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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com Happy Earth Day! If you don’t know the history of Earth Day it’s worth checking out at least the Wikipedia entry about it. We recently had what was considered to be the largest single-day protest in US history for the No Kings protest on March 28th, 2026. An estimated 8 million people protested that day. On the first Earth Day in 1970, over 20 million pe…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com My guest for this episode is Rebecca Sweet, owner of Buzz Cover Crop Seeds in Oregon. Yes, the last few episodes have been focused on folks doing inspirational work in Oregon, because I’ll be going back there soon… to the Organically Grown Wine Conference on April 20-21. Cover crops have become a sort of no-brainer for any responsible perennial agricultu…

This episode features Adam Rack, the Co-founder of Revino, the company that is taking the lead in wine glass bottle re-use in the US. Based in Oregon, Revino has recently received funding to open a bottle re-use facility in California, and is helping to build re-use infrastructure and in both states… and thinking globally about the glass bottle ecosystem for wine producers and consumers. Revino has signature, elegant, embossed bottles already in use by quite a few Oregon wine producers, and I’ve had some delicious wine poured from several of their bottles. Bringing awareness and support to wine bottle re-use has been important for me for years, and this isn’t the first episode I’ve done on the topic. That’s because the use of new glass bottles is the single largest source of carbon emissions for the wine industry. Yet we know glass is a vital part of wine. If we want to avoid plastic and the limitations of cans, glass is pretty much inescapable. It has amazing qualities of non-reactivity and durability and beauty. That’s why re-use has to be the way forward for a sustainable wine culture built on ecological principles. We take some time to get to specifics about what Revino does, and I began to realize this is because, as Adam helps us see clearly, to get to the actual part where we, you know, re-use glass bottles, many systems must first be established. Bottle drop-off and collection sites, washing facilities, transportation systems, laws must at times be changed or established, and then there are the bottles themselves: standardization must be adopted, label adhesives must be made washable. And everyone needs to be educated about these processes as well as the enormous benefits that make these changes not only worthwhile, but urgent. First, and maybe most importantly, we need to begin a mindset shift away from seeing wine bottles as single-use disposables, to cherishing them for their unique qualities… not the least of which is their incredible ability to be re-used many many times. We will need to shift away from valuing pretty, shiny, new bottles to taking pride in a scuffed and worn bottle with what Adam calls an “environmental halo” of wear from being part of a re-use ecosystem. These are changes we can start at our wineries today, and Adam gives practical steps to begin to prepare for bottle re-use at your winery, even if the infrastructure wont be available for a few years where you are. And compromises are necessary. We can’t have everything we want if we want important change to happen. But we can change what we want. These changes take time, and they remind us that we are building the infrastructure for the wine culture that future generations will see as normal. We are transforming outdated values to the values that will be the cultural foundation for new wine lovers in years to come. This conversation gave me not only practical ideas and resources, but hope that my individual actions are important to a better future. Resource Links: Porto Protocol Bottle Reuse Guide Glass Recycling Foundation (US recycling map) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

This episode features a conversation with Amy Wong, an attorney and the Policy & Program advocate with the Oregon Organic Coalition. As the former Executive Director for the Oregon Organic Coalition, Amy was instrumental to making the historic, first Oregon Organic Winegrowers Conference happen in 2025, and she is once again active in facilitating the 2nd Organic Winegrowers Conference happen this April 20 & 21, 2026. This is the only wine conference in Oregon, and one of the few in the world, that is founded on the farming rather than just the wine. New Zealand has a great organic wine conference as well, and a few others, but consider that the vast majority of wine tastings and conferences focus on regional or stylistic elements of wine, rather than how the grapes were farmed. It’s probably no surprise to anyone that as the host of the Beyond Organic Wine podcast I think that’s it’s really important to support this kind of ecological-farming-first approach to wine. And I hope to see you at this year’s Oregon Organic Winegrowers Conference. But this conversation is much bigger than just wine. Wine is just one part of Amy’s important work, and she gives us insight and practical advice about how we can navigate the local, state, and national organic issues and policies, and how we can become farmer advocates and agents of change toward a more organic food and wine system. This is an information and resource rich conversation that is timely, urgent, and provides proactive ways of addressing some of our biggest needs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This is the last episode from Embracing Hybrid Grapes, so I’m inviting you to send me your hybrid grape related questions. Please email or message me. This podcast is called Beyond Organic Wine for a reason. Seven years ago I started this podcast to promote organic values and bring attention to producers who practice organic viticulture because at that t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com Christopher Renfro – Adam Tolmach Hey welcome to Beyond Organic Wine, I’m Adam Huss, thank you so much for listening. This episode features audio from the Embracing Hybrid Grapes Conference that took place at UC Davis on January 26th, 2026. This episode is available for paid subscribers to the Beyond Organic Wine substack. You can subscribe and listen to t…

My guest for this episode is Terah Bajjalieh. Terah is a California winemaker, sommelier, and founder of Terah Wine Co., crafting intentional wines that champion underrepresented Mediterranean varietals and organic farming practices. With 14 harvests across five countries and a Master’s degree in Enology from France, she brings a global perspective to California winemaking. Her wines—described by the New York Times as “superb” and recognized in Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemakers 2024—are vibrant, textured, and built for connection. As a female, LGBTQ+, Arab American winemaker, Terah is committed to elevating lesser-known voices and varietals in the wine industry. That’s Terah’s official bio, and there are so many important nuggets of connectedness in it… But I want to add that I’ve had the pleasure of working with Terah and some of her best qualities aren’t things that usually go into a wine bio. Terah supports and shows kindness to everyone she knows. She looks for ways to help and helps generously when she can. I’ve never heard her speak a disparaging word about anyone. She bought a ticket and attended the Embracing Hybrid Grapes conference even though she doesn’t work with hybrid grapes and doesn’t intend to, but simply because she knew I wanted her to be there. She’s the kind of person who, like her fellow Bay Area natives Alyssa Liu, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and many others makes me proud to be a Californian, and makes me hopeful just knowing she’s out there doing her thing. Her thing, in this case, just happens to be beautiful wine. And she’s one of the best arguments that I can think of for supporting small producers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features the Winemaking with Hybrid Grapes panel from the Embracing Hybrid Grapes conference at UC Davis in January of 2026. Panelists include: Karine Pednault, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Université du Québec, Erin Rasmussen, founder of and winemaker for American Wine Project in Wisconsin, and Deirdre Heekin of La Garagista in Vermont, a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features Ron Lane, who retired as Superintendent of Agriculture for the UC Davis Environmental Horticulture and Plant Sciences Departments to found Circadian Crop Sciences. During his academic experience he became frustrated by the toxic effects of sulfur and copper in our wine and food crops and began looking for safer and more effective a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features Deirdre Heekin’s keynote speech at Embracing Hybrid Grapes. Deirdre’s winery is La Garagista in Vermont. We decided to title her keynote “The Vineyard of Lost Time” because Deirdre has a book coming out later this year by that title, and part of her presentation was an excerpt from her book. So her language becomes poetic, inspiri…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features audio from the Embracing Hybrid Grapes Conference that took place at UC Davis on January 26th, 2026. It shouldn’t be controversial for me to say that the genetics of our wine crops should one of the important criteria used in determining if we qualify as practicing regenerative viticulture. It shouldn’t be controversial to say that …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features the audio from the first panel at the Embracing Hybrid Grapes Conference that took place at UC Davis on January 26th, 2026. This episode is available for paid subscribers to the Beyond Organic Wine substack. You can subscribe and listen to the full audio on the Substack app or at beyondorganicwine.substack.com. And a huge thanks to …

Johannes Pinchbeck is a Canadian grape breeder who lives north of Edmonton, Alberta and develops grapes that can take sub-arctic cold and still be productive. The extremity of his climate introduces aspects of grape growing that seem unbelievable, and that remind me of how mind-blowingly amazing these plants are that have adapted to survive in these conditions. Enjoy this journey to explore a kind of viticulture you probably never imagined possible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com Elaine Chukan Brown is a gifted writer, speaker, and global wine educator, as well as an outspoken advocate of diversity in our wine cultures… and everywhere. Elaine has won many awards and honors including Wine Communicator of the Year. But more than that, Elaine is a badass, beautiful human being who I learn from every time we talk. Every presentation…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com This episode features Will Bucklin of Bucklin Old Hill Ranch. Will is the caretaker of one of California’s oldest vineyards, and he discusses some of the many things we can learn from a vineyard that is over 150 years old. One of the remarkable things about a vineyard that old is that it pre-dates the Green Revolution and the industrialization of modern…