Craig Macmillan: Do you have anything to add to that, Eddie? [00:11:56] Eddie Urman: As far as the rate of what's going back in the ground, you know, in acres. I think as far as East Paso goes Monterey County, Santa Barbara County, we're seeing contraction as far as more acres coming out that are going back. The only area we do see more plantings that are new, it is in the West side of Paso. And it's substantial. I think there's a good amount of acres that have gone in the West side. [00:12:17] Being from the growing side, I think we always wanted to diversify away from Cabernet and Paso Robles specifically, but the reality is the majority of people still want to buy Cabernet. So if anything, I'm worried that growers expect other varieties to try to diversify their portfolio that might not match the demand. [00:12:37] Craig Macmillan: Right, right. And speaking of demand. , we're talking about land and grapes, what's the current state of the, the bulk wine market where you'd expect a lot of the sovers to go where are we kind of at and what do you think are going to be the impacts on the bulk wine market with the replanting? [00:12:53] Audra Cooper: currently right now, listed available with us is about 28 million gallons. We anticipate that it will climb to probably 30, maybe past 30 million gallons at the peak of listing this year, which is typically early summer. In large part, that's still 2023 vintage. However, we do still have some 21, 22, and of course now new 24 is being listed. [00:13:18] The rate of listing is not being eclipsed by the rate of, you know, attrition decline in regards to bulk wine being removed from the market, whether that's through sales or higher and better use internally for those who are listing it. So we still have an off kilter balance there and certainly dramatically an oversupply and that dynamics likely to continue for the next couple of years until we see consumption increase and, and therefore increasing demand for new products. [00:13:45] Typically when we've seen these large increases in availability, what's gotten us out of it is the negotiants who are developing new brands, particularly when we look back to the premiumization sector. We saw a lot of middle tiers, you know, the likes of Duckhorn and Joel Gott and several others who were growing programs that they may have had for a couple of years, but they were very small and they've broadened those to other Appalachians or California and went to the bulk market first to kind of grow those programs before they started grape contracting. [00:14:16] So we're going to need to start seeing that trend in order to clean that market up. [00:14:19] Craig Macmillan: And so that's, that's basically good news, you think, for the bulk wine supply going down the road. [00:14:23] Audra Cooper: I think. In the future, it is in the short term. It's rather painful to have that amount of availability, right? We've been tracking this for the better part of three decades, and there's never been a single calendar year in which we've carried this amount of inventory, particularly going into last harvest, it was the highest inventory we'd ever seen in our tracking. [00:14:44] Keep in mind that this is what's listed available for us. This is not going out and taking inventory of what everyone has in tank that they're not necessarily going to bottle or they don't have a program for. So you can easily maybe double that number and that's what the likely availability is. [00:15:03] Craig Macmillan: Eddie what do you think is going to happen with pricing on on bulk wine? Yeah, I know that you're a specialized in grapes. But obviously those growers are concerned about what's going to happen to those grapes. From the grower side, how attractive is it right now to turn product into bulk wine, do you think? [00:15:21] Eddie Urman: I would say it's very, very, very much not attractive. Uh, we would. Not advocate for that in most scenarios for growers at this time regarding bulk pricing, you know, bulk wine, obviously we have bulk people who have better insight than Audrey, but in general, it's not going to be good. We don't, we don't foresee an increase in price as. we're obviously seeing an increase in supply of bulk wine, that typically is going to still have more downward pressure on price. And as far as growers bulking wine, it's, I think, a very risky game right now. You know, bulk wine does have a life expectancy, to Audra's point earlier. And, know, if you bulk it now, you have to sell it eventually to make your money back. [00:16:02] And then on top of that, you have to carry those costs with today's interest rates.  [00:16:06] Craig Macmillan: Right, right. So, prices for bulk wine right now, I'm guessing have been on the decline for probably a couple of years. Is that accurate? [00:16:13] Audra Cooper: Yeah, that's an accurate statement. If I were to really think about how long they've been on the decline, I would say probably mid, mid calendar year 2023 is when we start to see the downturn of the market be very, you know, impactful on pricing and overall demand. And of course, increasing inventory is really when that trend started. [00:16:34] I want to kind of go back to what Eddie was talking about regarding you know growers making bulk wine and and how risky that is, you know, we have a saying internally and it's so Elementary, but it's so applicable to these times. Your first loss is typically your best loss or your least loss and so it's really important when you're looking at alternative to market Whether or not you're actually going to be able to optimize how much investment you have in that product, and more often than not, when you're making grapes into bulk wine as a grower, you're not going to have the wherewithal to compete with a competitive set, other wineries, or large growers whose business models incorporate making bulk wine as a producer. [00:17:15] So you really end up being on the losing end of that game. [00:17:19] Craig Macmillan: Eddie, do you see price pressure on growers? Are prices being negotiated down or contracts being changed or not renewed? And if so, does that vary by region, do you think? I know you specialize in the Central Coast, but just from what you know. [00:17:34] Eddie Urman: I think for the Central Coast, it's easy to say that there's still unfortunately more cancellations or evergreens being called and their contracts being executed. There is some activity of people being willing to look at stuff and even make offers, which is good news, but typically it's at a lower pricing. [00:17:51] Craig Macmillan: This is for both of you if I'm a grower and I'm facing this situation both what I can get for my price and then also what the chances are of me selling my stuff on the bulk market, is this a situation where we're maybe better off not harvesting all the crop or mothballing some vineyards for the short term? [00:18:08] Eddie Urman: Yeah, I mean, I think in general, the less we pick this upcoming season that doesn't have a home, you know, the better off if it's picked for, uh, a program where it's actually needed, that's great, but bulking one on spec or taking in more fruit because it's cheap or very, you know, very low cost is not going to be a good thing. good overall thing for the industry. [00:18:30] As far as mothballing, we've talked a lot internally. This is where the conversation came in last time about making tough decisions and being intentional about how you're going to farm or you plant going into the season as a grower is, you know, mothballing is very controversial. [00:18:45] I think for our team, as far as whether it truly works and can you truly come back after it's done, if you're mothballing a Vineyard that's at the end of his life expectancy. You're probably just delaying your pain one more year. Cause it probably will not come back. If you're mothballing a five year old vineyard, maybe it's something that's a different story, but a real tough decision. [00:19:06] Mothballing a young producing vineyard most people are not in that situation. [00:19:12] Audra Cooper: Yeah, I mean, I want to expand a little bit on the, the mothballing and not harvesting fruit. I think it's really important that, you know, while this is a rather negative time in the industry and it's really easy to be very pessimistic. I do want to be optimistic about the needed outcomes and the solutions and the pain that's still rather prevalent in our industry to get kind of to the other side of being healthy. [00:19:36] I do want to be optimistic about some of the newer plantings that we've seen basically since 2012. There is a lot of new to middle aged vineyards that I really hope continue to stay in the ground. They need to stay in the ground because they are the highest and best fit for some of the newer style products in wine. [00:19:54] And we need to be able to continue to keep our wine quality elevated. And so while certainly there's vineyards that need to be removed or, or mothballed and taken out of production, there's also the flip side of that where there's a huge need for some of the. better vineyards and the more sought after vineyards or the vineyards that are priced right for the program that they're going into. [00:20:16] So this is kind of a double edged sword in the sense that yeah, we need plenty of production to be pulled out of the supply chain, but at the same time there's a huge need for very specific supply. So I want to be very careful in classifying those items. [00:20:30] Craig Macmillan: Right. And that brings me to my next question Audra there must be regional differences. Yeah. Yeah. In these patterns, I would assume some areas maybe are a little bit more protected from this kind of contraction or, or expansion over supply and others probably really bearing the brunt. I would guess. Do you see patterns at the state level? [00:20:48] Audra Cooper: I see patterns at the state level, but I can even bring it down to the central coast, even so far down to like even Paso right now. And Eddie and I have been talking about this a lot. You know, we saw a huge uptick in available inventory for east side AVA Cabernet and red blenders and even some of the white. Over the last two years, particularly last year in 2024, [00:21:11] and now we're seeing that dynamic shift from the east side climbing and available inventory. And now the west side is where we're seeing most of our listings come from over the last couple of weeks. And so we're now seeing it kind of push into more of the premium luxury tiers as far as this oversupply and the contraction and the kind of the pain points. [00:21:29] And so we are moving through the channels. Which I know again is, is difficult to hear and it's a very negative position to be in the industry, but it's also a sign that the market and the supply chain is moving through what it needs to move towards in order to come out the other side of this thing on a healthier end. [00:21:48] We comment on this a lot where. You know, it's going to get worse, dramatically worse for a short period of time before it gets better. And we're starting to see kind of the beginning of that position. [00:21:58] Craig Macmillan: What about the San Joaquin Valley? San Joaquin Valley? [00:22:02] Audra Cooper: is actually typically leading the charge in regards to our market, particularly our supply aspect of things, both in grapes and bulk wine. And so when we see A retraction in our industry or oversupply. We typically see it in the interior of the central valley first And when we see kind of a new, Growth stage we see it over there first as well And so they're ahead of us by one to two years Currently and then it kind of follows into the central coast and then up into the north coast and what i've seen Historically when you look back at markets and you look at kind of the time horizons of these things how? Long they live and what pushes the momentum of these markets. You'll typically see it last longer in the Central Valley, tiny bit shorter in the Central Coast and a lot shorter in the North Coast. The North Coast usually doesn't see quite as long of a pain period as the other two regions do. And there's, there's a lot of reasons that we probably shouldn't get into today because it would be a whole nother topic of conversation. [00:23:00] But I do think that the Central Coast right now has got another challenging year ahead of it. But also I think that the on ramp to a more positive industry is a little shorter than what I think people are giving credit for too because a lot of the work is being done, we just got to get through these major pain points first. [00:23:19] Craig Macmillan: We know that consumers drive demand for wine and hence wine grapes but are there other economic forces or political forces or regulatory forces that put pressure on this grape market aside from just consumer demand? [00:23:32] Eddie Urman: again, but 1 of big 1s is, put, it could put pressure to the positive or negative on our industry. We don't really know yet. It's still to be determined. when I read this question, the other thing came to mind to me is, is from a grower's perspective ensuring that you're growing. The compatible correct grapes for your region or varieties or it's staying within where you need to be. If the market for, for example, Chardonnay went through, went to the moon, it doesn't mean everyone in Paso should plant Chardonnay, [00:24:00] even though that's the hot variety, right? [00:24:02] It wouldn't be the best variety for most areas of Those are some of the quicker things that come to my mind. I'll probably elaborate. [00:24:10] Audra Cooper: I think to expand upon that, certainly regulations regarding, you know, water usage and irrigation is is a huge factor. And, and Eddie, you could probably do an entire podcast on that particular topic. And I'm sure that you guys have actually, Craig in addition to that, you really look at the economic environment in which people are growing grapes and producing wine. [00:24:32] And the economy of it is getting, you know, more and more difficult. The margins are getting much smaller. You can argue that more often than not people are taking losses year over year. And that puts a ton of pressure on their cash flow. In addition to that, when you look at the lending environment as well, that's become a lot more say, non conducive to being able to continue with business. In a lot of cases, [00:24:57] we have a handful of clients, if not more, who are questioning, do I prune because I don't necessarily have the same operational loan that I've had over the last couple of years and I've been taking low grape prices in order to survive to the following year, but you can only do that so long before it catches up to you. [00:25:14] And then we have another group or another segment of clientele who will prune, but may end up having to throw in the towel sometime, you know, mid summer or sooner because they don't have enough capital to continue with the grapes or you know, not sold. And then you look at the producer side on the winery side, and, and they too are getting crunched. [00:25:32] You know, we often talk about how low grape prices are, but we forget that, you know, wineries are getting crunched on their bottle price as well in order to nationally distribute. You know, what you see on the shelf as a price point does not necessarily mean that that's a price point to that producer. So the economies of this industry are getting more and more difficult every single year. [00:25:52] Craig Macmillan: Eddie, especially, are you seeing trends towards things like mechanization to try to keep costs down? [00:25:58] Eddie Urman: Yeah, absolutely. I mean mechanization and then automation and the vineyard or two, the , you know, hottest topics so here. And people were definitely making the efforts to try to implement those as they come available. The difficult thing can be oftentimes it's investment in equipment. That's very expensive and you have to truly consider is it going to, is it economically feasible to invest in that equipment and what's the payout time going to be based upon the amount of acres you're farming or how many passes you can do with that piece of equipment. So we're, we're seeing it happen, which is great. [00:26:31] It's innovation and it's heading us in the right direction, but at this point, a lot of it is still quite expensive and not everyone could participate for cost reasons. Yeah. [00:26:41] Craig Macmillan: Going forward, we've talked about this a little bit in terms of how different regions are kind of more paying for longer and some a little bit less and et cetera. And this then translates into the wines that are out there. Audra, you'd mentioned you know, the potential of negotiants to come in and help to alleviate the market. [00:26:59] That's definitely what happened in the nineties from my memory. We saw a lot of negotiate brands pop up because there was a plentiful supply for some of those years. Are there things that companies or government or grower associations, are there things that organizations could do to advise growers or help move people in the right direction in terms of kind of what they need to do? Is the viticulture consulting community? Taking these things into account Eddie, let's start with you, [00:27:29] Eddie Urman: that's a big question. there are plenty of people giving good advice in the industry and growers do have resources to reach out to, but it's very difficult to hear information that doesn't. Align with what you would like to do, right? So taking out our emotions from this from the equation and say, okay, does it really make sense to do this or to do that? Where where's that going to leave us and is that going to be in a position? To move forward in a better, know in a better new industry or new, you know New time in this industry when things rebound there's information out there, but it is difficult extremely difficult right now for growers and wineries to make decisions [00:28:09] Craig Macmillan: Yeah. That's the challenge when you have something like this, where it's individual decisions that lead to mass outcomes. It's hard for me as an individual to say, okay, well, I'm going to do my part. I'm going to keep these 10 acres out of production. Especially when I can see that I could sell to somebody. It's a tough go. Go ahead, Audra. [00:28:24] Audra Cooper: So I'm gonna go off on a tangent here a little bit. [00:28:26] Craig Macmillan: do. [00:28:28] Audra Cooper: I don't know, you might not welcome this one. So, you know, some people know this about me. I'm a pretty big Tony Robbins fan. And, You know, for some of you who don't know who that is, he's a self help guru that does a lot of different events and has written a lot of books and he has a philosophy and a saying that he utilizes through most of events, which is where focus goes, energy flows. [00:28:51] And unfortunately, we have not done the best of jobs being positive about ourselves in the industry, out there in the media, that ultimately is consumed by the masses. And so, I've been on this huge bandwagon about, when we're talking to the media, obviously we need to be rooted in reality, but we need to be as optimistic as we can about who we are and what our why is. [00:29:16] And I think oftentimes when we have these downturns, and this one's a pretty deep one, admittedly. That's the rooted in reality, right? But in these downturns, we tend to turn very, very pessimistic and we fail to remember that to some degree or another. We've been here before, and there have been a lot of innovations and activities and work and leadership that have pulled us out of it, and so we need to remember our history a little bit, I think would be my recommendation there, and I think a lot of the associations do a great job In reminding everyone what the historical background is and in some of our why Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is a great example of what an association can do for a region on a national and international level. [00:30:03] I will continue to sing their praises because I think they've done a beautiful job in what they've done over the last 15 years. When you look at You know, what's happening from a government and regulation standpoint, you know, we have to band together as a community and be loud voices. We can't just rely on our neighbor or our representative to be our representative voice. [00:30:25] We need to make sure that we continue to be out there and loud. The other thing too is. We have a community, but we have a tendency to not keep collaboration consistent, and I would love to see our industry collaborate a little bit more, particularly on social media. I know that there's a lot of people probably listening to this right now thinking, why is social media even a remote solution? [00:30:48] But the amount of consumption from the younger generation that are now of drinking age that have not adopted wine as a beverage of choice, consume a huge amount of social media, more than they do TV, more than they do reading, more than any other culture. aspect of information gathering or any other platform that's available to them. [00:31:10] And we have an opportunity to band together and collaborate and change the algorithm regarding wine on social media. And I love to see us do that. We haven't done it. And there's various methods of doing that. And again, could probably be another podcast. I'm by no means the foremost expert on that, but our collaborative efforts. [00:31:27] We'll just drop that because I don't even remember exactly [00:31:30] Craig Macmillan: I think that's sound advice And it's always been a challenge. We do have some statewide Organizations that have that mission. They have a lot on their plate But I agree with you. I think that that is definitely the route or it seems to be the route There's more more research coming out that's showing that Not just the time but also like where people get their news You know, it shows you how important that is to them, how important , that venue is to them. [00:31:55] Eddie Urman: 1 of the things for me to extrapolate on that a little bit. What Audra was talking about is unified at the industry hot topics. Um. Rock mcmillan talked for a minute. The ceo of silicon bank about the wine industry Not itself and taking market share from itself, but taking market share from wine from beer from spirits They've clearly done that to us. [00:32:18] I mean It's a competition. It is what it is, and we've not done a great job marketing To younger, younger generations, everybody knows that everybody repeats it, but what are we going to do about it? And how can we as an industry figure out how to do a better job getting people exposed to wine, getting people to enjoy wine? [00:32:37] Audra Cooper: Yeah, I like that, Eddie. It's time to get aggressive and it's time to re enter wine in the conversation of culture and being part of the daily lifestyle. We've let it kind of fall by the wayside and it's time to get aggressive about what wine can be and was and should be here in the near future. [00:32:57] Craig Macmillan: right. You'd mentioned, you know, what's happened in the past. Audra, are there lessons that we learned that we are forgetting from 20 years ago or lessons that we should have learned 20 years ago that might help us now? [00:33:11] Audra Cooper: it's, that's an interesting question, and I think it is a great question of merit, because history does tend to repeat itself I think we need to get better about predictive trends, and I don't know what the answer is to that, I just know that we need to do that and again, we, we kind of talked about it early in the podcast here that, you know, it's really hard to plant a trend, because you're usually behind the eight ball on it. [00:33:38] And I think that we need to get better about how we plan for the future. I think we forget that, you know, Robert Mondavi and the Gallo's and, and countless others who came before us really went out. To the masses and marketed wine, not just their brands or their programs. They were out there to make sure that they were representing the wine industry and the product that we produce first and foremost. [00:34:06] And so I think there's that element. It's not necessarily missing, but it's not loud enough and it's not aggressive enough. And so we definitely need some leaders to come forward in that regard and really push the initiatives. That we fought so hard to stay in business for. When you look back historically to, I think we have a tendency to kind of do the blame game a little bit. [00:34:28] Like, you've planted too much over there on the coast and you've removed too much of the northern interior and you're charging too much up there in the north coast. And the reality is there's a place. For everyone to play and instead of being the competitive set that we are, again, to Eddie's point that Rob McMillan made as state of the industry, we should be looking at how do we take market share from our competitors, which are beer and spirits, RTDs, and so forth, not from each other. [00:34:57] Craig Macmillan: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. It sounds like it's a time when we need to see some new leadership step up or some folks to take leadership roles which is always kind of scary. [00:35:08] Audra Cooper: It is. It's, it's, you know, here's the, the beautiful thing about emotion though. It's usually a call to action. So if we get scared enough. Someone will do something and I think we're just about there, and, and there's probably people working in the shadows that we're not aware of that will probably come forward here soon, you know, there's great leadership at CAWG level with their association as well as the Wine Institute, they're working hard every single day to be lobbyists , for our industry and to be making sure that they're representing our issues and finding solutions, solutions. [00:35:40] You know, one of the big things that I've learned over the last couple of years, particularly this last year, is, is that we are all responsible for our future and making sure our future is compelling. And so we need to be supporting those associations and paying attention to the relevancy of the information that's out there. [00:35:55] Craig Macmillan: Yeah, that's excellent. This is a, again, kind of a, kind of a tangent and it may not lead anywhere, but I, I just had this thought. You were talking about sustainability certifications and how important they are for growers now. Do you think that communicating the sustainability story of wineries and probably done at an individual level and then spreading out from there do you think consumers would respond to that? [00:36:17] Eddie Urman: Yeah it's hard to say because marketing is not my forte, but I, it sure seems like with the trends as far as health conscious and all this, I think it would resonate with them. It really should. And it's something we should probably capitalize on more as an industry in general. Yeah. [00:36:33] Craig Macmillan: That's interesting. Well do you have, does anybody have like a final message or one thing you would tell growers on this topic? Audra, [00:36:40] Audra Cooper: Well, we covered a lot of topics today, and I think I'll leave everyone with the same thing I said earlier, Where focus goes, energy flows, and if we're focused on the negative, and we're focused on how tough the industry is right now, that's where we're going to be. If we're focused on solutions, we'll find one that works, and it's going to be different for everyone. [00:37:04] Everyone's solution may look a little bit different. This is both an individual and industry wide issue that we're facing currently. with the downturn in the industry and the extreme oversupply. But I have faith that the work that's already being done will pull us out of this. We just need to get innovative in how we market to new consumers. [00:37:26] Craig Macmillan: That's great. Where can people find out more about you folks? [00:37:29] Eddie Urman: on our website. , you can get our information on there and reach out and contact us. Anything else Audra. Right. [00:37:44] Audra Cooper: Year you can go to our social media Turrentine Brokerate or you can find me at GrapeBroker on Instagram. You can also call us or email us or text us if you'd like, or smoke signal us too, although please don't carry fires. [00:37:50] Craig Macmillan: Anyway, right. Well, thank you so much. I guess today we're Audrey Cooper she is a director of great brokerage at Turrentine. Brokerage and Eddie Urman, who is the central coast, great broker Turrentine. Thank you both for being here and having such an interesting conversation. It's an important topic with a lot of question marks, lots and lots of questions, but I think we had some good things come out of it and I really appreciate it. [00:38:11] Audra Cooper: All right. Thank you.  [00:38:17] Beth Vukmanic: Thank you for listening. Today's podcast was brought to you by wonderful laboratories. Wonderful laboratories. Operates two state of the art high throughput laboratories to support pathogen detection and nutrient analysis. The team provides full service support to customers with field sampling, custom panels, and special projects. Their customers include pest control advisors, growers, consultants, seed companies, backyard gardeners, researchers, and more. [00:38:45] Make sure you check out the show notes for links to Turntine brokerage. Their previous interview on the Sustainable Winegrowing podcast, that's number 259, wine Grape Market Trends for 2024, plus other sustainable wine growing podcast episodes, including 265. How to stand out on social media in 2025 and 268 how to tackle leadership transitions successfully.   [00:39:10] If you'd like this show, do us a big favor by sharing it with a friend, subscribing and leaving us a review. [00:39:16] You can find all of the podcasts@vineyardteam.org/podcast and you can reach us at podcast@vineyardteam.org. Until next time, this is Sustainable Winegrowing with the Vineyard team.   Nearly perfect transcription by Descript

In the wine industry, consistency is key—from the grapes to the bottle. But when it comes to energy, relying on outdated systems can be a gamble. Today, we discuss how Australian wineries are switching to solar energy to increase sustainability. For more insights, visit https://www.p4bsolar.com.au P4B Solar City: Norwood Address: 108 Magill Road Website: https://www.p4bsolar.com.au/

[00:00:00] Beth Vukmanic: If one of your resolutions is to ramp up your sustainability messaging, let the SIP Certified Marketing Tips inspire you. [00:00:07] Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know that customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer form episodes help you learn about the latest science and research for the wine industry, these monthly micro podcasts will help you share your dedication to sustainable wine growing. [00:00:26] All year long, we'll be sharing actionable tips, relevant statistics, and inspiring stories from other sustainable wine brands so that you can become fluent in sustainability and learn how to share your message. [00:00:38] There are two ways to get the marketing tips. Number one is to keep listening here to the Sustainable Wine Growing Podcast. The second is to get our monthly newsletter. Simply go to sipcertified. org and click stay up to date in the upper right hand corner. [00:00:54] Each article comes with links and visuals so that you can really embrace the marketing tip. [00:00:58] Now, if you're wondering what the hottest tips of 2024 were, we combined stats from our podcast downloads and webpage visits to bring you this list of the top five. [00:01:09] number five is episode 230, sustainable and organic. What is the difference? If you've ever asked this same question, this article will show that there's a lot of overlap between the two programs. The beauty of sustainability is that it addresses all aspects of. The wine growing business from soil health to social equity. [00:01:29] Number four is episode 228, Viticulture with a Vision, Oso Libre's Dedication to Social Responsibility. Oso Libre's founders, Chris and Linda Behr, started their Pour Vita Foundation in 2011 support causes that are near and dear to their hearts. By using funding streams for multiple winery activities, Oso Libre and their guests give back to these deserving causes too. [00:01:52] In fact, last year they supported our Juan Navarez Memorial Scholarship, a program that helps children of vineyard and winery workers pay for higher education through one of their Angus events. You can read their short story on our website and also look for the 2025 issue of Grape and Wine magazine. titled Blending Wine and Philanthropy at Oso Libre, The Social Impact of Sustainable Wine. And here's another plug for checking out these articles on our website, sipcertified. org, so that you can link back to each of those stories. Number three is episode 236, Safely Keeping Birds at Bay, Presqu'ile Vineyard's Sustainable Story. [00:02:31] Birds like finches and starlings are common vineyard pests. They damage fruit canopies and will even create nests in the vines. To protect their crop, vineyards typically use bird netting. While effective, netting comes with unsustainable downsides. They break down in the sun, installation and removal, requires a lot of labor, and they create waste over time, as nets must be replaced every few years. [00:02:55] Presqu'ile knew there was a more sustainable way to handle their unwelcomed feathered visitors. So they're utilizing a new technology, a laser. [00:03:03] Listen into this episode, or go to the show notes to find a link to read the article. [00:03:07] Number two is episode 220, how to Talk Sip With Six Wine Consumer Segments. Every wine enthusiast has different preferences, behaviors, and levels of investment in their pursuit of great wine. [00:03:20] Wine Intelligence identified six distinct consumer segments in the U. S. market. We saw this article and wondered, how can we tailor a message of sustainability to align with these differences? [00:03:30] Learn how to tailor your own message when you read or listen in to this short episode. [00:03:35] And the number one. Most popular marketing tip of 2024 was episode 240, stacking energy savings at Niner Wine Estates. Electricity use in the winery accounts for a large proportion of the end product's energy demand from keeping buildings and tanks at a proper temperature to powering equipment and lighting. Energy use in the winery adds up quickly. [00:03:58] Niner Wine Estates anticipated and adapted to increased demand and cost. Their efforts have even earned the business two symbols of sustainability achievement, SIP certified and LEED certified silver level. want to know how they did it, out the show notes to read their sustainable story or look for episode [00:04:17] If you are a listener on California's Central Coast, you do not want to miss Reciprocal February 2025. This month long event connects wine enthusiasts like you with sustainably minded brands through reciprocal club tastings all month long. [00:04:33] If you are a member of a participating tasting room, you will receive two complimentary tastings at any other participating location. This is a great opportunity. to try new wines and learn how they practice sustainability. You can find a full list at sipcertified. org forward slash reciprocal 2025. [00:04:54] Until next time, this is Sustainable Wine Growing with the Vineyard Team. Resources: *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course *** Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter ReSIProcal February 2025 Sustainable Story | Print Sustainable Story | Electronic Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet  Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team – Become a Member

Learn more about:Chris at: Chris Watson | LinkedInDomaine Watson at: www.domainewatson.comRenais Gin at: www.eu.renais.co.ukConversation TimeStamps:

In this end of year podcast the Sustainable Wine Roundtable team review the progress made in 2024 and look ahead to the SWR's 2030 strategy. Hear from the SWR's founder, Toby Webb, head of research, Dr Peter Stanbury, and head of operations, Delaney Sheridan, as they reflect on the positive developments and milestones achieved in various action areas, including the Bottle Weight Accord, Standards Benchmarking, Sustainable Viticulture Protocol, and more.

*The headline above was written to test various hypotheses about how to garner attention from the substack world. While this video does not explicitly address the headline, it does describe our focused commitment to a single grape and reaffirm our desire - as a 7th generation family wine brand - to be circumscribed by the magnificence of Cabernet Franc and to move forward in the wine world with one guiding star, come what may. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winesaveslives.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 790 of Grape Encounters Radio is the celebration of a true milestone; our 20th... The post Episode #790 – Celebrate Most Awesome Ever California Wine Month’s Events, Festivals, and Sustainable Wine Adventures appeared first on .

Sustainability in wine is a hot topic, affecting all parts of the value chain for wine. The Sustainable Wine Roundtable is taking action to bring about change with initiatives such as the lightweight bottle accord.

Kathleen Willcox is a journalist who writes about sustainability, wine, spirits, travel, and food. She has written for Wine Enthusiast, VinePair, Wine Searcher, The Drinks Business, and Modern Farmer, and coauthored the book Hudson Valley Wine: A History of Taste & Terroir.  To learn more about Kathleen, find her on LinkedIn and Instagram @kathleenwillcox.

Ray Isle is the Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine and the Wine & Spirits Editor of Travel + Leisure. Ray has won the IACP Award for Narrative Beverage Writing four times, has won the gold award from the North American Travel Journalists Association, and has been nominated three times for the James Beard Award in beverage writing. He is a frequent guest on national media, appearing on programs such as NBC's Today show, CNBC's Squawk Box, and CBS Mornings. He has hosted the Aspen Food and Wine Classic since 2005, and speaks regularly on wine at events around the country. Ray's book The World in a Wineglass: The Insider's Guide to Artisanal, Sustainable, Extraordinary Wines to Drink Now is available in paperback this month. Learn more at rayisle.com.  

Dopo il piano di investimenti per il nuovo Decanter e i pannelli fotovoltaici, Follador Prosecco aderisce al programma Sustainable Wine e al percorso di certificazione Equalitas: l'azienda trasformerà interamente la produzione in un paradigma ecosostenibile entro il 2025. Un progetto complesso, che sarà ufficialmente presentato a Vinitaly, presso lo Stand F4 – Pad. 5,  dal 14 al 17 aprile a Verona.

What does it take to grow the perfect grape? Find out in today's episode with Stan Grant, a vineyard specialist with decades of experience in the grape-growing industry. We discuss Stan's journey into grape growing, the biggest issue in grape nutrition, balancing yield and quality, changes in grape growing practices, creating a crop nutrition plan, differentiating grape varieties for wine, table grapes, and raisins, the challenges and future of the grape industry, and Stan's publications and speaking engagements.   Takeaways Grapevines require a balanced approach to nutrition and stress management to achieve high-quality yields. Mechanization and precision fertigation have revolutionized grape growing practices, allowing for more efficient use of resources. Different grape varieties are cultivated for wine, table grapes, and raisins, each with specific production goals and management practices. The grape industry faces challenges such as labor shortages, water availability, and disease management, but innovation and efficiency can help overcome these obstacles. Stan Grant's expertise and contributions to the grape industry have been instrumental in raising the level of knowledge and improving practices. Useful Links that we mentioned Lodi Growers Idaho Wine Commission

Hugo and Ben welcome Muriel Chatel, founder of Sustainable Wine Solutions and Borough Wines onto the episode.   Muriel and her team are pioneering solutions to help the wine trade to become more sustainable. Their solutions span from a bottle return scheme to wine on tap. All the winemakers Muriel and her team work with practice either organic or biodynamic viticulture. Muriel believes passionately that this approach leads to better quality wine and is also better for the environment due to the biodiversity it encourages. Join us as we discuss: Muriel's journey to founding Borough Wines and Sustainable wine Solutions The benefits of Sustainable Wine Solutions' products The benefits of organic and biodynamic viticulture  We also try 3 brilliant wines from the Borough Wines range: Melon, Famille Gilet Albana Orange  MCO2 Merlot, Max Barreau Follow @The_Premier_Cru on social to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets

Transcription: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-store-are-92151082 You can support our work through Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/kibo_planetnow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Planet Now is a Kibō production, created by Nagisa Morimoto and Abigail Wilkin. Intro song by Leonell Cassio

Nathan Carlson, Winemaker and General Manager at Center of Effort Wines blends a family farming background with a passion for winemaking. From Sta. Rita Hills to Napa Valley, his career reflects a commitment to sustainability. Joining COE in 2010, Nathan oversees production, emphasizing site-specific techniques and cohesive teamwork. His influence extends beyond COE, with a role in industry research and global winemaking connections. In the heart of California wine country, Nathan Carlson shapes the legacy of Center of Effort Wines.   Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:  Nathan discusses the beginnings of his career in Edna Valley A glimpse on Center of Effort as an all-estate winery, emphasizing control over farming practices and winemaking on the property The rich history of the Edna Valley, with a specific focus on Center of Effort's vineyards, some of the oldest in the area dating back to the late '90s The importance of sustainability at Center of Effort, highlighting its role as the first SIP-Certified custom crush facility Exciting sustainability initiatives, including the use of biodegradable stretch film and efforts to reduce plastic waste in winemaking The amazing venture into kegging wines for restaurant partnerships Center of Effort's winemaking style, and the challenges it faced in pursuing organic practices in Edna Valley Take a closer look at their winemaking process focusing on light intervention and the use of native yeast in a custom crush facility An in-depth view of the barrel selection process at Center of Effort, including experimentation with Acacia barrels and their impact on wine production Nathan reflects on the delicate balance between his roles as General Manager and Winemaker at Center of Effort Wines   In this episode with Nathan Carlson Join Nathan Carlson of Center of Effort Wines, as he uncorks the story of their all-estate winery in Edna Valley. Delve into the challenges and triumphs of organic viticulture, sustainable practices, and innovations like biodegradable stretch film and innovative packaging ventures. In today's episode of the Legends Behind the Craft podcast, Drew Thomas Hendricks and Bianca Harmon are joined by Nathan Carlson, Winemaker and General Manager at Center of Effort Wines. Explore the craftsmanship behind cellar-worthy GSM wines and the art of using native yeast in a custom crush facility. Nathan also shares insights into barrel selection, including experiments with Acacia barrels. Learn about the balance between the roles of GM and Winemaker in this vintage journey through Center of Effort Wines.   Sponsor for this episode… This episode is brought to you by Barrels Ahead. Barrels Ahead is a wine and craft marketing agency that propels organic growth by using a powerful combination of content development, Search Engine Optimization, and paid search. At Barrels Ahead, we know that your business is unique. That's why we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind marketing strategy that highlights your authenticity, tells your story, and makes your business stand out from your competitors. Our team at Barrels Ahead helps you leverage your knowledge so you can enjoy the results and revenue your business deserves. So, what are you waiting for? Unlock your results today! To learn more, visit barrelsahead.com or email us at hello@barrelsahead.com to schedule a strategy call.

In this week's episode olive's drinks writer Hannah Guinness chats about some of the things winemakers are doing to make their practice and product more sustainable and what we can look out for when buying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ERENEWABLE and The Green Insider Podcast's next stop in the Texas Hill Country took us to Pedernales Cellars.  On episode 201 hear from the co-founder and winemaker, David Kuhlken. David and his sister Julie Kuhlken started Pedernales Cellars near Fredericksburg, TX in 2006.  Pedernales Cellars draws its name from geography … The post Another Sustainable Wine Stop by The Green Insider appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Usually when Kansas University and the University of Kentucky meet it is on the basketball court but today it was at Bending Branch Winery with our guest is Dr. Bob Young, Co-Founder.  Sitting outside of Comfort, TX is Bending Branch Winery.  The winery won the 2020 Grand Champion, Texas Sustainable … The post Learn about Sustainable Wine and Angel Share On The Green Insider appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Your website is the hub for your brand's core information: location, history, shop, and more. It's where people come to learn more about what you have to offer and why they should support your business. Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer-form episodes help you learn about the latest science and research for the wine industry, these twice-monthly micro podcasts will help you share your dedication to sustainable winegrowing so you can show your customers that you share their values. The brand-new Sustainable Story worksheet is a simple yet powerful free tool that helps you tell your own personal sustainable message. Simply download the worksheet linked in the show notes, complete it with your whole team, and keep following along with this podcast series to learn how to incorporate your story into every aspect of your marketing and sales. By highlighting your dedication to sustainability you create a deeper connection with your website visitors. When your visitors read about the conscious care that goes into producing your wines, they can feel good about supporting a system of winemaking that helps protect the people and the planet. Here are two easy places to share your Sustainable Story on your website. Dedicate a Page to Sustainability Put your commitment to sustainability front and center by dedicating an entire page to your certification! Here are three great examples of how brands have included sustainably no their website. 1) WaterFire has added SIP Certified right to their main navigation on their home page. This page exhibits a colorful infographic, and tells visitors what their certification means. 2) Cambria looks at sustainability not as a checklist, but as a way of being. Their Keeping it Real – 100% Certified Sustainable page offers six specific sustainable metrics so visitors know what sustainability really looks like. 3) Laetitia Vineyard & Winery goes a step further by embedding a video on their Sustainability page. During his 2-minute narration, Eric Hickey, Senior Winemaker and General Manager, tells visitors a quick story about the history of the vineyard, and gives a few examples of sustainable practices that are used today. Blog Posts 1) Ancient Peaks has created an easy to find category for all things Sustainability on their extensive blog page. Complete with a downloadable Sustainability in Practice at Ancient Peaks Winery sheet, this post gives a sampling of six sustainability initiatives that embody their love for the land. 2) Just Enough Wines recently made a blog post highlighting how they source grapes grown through Sustainable Winegrowing Practices. When readers see Just Enough Wines on the shelf, they'll remember that sustainability is one of their core values. 3) Hope Family Wines uses their blog to help educate visitors on what sustainability means. A read through their blog post, Sustainable Wine vs Organic Wine, explains how both programs support a system of winegrowing that helps the planet. They're coming! Sustainable Stories from SIP Certified Members Ready for some Sustainable Stories from SIP Certified members? In the next Marketing Tip, learn what Shale Oak Winery does to address one of California's biggest sustainability concerns through their responsible Water Management practices. Use the Sustainable Story worksheet to help you identify the ways your brand embodies the 7 sustainable values: Worksheet for Print | Worksheet for Electronic Filling Stay tuned for more Marketing Tip Mondays, where we will help you explore ways of incorporating your brand's sustainable practices into your messaging. Check out the show notes to download and complete your own Sustainable Story worksheet, an example from Niner Wine Estates, to share the blog post about Vina Robles' story, and to sign up for our biweekly Marketing Tips newsletter. Until next time, this is Sustainable Winegrowing with the Vineyard Team. References: **SIP Smart Training online course Marketing Tips eNewsletter Niner Wines Estates protects the people and the planet Sustainable Story Worksheet for Print Sustainable Story Worksheet for Electronic Filling What's your Sustainable Story? SIP Certified Social Responsibility: Vina Robles Vineyard Team

After leaving the US Army and moving to New York City, Tyzok Wharton discovered a passion for craft beverages and their culinary counterparts. In 2005, he moved to San Francisco and began his winemaking career. In 2010, he helped launch Bluxome Street Winery and in 2016 he relocated to Denver to join the Carboy Winery family. As the Director of Winemaking and head winemaker, Tyzok draws on his artisan and foodie inclinations, Army-trained logistical eye, and extensive experience with optimal fruit sourcing to create the most palate-pleasing and food-friendly wines in Colorado.   Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:  Tyzok is the director of winemaking and head winemaker of Carboy Winery Carboy's Teroldego named the wine of the year for 2022 Tyzok's attraction to wine startups and the challenges they present Balancing hospitality and winemaking is a challenge Sustainable and cost-saving benefits of using wine on tap Carboy Vineyard's focus on growing into their current locations before exploring new vineyard opportunities   In this episode with Tyzok Wharton In this episode with Tyzok Wharton, Tyzok talks about his journey into winemaking. What is Carboy Winery's unique license as a restaurant vineyard and how do they balance winemaking? Tyzok Wharton is the Director of Winemaking and Head Winemaker at Carboy Winery, he discusses everything from the use of Teroldego grapes in their wine to Tyzok's journey into winemaking. His experience shifted from San Francisco to Colorado and adjusting to working with cold hearty hybrids.  In today's episode of the Legends Behind The Craft podcast, Drew Thomas Hendricks is joined by Tyzok Wharton the Director of Winemaking and Head Winemaker at Carboy Winery. He talks about the challenges and rewards of running a startup winery, specifically Carboy Winery in Colorado. Carboy Winery has moved into the seltzer category with its Cold Vines line, which uses surplus Aromella grapes as a base for four different flavors.    Sponsor for this episode… This episode is brought to you by Barrels Ahead. Barrels Ahead is a wine and craft marketing agency that propels organic growth by using a powerful combination of content development, Search Engine Optimization, and paid search. At Barrels Ahead, we know that your business is unique. That's why we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind marketing strategy that highlights your authenticity, tells your story, and makes your business stand out from your competitors. Our team at Barrels Ahead helps you leverage your knowledge so you can enjoy the results and revenue your business deserves. So, what are you waiting for? Unlock your results today! To learn more, visit barrelsahead.com or email us at hello@barrelsahead.com to schedule a strategy call.

Steve McInytre of McIntyre Family Wines is truly one of the OG sustainable grape growers and winemakers of Monterey County's Santa Lucia Highlands. Steve dreamed of being a rock star, but lucky for us - and the wine world - the wine bug bit. The Marys visit Steve at his Carmel tasting room, the McIntyre Tasting Studio, where we chat about and taste the wines that taste of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Steve helped create the guidelines for the sustainability certification SIP Certified, which stands for Sustainability in Practice. He also helped establish the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA (SLH). Steve also planted and farms about 20% of the vineyards in the SLH. He knows the ins and outs for coaxing true expressions of the regions from vine to glass. We not only taste, but chat about the family's adorable Bernese Mountain dogs. You can visit the dog-friendly McIntyre Tasting Studio in Carmel at the Crossroads Shopping Center. 169 Crossroads BlvdCarmel, CA https://www.mcintyrevineyards.com/Our-Tasting-Room

In this Sustainable Wine podcast Toby Webb sits down with Franck Bijon, president of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc. Located in the Médoc in Bordeaux, France, around 250 châteaux are part of the classification, with most of them family-owned. Looking ahead to the future of sustainable wine in the region, Franck shares the sustainability targets of the classification. They discuss labor issues, organic viticulture, QR codes on wine bottles, consumer engagement, and more.

On this week's episode of Fine Vines and Wine, I'm joined by Tony Allen, Chief Winemaker at Duxton Vineyards and Rewild Wine.This episode is jam packed with interesting wine chats (Tony brings over 30 years of industry experience in winemaking and operations), sustainable wine brand initiatives, and how these are now shaping the wine industry. Plus, we even live taste a couple of bottles from the affordable Rewild range.We delve deep into what it takes to create a successful sustainable wine label chatting about the bigger picture and the smaller less obvious details that are all involved in the process, plus we hear what's in store for the future and that there may even be a new varietal joining the already broad range very soon.So sit back, pour yourself a large glass of your favourite beverage, and join me for this weeks delightful journey through the world of Australian wine.Wines Mentioned in this Episode (all available to purchase from Dan Murphys & select BWS stores):Sustainably Made Prosecco - $9.99Fiano - $9.99Sustainably Made Chardonnay - $9.99Sustainably Made Shiraz - $9.99

Vintec Podcast: a wine lovers guide to collecting, cellaring and serving

Jane Anson joins Robert Tas today to talk about the future of wine and sustainability in the wine industry. Jane is a graduate of the DUAD tasting diploma with the Bordeaux Institute of Oenology and an accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux Ecole du Vin. She has lived in Bordeaux since 2003; she has won several awards for her writing and is the author of Inside Bordeaux, and is the co-author or translator of over a dozen wine and travel books.  Key points include:  The perception of luxury in wine The next generation of wine consumers New packaging for wine For more information on today's episode, and the wines you love to love, visit www.corkrules.com.

In this Sustainable Wine podcast Hanna Halmari speaks with Paul Espitalié, President of the Chablis Commission of the Bourgogne Wine Board. Chablis is the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region in France and is known for producing a distinctive light and dry Chardonnay. They discuss the impacts of climate change in the region, the climate adaptation strategies and practices in place, emissions reduction efforts, and more.

This is the first panel from the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Quarterly Live Panel Discussions series, which brings together SWR members and non-members to share experiences and discuss the most pressing issues in wine. Alongside presenting the latest progress of the SWR and the opportunities and benefits of SWR membership, we hear from some of our members on what their motivations were for joining and how the SWR is supporting their organisations to achieve their sustainability objectives. Our panel of SWR members include: Dom de Ville, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, The Wine Society (The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited) Anne Jones, Sustainability Expert – Wines, Beers and Spirits, Waitrose & Partners Marta Juega, PhD, Winemaker and Sustainability Manager, Alliance Wine Chris Millson, Head of Sustainability, Direct Wines Andres Valero, Sustainability and CSR Leader, Grupo Avinea Moderator: Tobias Webb, Executive Director, Sustainable Wine Roundtable Find out more about our upcoming panel discussions here.

In the November episode of the Sustainable Wine Show Hanna Halmari (editor, Sustainable Wine), Tom Owtram (operations and partnerships manager, SWR) and Toby Webb (founder, SWR) get together to discuss the latest sustainability news in wine and recent developments within the Sustainable Wine Roundtable. They're joined by guest speaker, Dom De Ville, director of sustainability and social impact at The Wine Society. Dom shares what The Wine Society has been up to recently and their involvement in the roundtable. For more information or to register your interest in featuring in the podcast,  please contact Hanna Halmari at hanna@sustainablewine.co.uk

Wines: Fresh Vine 2019 Pinot Noir & 2020 Cabernet SauvignonWhen considering what wines will fit into your lifestyle, it's important to determine for yourself which factors are important to you. For some, world-view or food sourcing best practices are paramount, for others, dietary concerns or weight management are important to consider, for some, pricing and quality are primary.In developing the concept of the Wine Taste Filter, we identified four different categories of the varying concerns most consumers have, which we are calling “mountains” and we understand each of these concerns isn't for everyone, which is why we're asking: which mountains are YOU willing to climb? We want to help you identify your priorities when fitting wine into your lifestyle by giving you information and tools to decipher those crazy wine labels and marketing buzzwords to help you determine which wines fit those priorities.Listen to hear us breakdown the categories and describe what factors fall under each. Keep following along on our "Fitting Wine Into YOUR Lifestyle" series to assist you to be more intentional in your wine selection and to make the most of your wine purchase power. Stay in the know and join our WTF Cru.About UsBuy us a Mimosa!Wines To Find Podcast,  Finalist in the 12th Annual TASTE AWARDS  in  four categories. -Best Drink or Beverage Program-Best New Series-Best Single Topic Series-Best Food or Drink PodcastWe have been listed in the Top 50 wine podcasts! https://blog.feedspot.com/wine_podcasts/Music from https://filmmusic.io "Night In Venice" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Thank you for making us part of your wine story. If you enjoyed this episode, please write a review and share with your wine loving friends and family. To connect with us or to inquire about being a guest on Wines To Find, visit our social media pages Instagram https://www.instagram.com/winestofindpodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/winestofindpodcasts/Til the next glass ~ Cheers!And, remember, join us next time on Wines To Find!Sandy & Michelle

In the October episode of the Sustainable Wine Show Hanna Halmari (editor, Sustainable Wine) and Tom Owtram (operations and partnerships manager, SWR) get together to discuss the latest sustainability news in wine and recent developments within the SWR. They're joined by guest speaker, Marta Juega Rivera, winemaker and sustainability manager at Alliance Wine and a founding member of the SWR. Marta shares what Alliance Wine has been up to recently and their involvement in the SWR. For more information or to register your interest in featuring in the podcast,  please contact Hanna Halmari at hanna@sustainablewine.co.uk

This is the first episode in our new ‘Sustainable Wine Show' featuring Toby Webb (founder, SWR), Tom Owtram (operations and partnerships manager, SWR) and Hanna Halmari (editor, Sustainable Wine). Each month the team will get together to discuss the latest sustainability news in wine and recent developments within the SWR. Going forward, in each episode we'll feature a different guest speaker from the membership to talk about their current work in sustainability. For more information or to register your interest in featuring in the podcast,  please contact Hanna Halmari - hanna@sustainablewine.co.uk

In this final Sustainability in Alentejo episode, I speak with João Barroso, manager of the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP). [Visit https://genn.cc for more info or support this channel on https://patreon.com/genncc] We discuss how the programme evolved from a need to respond to worsening climatic conditions, into a solid certification programme to help communicate the measured results of producers who take sustainability seriously. João also discusses how the programme consciously developed a knowledge-sharing network to accelerate the uptake of best practices. Some of these best practices include the use of regenerative farming which, in a drought-prone region like Alentejo, is showing very positive results. The difference here, as João says, is between trying to survive in a desert, or, thriving in a garden of Eden. Either way, viticulture at higher temperatures has to mean working with nature, as Professor Kimberly Nicholas has said earlier in the series. The last point, as Dr Gregory Jones mentioned earlier, is about finding ways to expand these best practices beyond the regional level to the national and international levels. This is where the wine producers and journalists and communicators interface to tell those stories. It seems to me that it is up to all of us to try and decode what is behind the certification labels. We do this best by telling the stories of contemporary viticulture that respects nature, promotes stewardship of the land, and ultimately inspires trust in consumers that the wine industry is on a sustainable pathway.

On June 22-23 the Sustainable Wine Roundtable held its first annual conference. The two-day online event brought together 250+ experts from across and outside the global wine industry to discuss the critical sustainability challenges facing the sector. All of the session recordings are available online.  Session Title: Consumers say they want sustainable wine; how can retailers deliver? Speakers: Devon Broglie, Wine, Beer, and Spirits Product Development and Innovation, WholeFoods Sara Norell, Director of Assortment, Purchasing & Supplychain, Systembolaget Dan Thomas, Co-founder, Smashed Grapes Andrés Valero, Sustainability and CSR Leader, Grupo Avinea Moderator: Joe Fattorini, Trade Managing Director, Pix

On June 22-23 the Sustainable Wine Roundtable held its first annual conference. The two-day online event brought together 250+ experts from across and outside the global wine industry to discuss the critical sustainability challenges facing the sector. All of the session recordings are available online.  Session Title: How will the Sustainable Wine Roundtable catalyse change in the global wine industry? And why does it matter? Speakers: Carlos De Jesus, Director Marketing & Communications, Amorim Marcus Ihre, Sustainability Supply Chain Manager, Systembolaget Valentina Lira, Director of Sustainability, Concha y Toro Barbara Wolff Gopfert, Sustainability & Innovation Manager, VSPT Wine Group Hubert Zeimett, Managing Director, Château Léoube Moderator: Richard Bampfield MW

On June 22-23 the Sustainable Wine Roundtable held its first annual conference. The two-day online event brought together 250+ experts from across and outside the global wine industry to discuss the critical sustainability challenges facing the sector. All of the session recordings are available online.  Session Title: Sustainable tourism: How do we link sustainable tourism with sustainable wine? Speakers: Saúl Blanco, Director of Sustainable Travel Programme, Preferred by Nature Shelly Fuller, Fruit & Wine Programme Manager, WWF South Africa Catherine Leparmentier, Managing Director, Great Wine Capitals Michele Manelli, Equalitas Vice-President & Owner, Salcheto Winery Gergely Szolnoki, Professor of Market Research, Hochschule Geisenheim University Moderator: Marta Juega Rivera, Winemaker and Sustainability Manager, Alliance Wine

May Monthly Discussion Topic: How can hospitality drive demand for sustainable wine? Speakers: Muriel Chatel, managing director, SustainableWineSolutions Bethany Morgan-Jones, GM and head sommelier, Apricity Juliane Caillouette Noble, managing director, The Sustainable Restaurant Association Marta Juega Rivera, winemaker and sustainability manager, Alliance Wine Moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Sustainable Wine   --- Every month the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) hosts a free debate-style webinar in which we address a challenging topic in wine sustainability. We discuss key issues, propose solutions, and explore the practical implementation of sustainability in wine. See here for more information on the next upcoming discussion.

In this Sustainable Wine podcast, Toby Webb talks with Joe Fattorini, presenter of The Wine Show and  Managing Director Trade at Pix, a wine discovery platform. They discuss how Pix helps connect people with wine, insights into how people search for and select wine, and how consumers can be driven to make sustainable choices. They debate who can - and should - drive the change to shift the majority of wine to be sold in sustainable packaging, how to change consumer perceptions of boxed wine at scale, the role of choice editing by retailers, and much, much more.

From regenerative farming and eco-friendly packaging to water treatment, wellness-centered employee policies and beyond, there's a lot to consider when it comes to talking sustainability in wine. In this episode, Assistant Editor Jacy Topps speaks with two industry experts—Katie Jackson of Jackson Family Wines and International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), and Tobias Webb of Sustainable Wine and the Sustainable Wine Roundtable—about the current and future initiatives the wine industry has and/or hopes to implement to mitigate climate change.   FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

In this Sustainable Wine podcast Toby Webb talks to Bordeaux expert Wendy Narby of Insider Tasting. They discuss Bordeaux's history in sustainability, the multiple sustainability initiatives and certifications driving change, how sustainability can be an opportunity for smaller producers in the region, and much more.     

In this Sustainable Wine podcast Toby Webb talks with Iain Richardson, general manager at Mouchão Winery in Alentejo, Portugal. The Mouchão estate is roughly 900 hectares and of that only 43 are planted under vine. They discuss how the winery has been affected by climate change, what the estate is doing in terms of climate adaptation in the vineyard, lessons learned from the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program, and the potential of landscapes approaches in the wine industry.

Whether you love buttery Chardonnays or velvety Pinot Noirs, a delicious glass of wine can be the perfect way to end the day. But how do you know your wine aligns with your values? This week, we're resharing a past episode we love featuring Allison Jordan, the executive director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. In it, we discuss what makes a wine “clean” and how the wine industry is incorporating sustainability into its growing, harvesting, and winemaking practices. For show notes, visit https://brightly.eco/wine-that-is-better-than-clean-wine.

The Sustainable Wine team recently sat down to discuss the year in review and take a look at the year ahead. In this podcast Sustainable Wine's founder, Toby Webb, and editor, Hanna Halmari,  discuss the key sustainable wine themes and trends from 2021. Looking forward to 2022, Tom Owtram, Sustainable Wine's outreach and development manager,  talks about the work of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable and its plans for the year ahead.

What's the difference between organic and sustainable wine? If you don't know the answer, then you must listen to our latest podcast with Allison Jordan, Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Jordan explains the fine details of sustainably certified wine, along with the long history of the CSWA, how and where sustainable wine education happens, and why more consumers care about these kinds of products. And if you did know the answer to our question, well, tune in anyways for a deeper dive into an important topic. Cheers!

This is a recording from our Sustainability in the Vineyard  online conference that took place on 22nd June, 2021. Regenerative is everywhere you turn. But there is only one standard and certification scheme, out of California, so far. More are coming. But does regenerative ‘do the job' in describing and catalysing sustainable practices? Our speakers bring different perspectives to this debate and we'll ask them questions such as: What does regenerative actually mean? Should it go beyond soil? How have sustainability concerns changed how they work in the vineyard today? Do we need more and better standards for sustainable viticulture beyond organic? Should these be certifiable? How do we get the sustainability message across to growers and smaller producers- often using outdated practices because “that's how we do it” Speakers: Basile Tesseron, owner and winemaker, Château Lafon-Rochet João L. Barroso, sustainability programme coordinator, Wines of Alentejo Stephen Cronk, founder & CEO, Mirabeau Wine Abby Rose, co-founder, Vidacycle Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

This is a recording from our Sustainability in the Vineyard  online conference that took place on 22nd June, 2021. Science based approaches are not always taken on board in the wine industry. One good example is how the term organic is understood and applied. In this session we will debate, with a science communications expert, how this should change. Climate change means we really do need all the tools available to us, and we will discuss how we move from dogma, to science based approaches. Speakers: Ernst Loosen, owner, Weingut Dr. Loosen Jon Entine, executive director, Genetic Literacy Project Bruno Le Breton, owner and winemaker, BLB Vignobles Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

This is a recording from our Sustainability in the Vineyard  online conference that took place on 22nd June, 2021. Whilst vineyards can often be carbon sinks, emissions can still be a factor. All businesses will need to show how they are cutting emissions and moving towards net positive impacts. This session will discuss three important themes: What can you do now to mitigate impact, adapt to current climate changes and prepare for those in the future? How should vineyard owners and managers seek to influence what happens in the winery to reduce emissions? (Bottle weight as an example) What is the role – and responsibility – of wine producers overall, to communicate and raise awareness about climate change to customers, suppliers and the public in general? Speakers:  Charles Philipponat, CEO, Champagne Philipponnat Nicole Rolet, owner, Chêne Bleu Chris Foss, chair, Sustainable Wines of GB Alistair Nesbitt, CEO, Vinescapes Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

This is a recording from our Sustainable Wine Packaging online conference that took place on 23rd June, 2021. The glass industry has come under pressure on its CO2 footprint in recent years. Bottle weight has become the most significant factor in climate change in wine as a result of the footprint of glass. Meanwhile alternative formats are getting a lot of attention. However, glass is here to stay for much of the wine industry. So how can it, and is it, reducing its footprint? And what can wine bottle sourcing businesses do, to support lower carbon glass? We will discuss here.  Speaker: Dr. Nick Kirk, technical director, British Glass Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

This is a recording from our Sustainable Wine Packaging online conference that took place on 23rd June, 2021. Research appears to show that packaging can be the largest part of wine's carbon footprint, with up to 30% of the GHG emissions from wine, being in bottle manufacture and transport. We will look at the latest numbers on impact, how this can be changed. We'll also ask what retailers want now on packaging performance, and how will that change to 2025 and beyond? Speakers: Anne Jones, partner and category manager drinks, Waitrose & Partners Kim Forsberg, sustainability manager, VinGruppen Joanna Griffiths, global food community director, BSI Carlos de Jesus, marketing & communication director, Amorim Cork Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

This is a recording from our Sustainable Wine Packaging online conference that took place on 23rd June, 2021. Talking to consumers about sustainability has never been easy. In 2021 awareness of sustainability issues has never been greater. But helping customers move beyond buying organic or natural wine means getting them to think about packaging and distribution, which is where the biggest impacts actually are, in terms of CO2. In this session we'll discuss how those closest to customers can engage them in sustainability beyond bottle labels. Speakers: Muriel Chatel, managing director, Borough Wines Melissa Saunders, MW, CEO, Communal Brands Damien Barton, director, Château Leoville Barton & Langoa Barton Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

Australia's wine industry is answering the call from consumers, promising to make more sustainable wine. The sector is already working towards being carbon neutral by 2050, and is actively looking at cutting that target to 2030. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is a national program for growers to bench mark their sustainability practices at receive accreditation. Rural editor Eddie Summerfield caught up with Australian Grape and Wine Chief Executive Tony Battaglene and Damien Sheehan from Mount Langi Ghiran in Victoria's Grampians. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recently launched Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is the only global, independent, non-profit, multi stakeholder roundtable built to accelerate sustainability in the wine industry.  On 15th September 2021, the SWR held a global media briefing to announce the launch, its founding members, future plans and how you can get involved. Listen to the recording here.

Aubrey Terrazas is the Co-Found, Marketing Director, and Master Sommelier Candidate for the Palate Club. Her intro into the wine world began with her degree in French and as she waited tables alongside sommeliers. She continued her learning and worked as a sommelier for many years at the start of her career in wine.As an avid wine enthusiast and lover of learning, I have thought a lot about becoming a sommelier. Through my research, I found it to be a rigorous and intense process. Aubrey shared that there are many avenues into this field. To work in a restaurant as a sommelier there is no formal education or certification required. Many use their personal knowledge and experience. However, if you do choose to get a certification or even a master's certification, it is very intense because you have to learn about wine and grapes from all over the world. Palate Club was founded by Nicolas Mendiharat. He became a wine lover growing up in France and noticed a problem in choosing wine from the large variety found on shelves when he moved to the USA in 2015. Even having knowledge about wine, he found difficulty finding the wines he liked when there were so many labels in front of him. Palate Club was founded to help wine lovers find wines that match their taste, learn about wine, and discover new bottles from around the world. Sustainability Sourced in the wine world is really on-trend right now. People often find that wine labeled “Sustainable” can give less of a hangover, which makes sense because the word sustainable can mean so many things in the wine industry. Aubrey described sustainable as an umbrella term, starting all the way in the vineyard, from how they grow and treat their grapes all the way to packaging. In fact, more than 50% of a wine's carbon footprint comes from a bottle. As a woman in a very male-dominated industry, Aubrey shared some of what she sees and her advice for women in wine or other industries. Like many fields, as a young woman, it can be hard to get a job and be taken seriously. Aubrey says that the key to success is to work hard and stay authentic to who you are. She finds it important to put the focus on your power and your knowledge and not on using vanity to get ahead. I can say that being heavily involved in the social media world with Crystal Media, it can be easy to be distracted by vanity and compete in that way. However, if you're true to yourself, I truly believe you will get where you want to go in the way you want to get there. This was such a fun episode for me because as you know, I love wine! It was so fun to talk about wine and learn so much! I cannot wait to hopefully do a tasting with the Palate Club soon!What's Inside:What is the Palate Club?What it takes to be a sommelier.Sustainability in wine.The ins and outs of palates and the wine world.Women succeeding in a male-dominated industry.Mentioned In This Episode:Palate CLubPalate Club on InstagramAubrey Terrazas on LinkedInSan Diego Hat Co: EXCLUSIVE!! Our favorite hat lovers (that means you!) get 35% OFF w/ code FRIENDS35. Expires TonightMy wine - 2018 Ramos Reserva Selected Blend: João Portugal RamosConnect with CrystalCrystal on YouTubeCrystal on InstagramCrystal on TikTok

Wines: Archer Roose Prosecco, Rosé and Sauvignon BlancGuests: Marian Leitner Waldman and Alicia Towns FrankenWe are joined by Archer Roose's owner and founder, Marian Leitner Waldman, and VP of Wine Portfolio, Alicia Towns Franken, to discuss Archer Roose canned wines.Acher Roose offers ethically sourced wines from producers around the world. Their focus is to provide high quality, eco-friendly, minimal intervention wines. Offering them in cans serves many purposes including smaller portion sizes perfect for that mid-week meal, ease of recycling, ease of transport.Marian and Alicia share the origin story of Archer Roose, their commitment to featuring minimal intervention wines made by small producers, how they source their wines and why  bringing a sense of place, sustainability and respect for the environment is at the heart of their company.We enjoyed learning about this eco-conscious wine company. Listen to hear our ratings of these wines and why canned wines could fit  your  lifestyle.Wines To Find Podcast,  Finalist in the 12th Annual TASTE AWARDS  in  four categories. -Best Drink or Beverage Program-Best New Series-Best Single Topic Series-Best Food or Drink PodcastWe have been listed in the Top 30 wine podcasts! https://blog.feedspot.com/wine_podcasts/********************************************Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/winestofind)

Beth and Dianne speak with Jill Osur, President and CEO of Teneral Cellars, a "disruptive", woman-owned wine business that is re-thinking what it means to be a wine brand. As a former collegiate scholarship softball player at the University of California at Berkeley, and a black belt in karate, Jill Osur has been able to combine her passion for sports and competition into a successful and prosperous career as a social entrepreneur. Jill has helped over ten start-ups launch and is a seasoned sales and marketing executive. Jill is a respected author, speaker, and strategist responsible for raising more than $150 million for the Special Olympics. Jill believes as a female business owner that you have to stand up, speak up, and ShoulderUp to support other women and promote equity. Jill was the recipient of a 2012 Bronze Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year in Consumer Products for up to 2500 employees. Jill was named one of 8 international finalists for a Stevie Award in 2009, an award presented to Women Entrepreneurs in Technology.Teneral Cellars is an entrepreneurial agent for social change. It is a woman-owned and run empowerment community that supports women's causes and industry inclusion through the production and sale of phenomenal wine. Founded in March 2020 as a purpose-driven brand, it aims to produce incredible wines from sustainably farmed vineyards, curate meaningful experiences, and build a strong community through cause.

The second session from the Pre-Conference Workshop: 'Sustainable Wine Packaging - How to lower your footprint and engage your customers', in partnership with BSI   Speakers: - Zach Lawless, co-founder / CEO, The Good Goods - Bruce Schneider, co-founder, Gotham Project - Joanna Griffiths, Global Food Community Director, BSI Group   Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The first session from the Pre-Conference Workshop: 'Sustainable Wine Packaging - How to lower your footprint and engage your customers', in partnership with BSI   Speakers: - Joanna Griffiths, Global Food Community Director, BSI Group - Melissa Saunders MW, CEO, Communal Brands Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine  

The fifth session from the second day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Laura Catena, managing director and founder and board member, Bodega Catena Zapata and Catena Institute of Wine - Fernando Buscema, winemaker and executive director, Bodega Catena Zapata and Catena Institute of Wine Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The fourth session from the second day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Edward Field, owner and founding partner, Natural Merchants - Rob McMillan, EVP & Founder, Wine Division, Silicon Valley Bank - Beth Vukmanic, program director, SIP Certified - Pamela Strayer, Senior Editor, Slow Wine Guide USA Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The fifth breakout session from the second day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Carlo Mondavi, co-founder & chief farming officer Monarch Tractor, co-founder winegrower, RAEN winery   Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The first breakout session from the second day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Gabriel Bloise winemaker, Chakana Winery - Miguel Garcia, sustainable agriculture program manager, Napa Resource Conservation District - Jordan Lonbord, viticulturist, Tablas Creek Vineyard - Dr. Cristine Morgan, chief scientific officer, Soil Health Institute Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The first session from the second day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Ignacio Gavilan, director, The Consumer Goods Forum - David Grayson, emeritus professor of corporate responsibility, Cranfield School of Management, UK and chair of the Institute of Business Ethics - Caroline Hermann MW, attorney - Etelle Higonnet, senior advisor, National Wildlife Federation Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The fifth session from the first day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference   Speakers: - Laura Diaz, winemaker and general manager, Ehlers Estate - Jon Entine, executive director, Genetic Literacy Project - Randall Grahm, founder, Bonny Doon Vineyard - Carlo Mondavi, co-founder & chief farming officer Monarch Tractor, co-founder winegrower RAEN winery Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The fourth session from the first day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference Speakers: - Ron Gonen, CEO, Closed Loop Partners - Joanna Griffiths, Global Food Community Director, BSI Group - Nicolas Quillé MW, chief winemaker and operations officer, Crimson Wine Group - Melissa Saunders MW, CEO, Communal Brands Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The third session from the first day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference Speakers: - Richard Bampfield MW, chair of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) - Elena Carretero Gomez, vice chairman r+d consortium, Wines of Chile, corporate affairs & sustainability director, Santa Rita Estates - Allison Jordan, executive director, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance - Pau Roca, director general, International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) - Andrés Valero, leader of sustainability and CSR, Grupo Avinea Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The second session from the first day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference Speakers: - Jessica Baum, director of regenerative development & sustainability, Fetzer Vineyards - Will Drayton, director of technical viticulture & research winemaking, Treasury Wine Estates - Julien Gervreau, founding board member, IWCA - Diana Snowden Seysses, winemaker, Domaine Dujac and Snowden Vineyards Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The first session from the first day of our Future of Wine Americas 2021 conference. Speakers: - David Amadia, president, Ridge Vineyards - Eduardo Chadwick, president, Viñedos Familia Chadwick - Katie Jackson, SVP, Jackson Family Wines - Beth Novak Milliken, president and CEO, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery - Peter Work, winemaker & grapegrower, Ampelos Cellars Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

Michael Baum may be best known as the founder of Splunk, a Nasdaq listed software firm. But he's left the bright lights of Silicon Valley behind for Burgundy, France. Michael has launched wine tech platform VIVANT - which seeks to transport the world of wine to those who can’t travel, and at the same time educate and entertain. Michael Baum, CEO & Founder, VIVANT, shares more on this journey with Prime Time's Rachel Kelly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you love wine? Do you love trees? Do you want to fight climate change? What I if told you that you can help save the earth and maybe even plant trees just by drinking wine? We are celebrating Arbor Day by reviewing ReLeaf Sustainable Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Listen to this episode to learn more about Chenin Blanc and how climate change affects wine. Then, listen to what our host Connor has to say about ReLeaf Chenin Blanc, and why he calls it a "Goldilocks" wine! I'm always looking for feedback. Please feel free to DM me on Instagram @WineryCrasher to tell me what you thought of this episode. Also, let me know what wine questions you have. If your question is chosen for a future episode, I will give you a shoutout! Finally, visit my website: www.WineryCrasher.com. Cheers! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

As we've talked about multiple times on this podcast, Millennials and Gen Z are using their buying power to highlight and support their own personal values.  This includes purchasing products that are responsibly made and sustainable. Today, I invited Beth Vukmanic Lopez, the program director for SIP Certified (which stands for Sustainability in Practice), onto the podcast to talk with us about why communicating your sustainability in your marketing is important in ensuring your brand's economic sustainability.Beth even lists a few resources on HOW to communicate your sustainability in your various marketing channels.Resources Mentioned in this Episode:Social Media & Sustainability FREE Online Workshop Seasons of Sustainability PDF NewsletterInstagram: @sipcertifiedwww.SIPcertified.orghttps://www.vineyardteam.org/scholarship/Disclaimer: The information contained on this podcast and the resources available for download through the accompanying website are for educational and informational purposes only. ​ The information contained on this podcast and the resources available for download through the accompanying website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as legal, financial, tax, medical, health, or any other professional advice.

The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW) Episode 148 Topics: Tariff Update Sustainable Wine Packaging

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020 Are social issues in the vineyard an “Elephant in the room” for the wine industry? Well not so much any more given recent news, from modern slavery in Europe to labour challenges in South Africa and across Italy. In this session our panelists discuss how a wine business can consider supply chain social issues, from grape pickers to other vineyard workers, to contract labour and other areas. Speakers: Anna Chilton, wine and sustainable supply chains expert Zachary Kiarie, Fairtrade Africa Southern Africa Network Sue Daniels, winemaker, Marks & Spencer Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020 If certification is really about claims being made, assurance is vital to support them. The wine industry, which has a long history of guarding terms and appellations, now has a confusing array of claims all over the market. It should welcome a Gold Standard with rigorous auditing and certification. Our panelists discuss how certification should evolve to tackle consumer label confusion, what we want to encourage with certification, how it can be used to create the right incentives and business case for producers, and more. Speakers: Kim Forsberg, sustainability manager, Vingruppen i Norden (wine importer) Marcus Ihre, sustainability manager, Systembolaget AB (Sweden's alcohol monopoly) Sue Daniels, winemaker, Marks & Spencer Stefano Stefanucci, director, Equalitas s.r.l. Francesco Ricasoli, owner and CEO, Castello di Brolio Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020 Regenerative agriculture is all the rage across a wide variety of different crops, but what actually is it? With no common definition, many say it simply re-badges sustainable agriculture with a new, trendier name. However, proponents argue its primary focus on soil health focuses efforts on what is below ground, and that has major benefits for both carbon fixation, soil health, yield and ultimately all aspects of grape farming sustainability. Our panelists discuss how they define regenerative agriculture, whether it should replace other approaches (organic, biodynamic, etc.), what results they have seen so far from it, and more. Speakers: Neil Collins, winemaker and vineyard manager, Tablas Creek Franco Costantini, managing director, Control Union UK Gabriel Bloise, winemaker, Chakana Winery, Mendoza, Argentina Facundo Bonamaizon, agronomist, Chakana Winery, Mendoza, Argentina Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020 In this plenary session our panelists discuss what big wine producers can do to have a material impact on climate change beyond the significant task of bottle weight reduction. Is the biggest and most urgent climate issue in the sector helping grape growers cope? Or is it changing how packaging works for retailers and pushing for better recycling and circular economy approaches?  Speakers: Adrian Bridge, CEO, Taylors Port & Fladgate Partnership, Porto Protocol Miguel A. Torres, 4th generation and President Familia Torres Joanna Griffiths, global food community director, BSI Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020 This session takes a look at how three different wine producers are tackling protecting and enhancing biodiversity. Our panelists discuss their approaches to encouraging and promoting biodiversity in their vineyards, how to collaborate effectively with partners to make progress happen and how to measure it, the value of certification in encouraging biodiversity (Haute Valeur Environmentale, for example), and more. Speakers: Belén Iacono, chief agronomist, Adrianna Vineyard, Catena Zapata Matias Rios, chief winemaker, Cono Sur Romain Ott, production director & head winemaker, Château Léoube Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020. A global process of defining sustainability in wine would have multiple benefits. It would help – not threaten – existing programs, and would be a godsend to vineyard managers, winemakers and wine marketers. Our panelists discuss how to define sustainability in wine, the need for a global standard, or series of them, in the industry, how this could happen, pros and cons, and more. Speakers: David Horlock, managing director, global food and retail supply chain, British Standards Institution Anne Jones, partner & category manager, drinks, wines, beers and spirits buying, Waitrose & Partners Laura Varpasuo, sustainability manager, Alko Inc (Finland's Alcohol Monopoly) Karin Kreider, executive director, ISEAL Alliance Moderator: Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

Author of ‘Greener Marketing' John Grant speaks to Toby Webb about how green marketing and sustainable wine might, or might not, suit each other.

Originally published on July 31, 2018. Raymonds Thomsons, manager at Vincents, Riga's most famous restaurant, is also European Sommelier of the year 2017. In this interview we discuss his views on sustainable wine, consumer trends, demands and a few other issues. Listen and enjoy.

Originally published on September 14, 2017.   Jérôme Héranval of Durfort-Vivens took some time to talk with Sustainable Wine about their wines, their history and their approach to sustainable wine making in Bordeaux.

Originally published on May 5, 2017. In this podcast I interview Eric de Saint-Victor from Château de Pibarnon, in Bandol.

Originally published on October 10, 2017. Interview with Beth Lopez, Vineyard Team and SIP Certified, on sustainable wine in California

Originally published on May 13, 2018. David Morris, winemaker at the Ancre Hill, talks about sustainable winemaking in Wales, the wines they make, and how easy it is - or otherwise - to avoid using chemicals and pesticides in UK agricultural conditions.

Originally published on June 13, 2019. In early June 2019 I sat down in the wine library at 67 Pall Mall in London with Wilco. We talked about how he ended up in New Zealand, the wines he makes at Dry River, reductiveness in wine making, low oxygenation and phenolic compounds, his views on what sustainability means in the vineyard and winery, and on New Zealand and sustainability in wine, in general. Enjoy.

Originally published on December 14, 2016. Audio chat with Peter Work, wine maker and owner at Ampelos Cellars in Lompoc, California, about sustainable wine making in the region. We focused specifically on bio-dynamic wine making techniques.

Originally published on August 13, 2016. Interview with Ostiense Icard at Domaine de Trévallon.

Originally published on June 18, 2016.

Originally published on May 15, 2016. In-depth podcast interview with Daniel Ravier, winemaker and director at Domaine Tempier in Bandol, France. In the interview we discussed the history of Bandol as a region, the grapes used, winemaking techniques, climate change, organics, biodynamics, rose, red and white wine making and much more. 

Originally published on November 20, 2015. Giacomo Conterno discusses his approach to sustainable wine making in Piedmont, Italy.

Originally published on December 13, 2015. Luisa Rocca from Bruno Rocca vineyard discusses her vineyard's approach to sustainable wine, certification and making better vines with fewer inputs that can become resilient and meet customer desires. 

Originally published on April 28, 2016. Podcast interview with Frederic Tomayan, general manager of Domaine de la Begude on sustainable wine making in Bandol, France. 

Originally published on September 17, 2020. As David Harvey of Raeburn Fine Wines points out in this podcast with Toby Webb, sustainability in closures is not as simple as you might think...

This interview is with Sandra Taylor, president and CEO of Sustainable Business International LLC. In this interview, Sandra talks about how she got interested in environmental sustainability, the education she received, and the jobs she worked before she came to her current career. She then discusses how she worked for Starbucks as the senior vice president of Corporate Responsibility to coming to work for Sustainable Business International. Sandra goes on to discuss her role in the wine industry, and her interest for writing her book, “Business of Sustainable Wine.” Towards the end, she discusses her position as a trailblazer, being a mentor for many women and minorities, the sustainability efforts within Oregon, and her hopes for the future. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on February 15th, 2019 at the Nicholson Library.

Originally published on March 27, 2020. David Harvey, long time observer of sustainable wine and London representative of Raeburn Fine Wines, talks to Sustainable Wine about his views on the evolution of natural wine, more holistic approaches, and bottle weight and wine packaging changes that are on the horizon.

Anna Chilton, from agricultural producer, Camellia, owner of the Linton Park winery in South Africa, talks with Innovation Forum's Toby Webb about what sustainability means for the wine industry, soil health and better practices, and what other businesses, particularly in the agriculture sector, might learn from wine sustainability studies and practices. They discuss polyculture and the need for clarity and transparency for consumers, and the role of certification to consolidation of sustainability standards.  

The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW) Sustainable Wine Smoke Taint Thai Food Pairings

Chris Scott from Thirty Fifty and the UK Wine Show talks to Toby Webb about sustainable wine, from vine to bottle to packaging.  For more on sustainable wine, go to Toby's wine blog: http://sustainablewineblog.com/ 

On the fourth episode of The Vincast I sat down with Daniel Honan, originally from Newcastle with a background in journalism. Whilst working for a wine bar in London he discovered ‘Real' wine, wines made using organic, biodynamic and/or natural practices. When he returned to the Hunter Valley earlier this year he wanted to learn more and share his passion with the world, and now writes about Australian wines in this vein. We attempt to dissect what these wines are whilst talking about his past present and future.