You’ve already done the hard part getting guests through the door. Now it’s time to make every visit truly count. Join Liz Mercer for a sharper, more intentional look at how top-performing wineries are transforming the tasting room into a powerful engine for revenue and loyalty. From the first welcome to the final touchpoint, you’ll learn how small, deliberate shifts in approach can significantly improve conversion, deepen engagement, and create lasting customer relationships. If you want stronger results from every tasting room interaction, this is a session you won’t want to miss. Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (PT) RSVP Now ABOUT THE SPEAKER Liz Mercer WISE Coach & Content Developer Liz Mercer grew up in the Napa Valley, which instilled a deep respect for the culture and lifestyle of wine and the industry supporting it. She left the area to attend Northwood University in Michigan, where she studied Finance & Business Manage

In this episode of the WIN Insider Series, George Christie sits down with Alison Crowe, Vice President of Winemaking and Partner at Plata Wine Partners, to explore her remarkable journey through the wine industry. From her early days growing up in California’s Central Coast to studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis, Alison shares how curiosity, hands-on experience, and a willingness to take risks shaped her career across roles at Chalone Vineyard, Curtis Winery, and Bonny Doon Vineyard. She also reflects on authoring The Winemaker’s Answer Book and how translating complex winemaking concepts into practical insights has been a common thread in her work. Alison offers a candid look at today’s wine landscape, from the collaborative, client-focused model at Plata Wine Partners to the broader challenges facing the industry, including shifting consumer preferences and increased competition. She discusses the importance of making wine more approachable, the need for

See our AI-powered camera system scanning technology in action and our industry-leading FruitScope data platform at work. Learn how growers are getting accurate yield estimates, precise vine inventories, and using vine-level insights to make faster, more precise, and more profitable decisions in the field. Date: April 21, 2026 Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Location: Silver River Vineyards, San Miguel, CA Hosted in partnership with California Association of Winegrape Growers Complimentary lunch and wine provided. Spots are limited, register to attend here.

HOBO Data Loggers receives “Crop Monitoring Solution of the Year” in 2025 AgTech Breakthrough Awards Program for the HOBOnet Wireless Sensor Network Annual awards program recognizes innovation in agricultural & food technologies around the globe BOURNE, Mass., – HOBO Data Loggers, a LI-COR® brand and leading manufacturer known for accurate and reliable data loggers, today announced it has been awarded “Crop Monitoring Solution of the Year” in the 5th annual AgTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted by AgTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies, and products in the global agricultural and food technology markets today. The HOBOnet Wireless Sensor Network delivers cost-effective, distributed, wireless, and scalable in-field crop monitoring. Designed to empower growers with real-time environmental data for improved decision-making, HOBOnet provides precise, site-specific insights

Growing up in the small town of Shandon, CA, Alberto was told that success might be out of reach. But working side by side with his father in the vineyards, he learned that dreams are worth fighting for. After graduating high school with honors, Alberto earned a welding certificate at Cuesta College and continued his education at Fresno State University with the help of the Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship. There, he discovered a passion for viticulture, excelled in his field, and built a strong professional network that helped shape his career. Now a college graduate and pursuing a master’s degree, Alberto is reaching another milestone: presenting his thesis at the 2025 Sustainable Ag Expo! Don't Miss Alberto’s Presentation: Sulfur Application Frequency Effects on Yield and Anthocyanins in Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Discover how different frequencies of dusting, flowable and wettable sulfur applications influence yield and anthocyanin development in bilateral

Lumo, the precision irrigation system growers use to irrigate to plan, has just released their new Irrigation Insights Report titled, Closing the Execution Gap: How Block-Level Irrigation Data Drives Profitability. The report presents first-of-its-kind block-level irrigation data collected from more than 4,500 irrigation events across hundreds of premium vineyard blocks in Napa and Sonoma over the course of the 2024 growing season. The central finding is that irrigation system performance is highly variable at an individual block level—one in ten irrigations miss their target volume by 50% or more and three in four irrigations miss by 10% or more. This lack of precision hurts growers’ ability to execute irrigations to plan and is costing them thousands of dollars an acre in lost productivity. The good news is that the report also highlights four data-driven strategies winegrape growers can adopt to dial in their irrigation precision and produce better crop outcomes. &ldqu

Our latest Sustainable Winegrowing podcast episode brings together two of Turrentine Brokerage’s leading experts—Audra Cooper, Director of Grape Brokerage, and Eddie Urman, Central Coast Grape Broker—to explore how the wine industry can navigate a market defined by oversupply, shifting demand, and the growing push for sustainability. Listen to the full episode Play Episode 269: From Surplus to Strategy Meet Your Hosts Audra Cooper With nearly two decades at Turrentine Brokerage, Audra leads our grape brokerage team. A Central Coast native with a background in Agricultural Economics (CSU Fresno) and strategic management, Audra champions data-driven strategies to keep clients ahead of market shifts. Eddie Urman A Paso Robles native and Cal Poly alum, Eddie brings over ten years of vineyard management and brokerage experience to his role as Central Coast Grape Broker. Known for his deep grower relationships and hands-on market analysis, Eddie helps clients turn changin

Flextank Provides Winery Conference Attendees with Methods to Cut Costs and Increase Margins and Revenue April 1, 2025 - Flextank, the leader in advanced oxygen-permeable polyethylene tanks for wine, cider, spirits, and craft beverage fermentation and storage, successfully presented innovative ways for wineries to reduce operational expenses (OpEx), expand production, increase efficiency, and improve revenue and margins at the WiVi Central Coast Conference & Tradeshow, held on March 13 in Paso Robles. At Booth #227, Flextank’s team of winemaking experts engaged with winery professionals, demonstrating how Flextank solutions can help lower costs and enhance productivity.  “For more than two decades, blind taste trials have confirmed that there is no difference in the quality or oak profile of wines produced in a Flextank compared to a traditional oak barrel,” said Flextank CEO, Jonathan Smalley. “Winemakers using Flextanks enjoy the benefit of

Afternoon Brief: Global Wine Recovery on the Horizon

The wine industry could be back on an upward trajectory in as little as 12 months, according to one study...