When growers talk about adopting new techniques, the conversation usually stays inside the rows — canopy decisions, new tools, new timing, new workflows. But the early adopters who come out of a season feeling confident tend to share one quiet habit: They stabilize the perimeter first. Not because fencing is flashy. Because it reduces variables. If you’re trialing changes in the vineyard and wildlife pressure spikes at the same time, it’s hard to tell what’s actually working. A dependable perimeter helps protect your results, your labor plan, and your fruit — while you focus on what you’re testing. Why the perimeter is the smartest “first move” A fence is a risk-control upgrade. It doesn’t require retraining crews, rewriting SOPs, or perfect timing. It just needs to be designed correctly for your pressure and installed correctly for your terrain. That’s why it pairs so well with seasons where you’re trying anything new:

Ten Ways Wineries Can Evolve From Selling Bottles to Creating Experiences That Resonate With a New Generation. If I told you a winery just opened with no vineyard, no winemaker on staff, and no interest in talking about terroir… would you visit? What if I told you it had a silent disco in the barrel room, a drag brunch series, and a 3-month waitlist for a zero-proof pairing menu? Those wineries exist. And they’re thriving. Because for a new generation of visitors, the wine isn’t the reason—it’s the reward. It’s not about what you pour anymore. It’s about how you make people feel. And we used to excel at this. But then we woke up one day… and it wasn’t working like it used to. The same offers stopped converting. The same messages started falling flat. The same visitors didn’t come back. And it’s not because we got worse at what we do. It’s because the customer changed. What they want. How they behave. Where t

Ensuring good wine filterability is key to saving time, protecting quality, and avoiding costly production issues. Poor clarification and high polysaccharide levels can quickly lead to fouled membranes and slow filtration. We are excited to introduce our innovative solutions to help you streamline clarification, reduce microbial load, and improve the overall quality of your wines. Improve Filterability with Oenoflow Max Œnoflow Max is formulated with specific enzymatic activities (pectinase, AG-II-hydrolase, hemicellulase, and β-glucanase) to break down a wider variety of complex polysaccharides compared to other enzymes on the market. This advanced formulation ensures a more effective and cleaner filtration process, saving time and preserving the purity of your wine. Better filtration, better balance, less time with VinoTaste Pro VinoTaste Pro is a purified enzymatic blend of pectinase and β-glucanase that improves clarification while enhancing wine quality. Impro

Maintaining wine balance in a changing climate Climate change is reshaping the wine industry. In many wine regions, each year seems to set new records for the hottest or driest growing season, followed by the earliest harvest dates yet. Such accelerated ripening is disrupting grape physiology; phenolic and aromatic development fall out of sync, sugar levels soar, and acidity drops away (1). So how can we adapt and build a more resilient wine sector? The answer to this question is multifaceted. In the vineyards, grape growers are rethinking their management practices, adjusting canopy architecture, introducing shading or optimising irrigation (1,2). Some are reaching for higher altitudes or moving further from the equator in search of cooler conditions (1). Others are trialling alternative heat- and drought-tolerant varieties, from long-forgotten cultivars to newly bred plant material. In the cellars, winemakers may turn to pragmatic solutions such as dilution or blending strategi

Wine Industry Network (WIN) hosted the 13th Annual North Coast Wine Industry Trade Show & Conference (WIN Expo) at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center on Thursday, December 4. The WIN Expo, the largest trade show and conference focused on the North Coast Wine Industry, featured 12 conference sessions focused on Strategy & Leadership, Winemaking, Sales & Marketing and Vineyard & Growers. All four tracks presented interactive sessions to facilitate greater subject immersion, insights and value for the attendees, as expert panels of industry thought leaders and innovators shared their ideas, information and predictions to help attendees better prepare for the coming year. The event featured a trade show that hosted nearly 250 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge products and services available including 20+ new innovative companies. In addition, the event features educational conference sessions, as well as additional attendee attractions such as an outdoor equi

Experience California Dreaming with Rack & Riddle at WIN Expo Join Rack & Riddle at the 13th Annual WIN Expo Trade Show & Conference as we celebrate California Dreaming — an exclusive tasting journey through our signature sparkling wines.  11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sonoma County Fairgrounds — Kraft Hall 1350 Bennett Valley Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95404 California Dreaming celebrates Rack & Riddle’s artistry in California sparkling wine. From the complexity of Méthode Champenoise California Brut to the fresh and vibrant CALSECCO® Brut, this tasting showcases technique, terroir, and innovation. Also NEW this year – Alcohol Removed California Brut and Rosé! Finishing with the Frizzante Flavors collection — Arancia Spritz, Mimosa, and Bellini — it’s a vibrant expression of how Rack & Riddle brings California’s dream of sparkling excellence to life. California Sparkling Wines We’re Pouring Re

Walk into almost any winery this week and you’ll see the same thing: equipment everywhere, barrels tucked into every open spot, and crews doing their best to move fruit through a cellar that already feels packed. Harvest always brings some level of chaos, but this year the space squeeze seems to be hitting harder than usual. And when the cellar is this tight, it quietly changes how winemakers make decisions. Not in big, obvious ways — but in the small, practical choices that add up over the course of a vintage. That’s where the hidden costs start to show themselves. 1. Lots Are Being Shifted Earlier Than Planned A full cellar forces movement. Not thoughtful, deliberately timed movement — just movement. When every open vessel is already promised to incoming fruit, winemakers end up: racking earlier transferring before a lot is truly settled finishing fermentations in whatever vessel is available consolidating lots sooner than planned None of these decisions a

Sparkling wine is one of the most expressive and technically demanding wine styles. Its character begins with the grape variety, the vineyard, and the production method, but the final sensory signature depends heavily on yeast. Yeast acts as the invisible winemaker, shaping aroma, flavor, texture, and bubble structure throughout both primary and secondary fermentations. Different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae behave very differently under the challenging conditions of sparkling wine production. Low pH, increasing alcohol, and high pressure create an environment where only the right strains thrive. Equally important, each strain varies in its ability to create and release the flavor compounds that drive complexity and define style. When secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle and is followed by proper riddling, the yeast has an even greater influence on the final profile. To help winemakers better understand the impact of yeast selection, ATPGroup conducted a focused tria

Explore the Science, Strategy, and Sensory Experience of Winemaking at WIN Expo Three forward-thinking sessions. One essential destination for winemakers. Today’s winemakers are navigating a new era of production - where innovation, precision, and consumer-driven values are shaping the future of the cellar. At this year’s WIN Expo, the Winemaking Conference Sessions, sponsored by Enartis, explore next-generation techniques and tools through a dynamic mix of expert insights, real-world case studies, and guided tastings. From alternative fining agents and sulfite-free protocols to thiol management and aromatic expression, each session is designed to equip you with practical knowledge to meet evolving challenges and craft wines with purpose and precision. Clarifying the Future of Fining: Comparing Plant-Based and Traditional Fining Agents in Winemaking With growing pressure to produce wines that are both sustainable and allergen-conscious, the use of plant-based fining agent

The Post-Harvest Drop-Off Fall brings a flurry of activity to wine country. Tasting rooms fill with eager visitors, social media buzzes with harvest photos, and the energy is palpable. Then November arrives, and for many wineries, engagement plummets. According to Silicon Valley Bank's 2024 Direct-to-Consumer Wine Survey, the average winery converts less than 15% of harvest event attendees into repeat customers by year-end. This represents an enormous missed opportunity. The wineries that thrive year-round don't view harvest as a seasonal peak but as the starting point of a strategic customer journey.  Harvest Is Your Customer Acquisition Funnel Stop thinking of harvest events as isolated experiences and start viewing them as the top of your sales funnel. Smart consumer brands recognize that seasonal events provide a prime opportunity to collect valuable customer data while creating memorable brand experiences. These touchpoints become the first step in an ongoing relat