Sustainable Winegrowing

Grapes can taste normal after smoke exposure and still produce smoke-tainted wine. So how can growers know what's worth harvesting?  

Kerry Wilkinson, Professor of Oenology at Adelaide University in Australia, explains how grape testing helps predict smoke taint risk before fermentation reveals the problem. She breaks down how smoke duration, grape variety, and winemaking practices impact smoke taint. Hear why some vineyard sprays can make grapes more susceptible, how treatments can remove smoke flavors without stripping desirable flavors, and what better predictions could mean for crop insurance.  

Resources:  

143: Can Barrier Sprays Protect Against Smoke Taint in Wine?
277: Tainted or Toasted? Decoding Smoke Markers in Wine
Evaluating the Potential for Smoke from Stubble Burning to Taint Grapes and Wine
Kerry Wilkinson
Kerry Wilkinson - Wine Science, Oenology and Smoke Taint (YouTube)
Smoke-derived Taint in Wine: Effect of Postharvest Smoke Exposure of Grapes on the Chemical Composition and Sensory Characteristics of Wine
Smoke taint: Understanding and addressing the compositional consequences of grapevine exposure to smoke 

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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