Vineyard Team Announces New Sustainable Winegrowing Podcasts

Atascadero, California— Gone are the days when consumers blindly choose wines off the shelf without knowing where the grapes are grown and how the wines are made.  Modern consumers care not only about quality but sustainability as well.  Nonprofit organization, Vineyard Team, aims to answer questions about sustainable practices in viticulture via their Sustainable Winegrowing podcast series.  Intended to provide grape growers with the latest research as well as practical solutions to sustainable vineyard care, the podcasts also appeal to students of viticulture and enology.

“I’m always looking for better resources to help students find answers to viticulture questions.  I’ve found that students respond best to real-life stories and research told first-hand by experts in the field,” explains Allan Hancock College’s Viticulture & Enology Director, Alfredo Koch.  “Vineyard Team’s podcast series gives the students an inside-look in a clear format.”

For those consumers with a passion for wine, listening in on the Vineyard Team’s podcast series will provide a lot of insight into what goes into growing grapes for each bottle of wine.  Challenges in the vineyard range from pest problems to soil health to water conservation.  Every decision made in the vineyard affects the grapes’ quality and yield. 

“You can’t make good wine from lousy grapes,” says Carlos Mascherin, sommelier at Armada Wine & Beer Merchant in Santa Barbara, California.  “Vineyard health is paramount.  Whenever I’m buying wine—regardless of whether it’s for the bar or for myself—I’m always interested in the vigneron’s farming practices, and I’m never surprised when it turns out that the wines I like best come from vineyards that are sustainably farmed.  Vineyard Team’s podcast series is a great resource for consumers that want to better understand which farming methods produce the best resulting wines and why.”

The convenience of a podcast allows those with a curiosity for viticulture as well as those working in the industry to listen on-the-go.  Upcoming podcasts include episode 35 with a focus on integrated pest management in sustainably farmed vineyards with Bart Haycraft of Jackson Family Wines.  The Vineyard Team’s reach also extends far beyond California’s borders.  Episode 36 features Jackie Dresser, Viticulture Extension Support Specialist of Lake Erie Regional Grape Program in New York.  She will be addressing new methods for estimating vineyard yield. 

Educational for both industry members and wine lovers, Vineyard Team’s Sustainable Winegrowing podcast series will launch new podcasts the first and third Thursday of the month.  To listen to past or new podcasts, visit www.VineyardTeam.org/podcast or via stream via popular podcast services such as Google Play, iTunes, Stitcher and Tune In.