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What would happen if we brought some of the most thoughtful growers together — n What would happen if we brought some of the most thoughtful growers together — not to compete or compare, but to listen, share, and learn from one another? On January 22, 2026, the Ungrafted Farming Conference hosted four panels exploring soil health, cover cropping, plant sap analysis, and animal integration in the vineyard, with some of the most committed and curious farmers working today. Here is a (very) condensed version of the day. [00:00] Welcome — Icy Liu @icy_liu_ Opening remarks and a reading from Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass [00:02] Introduction — Paul Wasserman @paulbwasserman How a group of obsessive farmers accidentally created a conference [00:04] Panel 1: “Foundations of Vineyard Health and Effects on Wine Quality” with Cyril Courvoisier (Cornas, France) and Thomas Bouley (Volnay, France) Moderated by Paul Wasserman & Icy Liu Thomas Bouley @thomasbouley1 — Thomas is a fourth-generation vigneron who took over in 2002 and completely transformed his approach to soil health. Thomas shares his early misconception that poor soils make great grapes, what changed his mind, and why he distinguishes between vigor and vitality. Topics include grinding versus burning pruning canes, late hedging, and 23 years of patient observation. [00:11] Cyril Courvoisier @domainecyrilcourvoisier — Cyril shares how planting on abandoned land with 70-year-old forest led him to discover the power of wood chips and straw mulching, and how that completely changed his approach to soil biology, mycorrhizae, and more.  [00:17] Panel 2: “Let Vines Vine: Cover Crops, Balance And Adaptation In A Variable Climate” with Dr. Dylan Grigg @gdylla (Barossa Valley, Australia) Moderated by Paul Knittel @paul.knittel and Icy Liu Dr. Dylan Grigg @gdylla — Dylan is a viticulture consultant and grower with over 25 years of experience across Australia and Spain. He breaks down the three types of cover crops (green manure, permanent regenerating, and specialist), carbon to nitrogen ratios, seeding methods, species complexity, and why a beautiful cover crop can quietly be stealing from your vines. Key topics covered: Green manure vs. permanent regenerating vs. specialist cover crops Pioneer species and degraded soils Carbon to nitrogen ratios and the 60/40 cereal to legume blend Seeding depth, broadcasting vs. direct drilling Why complexity brings resilience — but also why only a few species tend to dominate Six years of building a seed bank from 0.5% organic matter up [00:26] Panel 3: “Vine Health & Nutrition and Effects on Wine Quality” with Tomoko Kuriyama-Bott (Chanterêves, Savigny-lès-Beaune, France) and Philine Isabelle Dienger (Barolo, Italy) Moderated by Icy Liu Tomoko @chantereves & Philine @az._agr._philine_isabelle A fascinating and cutting-edge panel on what is actually happening inside the plant itself. Tomoko gives a crash course in redox chemistry and pH, explains the redox cross, and walks through how the Nutriscope scanner and Nova Cropp lab analysis work in practice. Topics include: Why pH alone is no longer enough — and why redox changes everything How plants spend up to 80% of photosynthesis energy maintaining EH/pH homeostasis The oxidative burst and what copper spraying really does to a vine Why iron and manganese are almost always deficient, and why foliar feeding works better than soil fertilizers The Fenton reaction and why bare soil is the worst outcome Fresh cow dung, sheep dung, and urine as reducing agents How to reach the humus threshold for no-till — and why Tomoko and Philine are going carefully at 25% no-till for now [00:46] Panel 4: Holistic Vineyard Management with Alice Anderson (Âmevive Winery, Santa Barbara, USA) Moderated by Christina Rasmussen @christinarasmussen_ @littlewine.io and Icy Liu Alice walks through the practical realities of holistic vineyard management and animal integration — the beauty, the heartbreak, and the biology behind it all. A genuinely joyful and honest conversation about working with animals to build living soils. Animals covered: Sheep — saliva enzymes, photosynthesis stimulation, timing grazing with understory growth Pigs — Kune kune breed as obligate grazers, year-round vineyard presence, electric fencing essentials Chickens — low commitment entry point, scratch behavior, mealybug control, when to take them out (bud swell and fruit set) Ducks — snail and slug hunters, nitrogen-rich poop, the Turkey roosting trick Cows — best used outside the vineyard for compost Goats — a caution Barn owls — 3,000 to 4,000 rodents per year per box Western bluebirds — 400,000 insects per year, effective against sharpshooters and Pierce's disease Bats — grapevine moth, budworm, 30% of body weight in insects per hour Thank you to @beckywasserman.co for sponsoring the conference.

Today I speak with François de Nicolay from Domaine Chandon de Briailles in Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy. The 14 hectare biodynamic domaine started experimenting with spraying with skim milk instead of sulfur against powdery mildew in 2013. Powdery mildew (oidium in French) is a major fungal disease that affects vitis vinifera worldwide by decreasing grape quality and yield.   Francois talks about how milk works as a preventative and curative measure, as well its advantages and disadvantages.   @chandon.de.briailles

Brian McClintic is an ex Master Sommelier who worked at the Little Nell in Aspen and starred in the SOMM documentary films. Brian launched Viticole Wine in 2016, a wine club for which he collaborates with organic wine and cider producers around the world on custom bottlings.   Today I speak with Brian about fermented beverages of the future, including multiple fruit ferments and herbal infusions. We also chat about regenerative agriculture, racism, and how to make our lives and businesses more sustainable with glass bottle recycling, homesteading, and B Corp certification. Instagram @brianbmcclintic @viticolewine

Today I speak with Carlton McCoy MS from the Roots Fund and Demeine Estates about Black representation in the wine industry.       Carlton grew up in southeast Washington DC where wine was not part of his family or culture.  After winning the C-CAP (Careers Through Culinary Arts Program) cooking contest, he earned a full scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, which kickstarted his wine career. Carlton became a Master Sommelier when he was only 28 years old, and was the second African American to earn the title. To date, there are only 3 Black Master Sommeliers out of 269. He was the Wine Director at The Little Nell in Aspen before becoming President and CEO of Heitz Cellar and Demeine Estates. Carlton and I discuss the situation of black wine professionals and the importance of mentorship. We also chat about the Roots Fund, which provides wine education, mentorship, and job opportunities for people of color.   To learn more about the Roots Fund founded by Carlton McCoy, Tahiirah Habibi, and Ikimi Dubose, please visit www.rootsfund.com Instagram: @carltonmccoy @rootsfund @sippingsocialite @thehuesociety

Today I speak with Olivier Lamy of Domaine Hubert Lamy in Saint Aubin, Burgundy. Olivier is one of Burgundy’s cult winemakers and a pioneer in the return to high density plantings.   Olivier discusses the history of plantations in Burgundy and Champagne, the practical choices that led to a lowering of the vine densities after phylloxera, and how his vines yield better quality grapes and perform better in warmer vintages.   Photo by: Gretchen Greer

I speak with Steve Matthiasson, vineyard consultant and owner of Matthiasson Vineyards in Napa, about water conservation in the vineyard. Steve gives an overview of Napa’s climate and how farming practices have changed over the last 20 years. He cautions that drought cycles are more extreme and that all indicators show that there will be less water in the future.  He discusses farming practices that help conserve water including planting cover crops, increasing soil organic matter, tilling differently, changing row orientations, and using different trellising systems and deeper rooted rootstocks.  It turns out that farming practices that conserve water are also good for the soil. Steve also talks about how certain wine styles require more irrigation, and that there is an aspect to sustainability on the consumer side as well.   Photo Credit: Elaine Chukan Brown  Instagram: matthiasson_wine Website: matthiasson.com

I speak with Christina Rasmussen and Daniela Pillhofer, cofounders of Little Wine about carbon neutral shipping.  Little Wine is an online wine content platform focused on organic plus and climate positive growers.  Little Wine also has an online bottle shop and wine club, with carbon neutral shipping.  Since their founding in April 2020, they have offset 100+ tonnes of CO2 to date.  According to German nonprofit Atmosfair, that’s around 100 round trip flights from London to New York City.   Christina and Daniela talk how they chose EcoCart and a water purification project in Cambodia for their carbon neutral shipping program, where they have prevented 25,000 trees from being chopped down to date.  We also talk about the future of wine distribution, and how they are inspired by fashion brand Organic Basics and Jancis Robinson. Instagram: @littlewine.co @winecarbonara @christinarasmussen_  Website: https://littlewine.co/

Today I interview Cristiana Tiberio from Agricola Tiberio in Abruzzo about biotypes.  Cristiana discusses the difference between biotypes and clones.  She also shares her journey identifying biotypes in her vineyard, including the Fonte Canale biotype of Trebbiano Abruzzese and 4 distinct biotypes of Montelpucinao d’Abruzzo which behave differently in the vines and the cellar. Instagram: @cristianatiberio

Today, I chat with Elaine Chukan Brown about Indigenous representation in the wine industry.   Elaine is an Alaskan Native, from the Inupiaq-Unangan-Sugpiaq tribes.   She started fishing commercially when she was nine years old and worked in various industries before starting her wine career.  Elaine is a wine educator and writer.  She is the American wine specialist at JancisRobinson.com and has contributed to the 4th edition of the Oxford Companion to Wine and the 8th edition of the World Atlas of Wine.  She was voted IWSC Wine Communicator of the Year in 2020. We discuss the history of Indigenous Americans and alcohol, misguided stereotypes, cultural appropriation, and what it means to be an Indigenous-owned winery. Photo by Elaine, with her grandmother, an Alaskan native from the Inupiaq-Yupik tribes. Instagram: @hawk_wakawaka

We conclude Regenuary with our interview with Mimi Casteel. Mimi is one of the preeminent voices for regenerative agriculture and no till, which she practices at Hope Well Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon. Mimi explains the advantages and disadvantages of tilling, one of which is the release of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.  She addresses what she believes are necessary changes to farming subsidies and viticultural regulations if we are to achieve a sustainable future.   Instagram: @mimicasteel Website: hopewellwine.com Photo by: Aubrie Legault

We continue our celebration of Regenuary with our interview with Nigel Greening, proprietor of Felton Road in Central Otago, New Zealand.  Nigel discusses the role of animals in the vines and the winery’s ecosystem.  Nigel explains the difference between sheep (which are grazers) versus goats (which are browsers) in managing their wild rose population.  While some believe the best way to restore land is by removing grazing animals, Nigel believes the contrary--their highland cattle has helped restore soil fertility and encourage grass growth. He also shares their experience with helping raise New Zealand endangered native falcons and managing birds, rabbits and other creatures in the vines.  Photo: The Family of Twelve

Today, we celebrate #Regenuary with Jordan Lonborg, viticulturist of Tablas Creek.  Tablas Creek farms 120 acres of Rhone varieties in Paso Robles, California.  They were certified organic in 2003.  They have been farming biodynamically since 2010, and received their biodynamic certification in 2017.  They are the first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) winery by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, established in 2017.  The 3 main pillars of the ROC include soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness.  ROC aims to sequester carbon in the soils that would otherwise be released in the atmosphere, and helps combat climate change.  ROC requires minimal irrigation with the idea that healthy soils need less water. Jordan and I talk about these 3 pillars, including regenerative farming, climate change, tilling, carbon sequestration, cover crops, mob grazing, bees, compost and biochar, and lastly, animal and worker welfare. Instagram: @tablascreek Website: tablascreek.com

Today, I speak with Zach Lawless, founder of Good Goods, a bottle return program where you bring back your empty wine bottles to participating wine stores in exchange for credits towards future wine purchases.  A bottle of wine’s biggest carbon footprint is the manufacturing of the glass bottle.  In the Good Goods program, the bottles are reused instead of recycled--recycling a bottle saves 7% in carbon emissions whereas reusing a bottle saves 52%. Zach and I talk about his market research with the glass milk bottle reuse programs, how the Crying Indian Campaign helped people recycle more, and how the current situation with recycling is not as good as it should be. Instagram: @_thegoodgoods.co_ Website: thegoodgoods.co

Jasmin Swan of Katla Wines, is a new negociant from the “Alt Mosel", a term she coined for the new faces making wines with diverse approaches in the Mosel Valley.  Today, I interview Jas about her journey from sommelier in Iceland to winemaker in Germany.  Specifically, we chat about the use of PIWI’s as part of sustainable agriculture.   PIWIs are hybrids-varieties made by crossing 2 different Vitis species-- bred specifically for their fungus resistant capabilities.  This means that they require less spraying, therefore less costs, less tractor emissions, and less soil compaction.  Finally, Jas and I talk about the market reception of PIWIs and her future projects. Instagram: @terroirmerroir

Today we will be broaching a subject that might make you uncomfortable--the relationship between alcohol and cancer. The reason for this discussion is personal; I was diagnosed with breast cancer this October. The causes of breast cancer are debated, but it is pretty clear that alcohol does not help. So how do I continue a life now devoted to wine? What is a suitable balance between my passion and its risks? The opinions of doctors vary considerably on the subject.   Today, I welcome Amy Christine, Master of Wine, owner of Holus Bolus winery, and sales representative in Los Angeles for Kermit Lynch. Amy wrote an insightful and personal article about her journey with breast cancer, which is included in the episode’s notes.  We are joined by Pat Farrell, Master of Wine and Doctor of Medicine. Our conversation will highlight some research on the causes of certain cancers, including alcohol.   Please be aware that what we discuss is for informational purposes only. Everyone is different, everyone’s family history is different, it is important that you consult your own doctor for medical advice.   Amy's article: https://www.imspeakingwine.com/writings/wineandcancer Instagram: @holusboluswine @acloveswine Website: https://www.thejoyfantastic.com/ https://www.mastersofwine.org/patrick-farrell-mw