Presented by Vineyard Team, the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast continued to be a go‑to resource for vineyard and winery professionals, delivering timely, practical insights straight from researchers and growers shaping the future of sustainable viticulture. From hybrid grapes and soil health to AI‑driven climate strategies and market dynamics, last year’s five most listened‑to episodes offered information listeners can apply immediately in their operations.  Beyond Foxy: The Case for Hybrid Winegrapes Episode 274 | Listen now  Forget everything you thought you knew about hybrid grapes. Adam Huss (Centralas Cellars) makes the case for these resilient, quality-driven varieties and why they’re gaining traction in a warming world.  Fungicide Resistance in Powdery and Downy Mildew: 10 Years of Vineyard Research Episode 278 | Listen now  Ismail Ahmed Ismail (South Australian Research and Development Institute) unpacks a decade of data on fungicide resist

We are excited to introduce a new stave toast profile, Mineral Toast, designed to bring an enhanced sense of minerality to white and rosé wines. This innovative toast profile significantly impacts the sensory characteristics of wine, influencing its interaction with fruit and other elements during the winemaking process. Minerality in wine is often attributed to specific terroirs, rooted in the soil and environment where grapes are grown. While traditionally linked to the vine’s interaction with soil minerals, minerality can also be shaped by winemaking techniques—including the use of oak. Mineral Toast staves utilize carefully selected French Oak air-dried over an extended period. The wood undergoes hot water treatment to soften tannins and reduce harshness, followed by extended toasting at a lower temperature. The gentle process avoids the formation of high notes such as spice, smoke or char, resulting in a delicate profile featuring hints of vanilla, stone fruit,

Wine barrels are beautiful and elegant (we might be biased of course), but there is a world of science and technology swirling just below the surface. We’ve been discussing it in our Oak 101 Series (start here if you want to catch up). Today, we want to talk about a step in the process that is key to creating the barrel itself: bending the barrel. Heat is required to soften the staves so they can be shaped into a barrel without breaking during the process. When softened, the wood increases in malleability. Think of a hard caramel candy: it is brittle until it’s heated, then it softens and can be shaped. The same thing goes with wood! There are several methods of heat bending that can be used to safely shape the staves, and each creates different chemical results after the barrel is toasted. Of course, this means wines aged in barrels with different bending techniques have different sensory characteristics. For the purpose of today’s post, we are going to explore the t