299: A Winery, a Festival, and a $150,000 Investment in Music Education | Sustainable Story
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Release Date: 02/09/2026
309: Create Memorable Winery Experiences That Drive Sales | Marketing Tip Monday
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Memorable winery visits don’t happen by accident. They’re designed. Craig Macmillan (Niner Wine Estates) shares how storytelling, insider access, and well-trained staff turn winery tours into long-lasting customer relationships. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices...
info_outline
308: Balancing Cost, Efficiency, and Sustainability in Vineyard Management
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Making the best sustainable farming decisions isn’t about choosing one solution; it’s about weighing the best strategies for your vineyard. Lucas Pope, Vice President of Altera Solutions, shares how growers can balance performance, cost, and long-term impact by understanding trade-offs. Lucas dives into developing a vineyard for efficiency, the best irrigation setup, composting, herbicide-free practices, and fungicide resistance, while emphasizing collaboration with clients to select the best approach for each unique...
info_outline
307: Planting for Pollinators | Sustainable Story
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
147 native plants now create a thriving monarch butterfly sanctuary. What started as a passion project now supports biodiversity with minimal maintenance. Resources: | Sustainable Story Sustainable Story Worksheet | Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards - Join...
info_outline
306: Using Barn Owls for Gopher and Rodent Control in Vineyards
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Barn owls are natural predators of gophers, voles, and mice, three of the most common vertebrate pests in vineyards. Matt Johnson, Professor in the Department of Wildlife at Cal Poly Humboldt University, studies how farms and wildlife can mutually benefit each other. Matt shares practical guidance on barn owl nest box design, placement, and maintenance, and explains how vineyard landscapes and surrounding habitat influence owl occupancy. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help...
info_outline
305: 3 Easy Ways to Promote Your Sustainability | Marketing Tip Monday
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Wine buyers care about sustainability—but are you talking about it? Learn three practical ways to share your sustainable winegrowing story through tasting room interactions, sales conversations, and social media that builds trust with today’s conscious wine consumers. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards - Join top experts at...
info_outline
304: Vineyard Mothballing: Costs, Risks, and Long-Term Yield Consequences
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
With current market shifts, vineyard mothballing can buy growers time—but it requires strategy, not abandonment. Chris Chen, Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, draws on research in Australia and field experience in California to outline what minimal management really looks like. From pruning approaches and livestock integration to pest and disease management, irrigation by rootstock and soil type, and long-term yield risks, he explains how to reduce costs now without compromising a vineyard’s future—or risking fines. Resources: ...
info_outline
303: Too Salty to Irrigate: A Vineyard’s Unexpected Water Solution | Sustainable Story
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
When a newly dug well revealed water too salty for irrigation, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard faced a serious threat to vine health and wine quality. Discover how a reverse osmosis system and an unexpected salt-loving grass transformed a costly setback into a biodiversity-boosting solution. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings ...
info_outline
302: New Cover Crop Tool for Western Growers
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Cover crops play a critical role in building healthy, resilient soils in vineyards and agricultural systems. Sarah Light, Agronomy Farm Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, shares how cover crops protect soil from wind and heavy rain, improve water infiltration, and increase on-farm biodiversity. She introduces a newly released cover crop selector tool developed for Western growing regions, with guidance on species selection, termination practices, and grower goals such as reducing compaction, fixing nitrogen, and supporting pollinators. This practical resource helps growers...
info_outline
301: Turning Sustainability into Sales | Marketing Tip Monday
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
Consumers want transparency and sustainability—and they reward it with loyalty and sales. This episode breaks down four key ways to communicate sustainability, from tasting rooms to sales channels, showing how clear, credible messaging builds trust and drives purchasing decisions. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team Programs: - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings - A trusted...
info_outline
300: From Sour Rot to Succession Planning: Craig Macmillan's Favorite Podcast Moments
Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team
A decade of viticulture education is right at your fingertips. Executive Director Beth Vukmanic interviews longtime host Craig MacMillan to celebrate ten years and 300 episodes of the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Together, they reflect on some of Craig’s most memorable interviews—from new discoveries in sour rot and space-to-farm technology, to using storytelling to sell more wine and tackling leadership transitions. Resources: Support the Podcast: Vineyard Team...
info_outlineWhile the Whale Rock Music Festival is renowned for rocking the Central Coast every year with live music and family-friendly activities. The event has an even greater purpose: supporting Templeton High School musicians through the parent-volunteer organization, TIMBA.
Resources:
Vineyard Team Programs: