Join Vineyard Team and Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance for a focused half-day 2026 Industry Update designed to help you navigate what’s happening now—and what’s coming next! Hear directly from industry experts as they break down the trends, risks, and opportunities shaping grape growing in 2026. 📅 Wednesday, May 20 | 9:00 am-12:00 pm; tickets include lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm ➡️ at Springhill Suites in Atascadero 🎟️ Reserve your spot* >>> https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026tailgatesevents/event/2026-industry-update/ --- Event sessions include: 📊Grape Market Update & Industry Outlook Get clarity on what’s happening in the grape market and what it means for your operation: - Key trends shaping pricing and demand - Vineyard removals and supply outlook - What to expect in the next 12+ months Speakers: Audra Cooper & Eddie Urman (Turrentine Brokerage) --- 💰 Grants & Funding Opportunities Panel Learn how to access and successfully use available funding: - Where to

National Apprenticeship Week is November 14-20, 2022. It is also the 85th anniversary of Registered Apprenticeship Act Celebrate with VESTA and the US Department of Labor.  VESTA Resource Center worked with Missouri State University, Missouri Department of Labor, and the US Department of Labor to create templates for 8 Registered Apprenticeships for the Grape and Wine Industry. Winemaker  Assistant Winemaker Cellar Worker Production Technician Vineyard Worker Vineyard Foreman Vineyard Manager Tasting Room Associate Please visit apprenticeship (vesta-usa.org)  for general apprenticeship information. Please visit Registered Apprenticeship Workshops (vesta-usa.org) to download the DOL approved templates to create Registered Apprenticeships for the GWI. Questions? Email vesta@missouristate.edu for more information.   

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives and livelihoods across industries and countries. Across the globe, hospitality and sales jobs disappeared, and other jobs shifted home to dining room tables and spare rooms. Schools and daycare centers closed, further destabilizing the work-life balance of many. The socially distanced global community shared a dramatic shift that left us frustrated, isolated and searching for a new normal. For many, that meant reevaluating their relationship to their job. The tight labor market loosens “The year 2020 was dead,” says Norm Mitroff, owner of St. Helena, Calif.-based executive search firm Mitroff Consulting & Associates. “Wine industry searches were via Zoom and not in hospitality because it was zero. Now that people have the vaccines, wear masks and understand the virus, things are returning to normal for the senior positions we recruit.” Read the remainder of the article here.

Practical Vineyard & Winery conducted a study years ago showing that pruning was the single most costly vineyard activity. Combine that with increasing minimum wage costs and a labor crisis and you have a cocktail that instantly leaves most vineyard managers feeling outraged or helpless. Like other results-driven vineyard owners, Allan DeRose discovered the value of investing in mechanization that could cut labor costs year after year. Listen to how DeRose Winery now prunes with 2 laborers instead of 6 in the same amount of time. Shop the tools Allan uses >>