Over the Christmas/New Year break, we took our own advice to heart and migrated to odoo for our own consulting business. Over the last few months as we've been building out our odoo for Wine offering and roadmap, we have been looking at the approximately 80 apps/modules that come with standard odoo. We started to realize that several covered functionality that we were managing in several separate apps and systems, so asked ourselves, why aren't we running odoo ourselves? We didn't have a good reason as to why not, so we decided to do exactly that - migrate from several disparate systems to odoo and starting drinking our own champagne. A pleasant surprise, although perhaps it shouldn't have been, is that we're saving on annual subscriptions as well. Here are the functions and systems we've moved off and are now running out of odoo. Waveapps: Accounting, Invoicing, Payments. Our main book-keeping system; had to manually enter invoice hours and expenses. Avaza :

Plata Wine Partners is a premium “vineyard-to-bottle” production house rooted in California’s top coastal AVAs. With more than 20,000 acres of sustainably managed vineyards, Plata provides bulk-wine, private-label, and custom-program solutions for brands of all sizes. Their team brings together expertise in viticulture, winemaking, production, and finance to deliver programs aligned with modern consumer preferences. As the business evolved, Plata recognized that their Winemaker’s Database (WMDB) system lacked the accuracy, speed, and real-time visibility required by a 12+ facility production model. Plata implemented InnoVint in 2024, and the difference after just one harvest was remarkable. The Challenge: A System That Slowed Down the Entire Business Before InnoVint, Plata’s production and finance teams were burdened by manual processes that made everyday work harder and introduced costly risk.  Excessive manual data entry. Every two weeks, the

Reuse and refill systems, materials science and circularity are driving growth and differentiation Sustainability in packaging is no longer “nice-to-have” — it’s a core expectation for businesses and consumers alike. As global regulations tighten, supply chains evolve and consumer preferences shift toward responsible products, brands are under pressure to deliver sustainable solutions without compromising performance or aesthetics.  At Berlin Packaging, we’ve made it our mission to help brands navigate this complex landscape. Below are some of the most pressing questions about sustainability in packaging and insights into how we’re driving innovation to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Q: What sustainability trends are shaping the future of packaging?  Several key trends are redefining the landscape. The rise of reuse and refill systems is prominent, particularly in beauty, personal care, home care and even some food sector

Who (or what) is this eddy you keep talking about? Efficient water management has never been more critical for agriculture and specifically for viticulture. High-end viticulture needs to manage water to not only cut costs, but to keep quality high in a market of oversupply and buyers who hold the upper hand over the grower. High production viticulture may not need the water management finesse for quality that high-end viticulture does, but regulatory demands for groundwater protection as well as limitations on water deliveries push growers into making the most out of every gallon. Here at AV, we’ve made use of impactful technologies to help growers irrigate efficiently and control vine stress to improve wine quality from their vineyards. Our primary tools have been the soil moisture probe and, more recently, the Florapulse microtensiometer. Both tools have been indispensable and even more so now that we have our own data portal to view and analyze these data streams. More recen

Read this first! As agricultural consultants in California, irrigation consulting during the growing season is our bread and butter. A lot of times, especially in vineyards with lighter soils where I recommend short and frequent irrigations, I know my desired schedule amounts to a tall order. Not everyone can feasibly do two hours, three times a week. No matter what’s best for the vines, I have to work with a human irrigator, who is still going to turn the valve on at 5 pm and turn it off at 7 am the next day. In a lot of cases, this amounts to a vineyard that is both over- and under-watered: the 14-hour irrigation percolated past the rootzone in under 3 hours and the rest of the week (after the root zone water was depleted) the soil was dry as a bone. So, I’m happy to see so much interest these days in valve automation. I’m also apprehensive because I’ve automated valves and it’s not a silver bullet. It’s not any bullet. It’s a useful tool t

(Click above for full report) Barrels are often synonymous with winemaking, but when it comes to the science, how do they stack up to newer technology of a Flextank? Check out this independent 1-year study that confirms what Flextank customers have been saying for many years... Flextanks produce an equal... and in many cases smoother, tasting... wine to that made in a 2-year oak barrel. You may have heard of "The Cooper's Rule" when dealing with oak barrels- whereby, generally speaking, in out of every 10 barrels: 6 barrels are of similar Toast, Tannin, OTR, etc., 2 Barrels are High outliers, and 2 Barrels are Low outliers. Every Flextank is made consistently with the same material and thickness to produce a consistent and controlled result of an OTR of 9 mg/l/year (maturation weight) or 6 mg/l/year (heavyweight) making Flextank what some consider to be the "perfect barrel". Daniel Pambianchi is an avid and seasoned winemaker, both as an amateur and

The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law is an industry reference published by Compliance Service of America, a consulting firm specializing in alcohol regulatory compliance. The coordinator position involves customer service, marketing, working closely with the editors to keep the database updated, website management, regular email notifications to subscribers, proofreading, light reception duties, and more. Vaccination for COVID-19 is required for this in-person, full-time position. We are looking for someone ready to commit to this long-term position; someone who is flexible, eager to learn, and enjoys working as part of a team. Basic office skills, marketing experience, and familiarity with WordPress are required.  Applicants should have good office skills: typing, communication, comfortable with database management, computers and phones. A high level of accuracy and organization is necessary. Reliability and excellent attendance are a must as is experience creating digital graphi

Sara Schorske, the founder of CSA, is retiring from consulting work. Having served the alcoholic beverage industry for almost 40 years, trained many winery personnel and compliance specialists, and cultivated warm relationships in both industry and government, Sara has left her unique fingerprint on the industry. That fingerprint is a human, bridging approach to finding compliance solutions, and a knack for translating complicated regulatory concepts into plain English. In her emeritus status, Sara will remain part-time at CSA as editor of The Digest of Wine and Spirits Law. She will also provide her perspective and expertise to the consultants at CSA as needed. We are all grateful to Sara for the legacy and culture of professional service she has cultivated at CSA for many years, and we wish her all the best in her retirement.

Wine Industry Advisor continues to expand its reputation as THE business resource for wine professionals   Healdsburg, CA, July 28, 2021 – Wine Industry Network (WIN) announced today that Stacy Briscoe who has for the past year been working with them as a consulting editor will transition into a managing editor role for their Wine Industry Advisor publication.   Briscoe will be overseeing the Advisor’s editorial content as well as looking to bring on more writers and freelancers to expand the publication’s capacity to originate content. Briscoe is the former staff writer for Wines & Vines magazine and the former assistant editor of Wine Business Monthly. She’s currently a freelance writer for several notable publications including Wine Enthusiast, Sonoma Magazine, and SevenFifty Daily, among many others. She also holds the WSET Level 3 Advanced Certification and is a WSET Diploma candidate. Her year