Sustainable Winegrowing

Your hospitality team knows your wines, but do they know what's happening in the vineyard and cellar right now? Giving staff access to the technical side of wine can make them more confident educators and better storytellers.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Join the SIP Certified Wine Finder (Members Only)
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit

Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Explore & Support Vineyard Team:

• Visit Vineyard Team to explore more resources, education, events, and programs
• Donate to support Sustainable Winegrowing and Vineyard Team's educational work

Resources:

• 308: Balancing Cost, Efficiency, and Sustainability in Vineyard Management
• 328: Rethinking Vineyard Weed Management to Build Healthier Soils
• Amélie Gaudin
• Barriers and opportunities to increase soil organic carbon in vineyards: A case study of extension personnel in France and in the United States
• Grazing Sheep in California Vineyards
• Integrating sheep into vineyards: diversity of farmers' agronomic logics and trajectories
• SOC Persistence and Accrual in Vineyards
• UC Davis Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate Group

Explore & Support Vineyard Team:

• Visit Vineyard Team to explore more resources, education, events, and programs
• Donate to support Sustainable Winegrowing and Vineyard Team's educational work

By eliminating foil capsules and switching to lighter bottles, SAMsARA cut waste and emissions—reminding wine lovers that great wine doesn't need extra packaging.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Imagine one vineyard machine that can prune, harvest, monitor vine health, and help guide irrigation decisions throughout the season.

Manoj Karkee, the Norman R. and Sharon R. Scott Professor of Agricultural Science at Cornell University, explores how artificial intelligence, robotics, and cyber-physical systems can make farming more efficient and economical.

Learn how multipurpose and soft robotics can tackle vineyard tasks, how cameras and sensors feed AI models to guide crop management, and how human-robot collaboration reduces labor, input costs, and resource use.

Resources:

• 233: The Gap Between Space and Farm: Ground Truthing Satellite Data Models
• 249: Making it Easier to Use Satellite Data in Agriculture
• 312: Why the Best Ag Tech Is Built With Growers
• Beckstoffer Vineyards
• Cornell University Ag Robotics Lab
• Manoj Karkee
• Manoj Karkee | Google Scholar
• Manoj Karkee | LinkedIn
• Manoj Karkee | Research Gate

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

When we talk about sustainability in wine, practices like conserving water, enhancing soil quality, and supporting biodiversity often come to mind. But sustainability is about more than caring for the land; it's about caring for the people behind every bottle.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Join 2027 ReSIProcal February (Members Only)
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo- Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Healthy soils are built through years of management decisions and sometimes rethinking old practices. Jim Lincoln, General Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards in Napa Valley, shares how his approach to weed management has evolved from cultivation and herbicides to mowing, sheep grazing, cover crops, and no-till practices.

Learn how these changes have improved under-vine soil health, influenced weed populations, and affected costs. Jim discusses the real-world tradeoffs of building soil health and the opportunities it creates to improve fruit quality.

Resources:

• 128: A New Focus on Weed Management (Rebroadcast)
• 229: Weed Control in Vineyards
• Beckstoffer Vineyards
• Jim Lincoln Named Senior Vineyard and Environmental Sustainability Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards
• University of California Integrated Pest Management Integrated Weed Management

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Growers rarely taste the wine made from their grapes. At Hope Family Wines, Stasi Seay uses annual tastings to help them connect their farming decisions to what's in the glass.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Microbats are tiny natural predators with a big appetite for insects, but the uniform structure of a vineyard can keep them from venturing far into the block. Matt Fowles, Owner and CEO of Fowles Wine, noticed that vineyard blocks near trees had less moth pressure than those bordered by open grassland.

He shares how that observation inspired a system of vertical structures designed to give microbats echolocation points and encourage them to move deeper into the vineyard. Early trials show increased bat activity and promising potential for natural pest control in vineyards.

Resources:

• 272: 30 Gophers a Night: Why Barn Owls Belong in Your Vineyard
• 306: Using Barn Owls for Gopher and Rodent Control in Vineyards
• Bat Navs: A project by Fowles – Series Trailer
• Fowles Wine Activates $500K Grant to Go Into Bat for Aussie Viticulture, Safeguarding Against Costly Pests
• Matt Fowles - Fowles Wines - a cool-climate wine producer
• Microbats (little bats)
• Microbat | Wikipedia
• The bats safeguarding against pests in vineyards
• What are 5 species of microbats?

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Social media keeps changing, but wineries can stay relevant with a focused strategy. Heather Daenitz (Craft & Cluster) shares practical advice on Instagram Stories, audience engagement, searchable content, authentic video, and content series that help wineries connect with wine consumers.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Join the SIP Certified Wine Finder (Members Only)
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Why we like wine has less to do with our taste buds than you might think. Zata Vickers, professor of Food Science and Nutrition and director of the Sensory Center at the University of Minnesota, explains the science behind why we like what we like.

Learn how repeated exposure, positive social experiences, and even the words used to describe wine influence our preferences. Along the way, she shares surprising insights into what babies' reactions can teach us about taste and why food preferences are learned more often than they're born.

Resources:

• 257: Understanding Winery Visitors – Increase Sales with your Messaging
• 309: Create Memorable Winery Experiences That Drive Sales | Marketing Tip Monday
• Food Science Seminar
• Zata Vickers
• Zata Vickers | Google Scholar
• Zata Vickers | LinkedIn

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Mesa Vineyard Management teamed up with Cal Poly to track barn owls and understand where they hunt in an effort to help growers strengthen natural pest control in vineyards.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Biological control is emerging as one of the most promising tools against spotted lanternfly. Anne Johnson, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University, explains how spotted lanternfly damages grapevines by draining plant sap and producing honeydew that fuels sooty mold.

She shares new research showing that North American predators, including spiders, praying mantises, and birds, are already helping keep this invasive pest in check. Learn which biological control strategies show the most promise, why removing tree of heaven matters, and how community science is accelerating discoveries for sustainable spotted lanternfly management.

Resources:

• 96: Spotted Lanternfly - Threat to California
• 175: How to Prepare for Invasive Pests in Your Vineyard
• 289: How Spotted Lanternfly Puts Grapes at Risk—and What Growers Can Do
• Allies Against an Invasive: Interactions Between Spotted Lanternflies and Native Species (Seminar)
• Anne Johnson | Google Scholar
• Anne Johnson | Michigan State University
• Birds Biting Bad Bugs | Facebook
• Natural insect predators may serve as allies in spotted lanternfly battle
• Predation of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) by generalist arthropod predators in North America
• Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide
• Spotted lanternfly may use 'toxic shield' to fend off bir predators

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Boost your social media marketing without creating more content. Discover four simple strategies to improve SEO, help the right audience find your posts, increase saves and shares, build authentic connections, and repurpose content to maximize your reach.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Join the SIP Certified Wine Finder (Members Only)
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Choosing the right grapevine rootstock can improve drought resilience without sacrificing yield. Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist and Professor in the Horticulture Department at Oregon State University, shares findings from long-term Oregon rootstock trial comparing mature and young vineyards.

Learn which rootstocks produced larger canopies and higher yields with less water stress, why traditional low-vigor choices may struggle in no-till systems, and how this research is shaping an updated guide to help growers select rootstocks for climate resilience, vineyard establishment, and future production.

Resources:

• 281: How Rootstock Impacts Vine Drought Tolerance and Longevity
• Evaluating Drought-Tolerant Rootstocks in Cool Climate Wine Grapes for Climate Change Resilience
• Patricia Skinkis | Google Scholar
• Patricia Skinkis | Instagram
• Patricia Skinkis | LinkedIn
• Patricia Skinkis | Oregon State University
• Patricia Skinkis | Research Gate
• Rootstock drought tolerance under dry-farmed conditions in Oregon's Willamette Valley
• Rootstock effects on mature Pinot noir growth and productivity under cool climate, dry farmed conditions

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

While Santa Barbara's Foxen Canyon area is known for its natural beauty, reliable cell service is not one of its amenities.

Read More.

Many winegrape growers don't realize that grapevine roots are constantly growing, dying, and regenerating throughout the season. In this episode, David Eissenstat, Professor Emeritus at Penn State University, explains how decades of root research have challenged the myth that roots only grow at bloom and after harvest.

He shares how underground research techniques reveal the hidden life of grapevine roots, why young roots drive water and nutrient uptake, how root growth changes with temperature and moisture, and what growers should know about managing vineyards with a deeper understanding of root biology.

Resources:

• 281: How Rootstock Impacts Vine Drought Tolerance and Longevity
• Crop load – physiology, modelling and relationships to root growth in grapevines
• David Eissenstat
• Importance of internal hydraulic redistribution for prolonging the lifespan of roots in dry soil
• The Efficiency of Nutrient Acquisition over the Life of a Root

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Think print is a thing of the past? Think again. Discover why print remains a powerful marketing tool for wineries, offering lasting impressions, stronger recall, and a personal touch that digital channels can't always match. Learn how to make your print materials work smarter and more sustainably.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Three-cornered alfalfa hopper (TCAH) is the only confirmed insect vector of grapevine red blotch virus in Vitis vinifera, yet many growers first realize they have the pest only after spotting petiole girdling in the vineyard. Cindy Kron, North Coast IPM Advisor at UC ANR, shares findings from two years of weekly sweep-net monitoring at Oakville Research Station that revealed TCAH adults are present well before bud break, suggesting grapevines are not their preferred host.

She explains the insect's life stages, why legumes serve as key feeding and reproductive hosts, and why detecting early instars remains a major challenge for vineyard IPM. Cindy also discusses how degree-day models may help growers better time tillage to reduce TCAH populations and limit grapevine red blotch risk.

Resources:

• 71: New Techniques to Detect Grapevine Leafroll Disease
• 131: Virus Detection in Grapevines
• Can a pesky treehopper be foiled because its growth is regulated by temperature?
• Cindy Kron
• How to use a model for reduction of three-cornered alfalfa hopper in vineyards
• Identification of Nonhost Cover Crops of the Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper (Spissistilus festinus)
• Use of Ground Covers to Control Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper, Spissistilus festinus (Hemiptera: Membracidae), and Other Suspected Vectors of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus
• Weather Models and Degree Days

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Meet Gilbert the Pig and friends. These goats, sheep, and Kunekune pigs replaced herbicides and mowing with year-round weed control. And they're adorable.

Resources:

• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Real Stories, Real Impact
• SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
• Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Wine grape growers are turning to precision technology to mitigate bird damage while reducint labor and material costs. In this episode, Joseph Traut (Cypress AgTech) joins growers Chad Foster (Maverick Farming) and Paul Ramirez (Loma Escondida Farming) to share real-world experience using an autonomous, silent laser system that protects 20–30 vineyard acres per unit.

Learn how to optimize placement, program effective coverage patterns, and time use from mid-June through harvest. Hear which bird species are easiest to deter, where challenges remain, and how this approach supports sustainable, worker-safe vineyard management.

Resources:

• 6/10/2026 REGISTER: Technology Field Day Tailgate
• 272: 30 Gophers a Night: Why Barn Owls Belong in Your Vineyard
• Autonomous Bird Laser Deterrent (video)
• Cypress AgriTech | Sustainable Farming Technology | United States
• Joseph Traut, Vice President, Cypress AgriTech
• Maverick Farming
• Riley Boylan, President, Cypress AgriTech

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing