In the 5th episode of Vine and River podcast, we welcome Darek Trowbridge of Old World winery and Soil Carbon Management Company. Darek’s training in Viticulture started in his early adolescence with his uncle, Lee Martinelli – of Martinelli Winery; which prompted getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Fruit Science from Cal Poly and Master’s Degree in Agricultural Chemistry with specific focus on Enology from Fresno State. More than a decade ago, to revive the centennarian vines of his great grandfather, Darek started making a Regenerative Composted Mulch, which was was a part of his Biodynamic and Regenerative farming regimen. Together, we opened the topics of mycorrhizal fungi, soil microbiome and regeneration.
In the fourth episode of Vine and River podcast, I welcome Morgan Twain Peterson, MW. Morgan is the owner and winemaker of Bedrock Wine co, a winery based in Sonoma dedicated to preserving and rehabilitating old vineyards across California. Morgan arrived at this mission after spending childhood and adolescence in the winery and between the vines farmed by his father, Joel Peterson, and after harvests that spanned California, Australia and Bordeaux.Morgan is also the co-host of Bedrock wine conversations podcast and co-produces Bedrock wine co. YouTube channel, where he shares his viticultural / winemaking knowledge with the public.The external validations of the value of Morgan’s work are numerous, I will only highlight that Bedrock was named a Winery of the year in 2020 by Antonio Galloni and in 2017, Morgan became a Master of Wine, one of two most prestigious titles in the world of wine.
In the third episode of Vine and River podcast, our guest is Jason Haas, Proprietor and General Manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles. Jason oversees winemaking, marketing, very lively social media, award winning blog, sales, and distribution of the company. In 2022, Tablas Creek received Next Wave Award by VinePair for Winemaking Team of the year, largely due to Tablas’ sustainability efforts which include use of alternative packaging. In the same year, Jason Haas was also named a Food & Wine Drinks Innovator of the Year , due to Tablas Creek’s commitment to Regenerative Organic Certification. Together, we will talk about the certification, the reasoning behind its pillars, as well about Tablas Creek’s water minimizing and dry farming efforts.
The second episode of Vine and River podcast introduces Mark Greenspan PhD, the partner and viticulturist at Advanced Viticulture. Of the many accomplishments and credentials in the viticultural field, notably, Mark holds an M.S. in Viticulture and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering, from UC Davis. In addition to his academic achievements, he he holds Certified Crop Advisor and Certified Professional Agronomist certifications, and is a licensed Pest Control Advisor. Mark has been a member of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture for decades and has served as their president in the past. And when Mark is not busy with Advanced Viticulture, he also writes highly insightful viticultural columns for Wine Business Monthly.We opened the subjects of water needs of the vine, how they are related to yield and quality, and how to use available vineyard technology to supply those needs in the correct time - and save both the environmental cost of pumping and using unnecessary water, and the financial resources needed to do so,
In the first episode of Vine & River podcast, we interviewed Garrett Buckland, partner at Premiere Viticulture. Garrett is a longtime board member of Napa Valley Grapegrowers, founding member of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation. He serves on the Groundwater Sustainability Plan Advisory Committee, and worked on the Napa River Historical Ecology Project. In addition, Garrett has converted hundreds acres of vineyards from conventional to organic farming, and in 2023, he received the Napa Valley Grower of the Year award. In this interview, we explore why and how water is needed in the vinegrowing, how to make most of the water available, and how to protect its integrity throughout the farming practices.