When we launched the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast in 2016, we weren’t sure where it would go. Now, 300 episodes later, it’s become a go-to resource for growers, researchers, educators, and wine industry professionals dedicated to sustainability. To mark this milestone, we flipped the mic around and interviewed our host, Craig Macmillan, PhD — long-time vineyard and winery professional, educator, and now podcasting veteran — to reflect on some favorite episodes, meaningful moments, and what’s ahead. From Zoom Recordings to Global Reach Craig began hosting when the podcast was just an idea sparked by the Vineyard Team’s goal to make sustainable winegrowing knowledge more accessible. “I wasn't a podcast listener at all,” Craig admits. “But I said sure, why not? Let's try it.” Since then, the show has featured scientists, growers, and innovators from all over the world, creating a ripple effect of conversations and c

Wine Club Symposium — Session 1 State of the Industry: Why Wine Clubs?  Watch the full recording of vinSUITE’s opening keynote to see how leading wineries are growing clubs in a softer market—by reducing sign-up friction, making commitment flexible, and keeping members engaged between shipments. The panel shares field examples from tasting rooms and clubs, then maps them to simple operational changes you can test this quarter. You’ll leave with practical ways to shorten the join flow, add flexible commitment (pause/skip/swap or prepaid), and build habit-keeping touches between shipments—plus the metrics that show it’s working. What you’ll learn Reduce tasting-room friction: capture contact earlier and streamline the join flow. Flexible commitment: pause/skip/swap and prepaid balances convert “almost” members and save cancels—without discounting. Between-shipment engagement: one planned touch + a simple cancel-save step k

vinSUITE has announced the full agenda and speaker lineup for the 3rd Annual Wine Club Symposium, the leading virtual event for winery professionals focused on driving wine club growth, boosting member retention, and leveraging AI in direct-to-consumer (DTC) operations.  Taking place online on Tuesday, July 15, and Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the Symposium features six sessions, more than a dozen speakers, and data-backed content designed to give attendees clear, tactical steps for immediate application. The event is free to attend and begins each day at 9:00 AM PDT. Register at wineclubsymposium.com or directly via GoToWebinar. With wine clubs generating as much as 60% of DTC revenue for top-performing wineries, this year’s agenda focuses on increasing profitability through strategic customer targeting, member experience innovation, and operational efficiency. 2025 Wine Club Symposium Agenda Day 1 – Tuesday, July 15 9:00–9:50 AM PDT— State of the

The InnoVint team sat down with Brassfield Estate to understand what caused them to make a change in winery software from vintrace to InnoVint. The team, led by head winemaker, Carlos Valadez, told us about problems they had after stepping away from InnoVint for a short time due to a change in winemaking leadership.  And though they realized their mistake early on, they couldn’t switch back until after the 2020 harvest, making for a tough season.  “At first, the software that we switched to looked great…but then once we started doing the work, putting in weight tags, and trying to do work orders, we decided it was more work than it was worth. We realized that we had switched away from InnoVint at a terrible time…just a couple of months before we started picking’” says Joy Tackett, Production Assistant. Before digging into their experience further, it might be helpful for you to know a bit about the history of Brassfield.  History:&

How Outshinery helped over 900 wine brands weather the global storm I just got chills writing the title of this story because it brought me back to a day in March when the Outshinery team came together, as we always do, on a Zoom call. Borders were closing around the world. All of us were hunkering down. No one knew what to expect. Moving forward As we gathered on the call, we checked in with one another and then got busy. And not in a forced way, not in a way motivated by fear (though we were fearful) but rather we focused on what we could do to help right then, right in the now. Our product and service has always been 100% online, a combination of virtual and digital fluidity that allows our small team to be completely remote, even before that was a necessity.  Early in the year we published a piece we’d titled How Outshinery fixed wine photography. It was a look back at all the brands we’ve had the pleasure of serving, of all the asset

Santa Rosa, Calif., February 24, 2025 – Lumo, the precision irrigation company that invented the world’s first smart valve for agriculture, announced today the integration of pressure monitoring into their precision irrigation system. The addition of pressure monitoring will enable growers to better understand the health and performance of their irrigation system, more quickly diagnose issues in the field, engage in preventative maintenance on pumps and other irrigation infrastructure, and figure out which vineyard blocks to irrigate at the same time to maximize efficiency. “Monitoring pressure is essential for gaining a holistic view of your irrigation system,” said Devon Wright, Lumo’s CEO. “When combined with the block-level flow data from our smart valves, growers are able to clearly understand how their system is performing, quickly figure out the root cause of any problem that pops up, and optimize their irrigation sets to maximize the ou

Industry Leaders Gather at vinSUITE's Virtual Wine Club Symposium 2024 Two-day free event features industry insights and data-driven strategies for wine club growth. Napa, CA – July 8, 2024 vinSUITE announces its 2nd Annual Virtual Wine Club Symposium, scheduled for July 16-17, 2024. Building on last year's success, this free, virtual two-day event offers wine club professionals cutting-edge insights on industry trends, AI applications, and data-driven strategies to boost member engagement and retention. Last year's inaugural event attracted over 200 registrations and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. This year, the symposium has already surpassed that total, indicating growing interest and the value it provides to the wine industry. "In today's rapidly evolving wine industry, staying ahead of the curve is crucial," said Jason Curtis, President of vinSUITE. "Our symposium brings together top experts to provide actionable strategies that wi

March 14-16, 2023 | Lancaster, PA | Lancaster County Convention Center Stop by booth 39 to say hello, see what’s new, and chat with our experts. Don’t have tickets yet and want to attend? Use our code: EWE23VIP at checkout for free passes. Also, don’t miss Maria Peterson (Filtration Product Manager), Megan Hereford (Southeast Sales Rep) and Katie Cook (Northeast & Upper Midwest Sales Rep) at their speaking engagements: Join Maria as she covers: Comparative Filtration Technology | March 14 | 11:35am – 12:30pm Sterile Filtering at Bottling | March 14 | 3:55pm – 4:00pm Don’t miss Megan discuss: New Products for Cider Fermentation & Processing | March 14 | 1:40pm – 2:35pm Be sure to catch Katie as she covers: SO2-Alternative Strategies for Incoming Disease-Affected Fruit | March 15 | 8:15am – 9:15am See you there! Click here to learn more: https://easternwineryexposition.com/