Sustainable Wine Growing: The Future?

·45 min·2 clips

Stan Grant says vineyards can hit 10 tons and still produce quality if balance, water stress, and exposure are right.

Scott Warr opens the podcast and introduces Stan Grant. Rob Mickelson joins him for a conversation about the grape industry, and Grant brings decades of vineyard work and soil science to the table. The guest profile is detailed. Grant's background runs from Gallo Vineyards to Duarte Nursery, and the introduction leans on both his hands-on vineyard consulting and his advanced study in soil science and geography. The interview starts with his origin story. From there, it moves into a plainspoken explanation of how experience in wine and table grapes can turn into guidance for farmers and crop advisors who need advice that works in the field, not just on paper. The conversation keeps coming back to one basic idea: a vineyard has to be managed as a system, with vine management and nutrition working together to support production. Quality depends on that system. Grant says the grower has to manage the vine well enough to support the crop, because the final result depends on how those choices shape berry composition and crop condition. Micronutrients get a full mention. Boron, manganese, iron, and copper are discussed as elements tied to the synthesis of color, flavor, and aroma compounds, and the point is made that they are usually straightforward to supply if the vineyard is short. The numbers matter too. Grant gives per-ton nutrient targets for nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, using research-backed figures to turn a broad topic into a management checklist. Potassium stands out. Because berries act as a sink, he treats potassium as the nutrient most likely to shift with situation, and he notes that some vineyards may need more than the common five-pounds-per-ton reference. Crop load changes the equation. The heavier the harvest, the more the nutrient demand shifts, so the conversation keeps circling back to timing, supply, and whether the vine can actually support the crop it is carrying. Irrigation is part of the story. The discussion touches on the industry's move from flood irrigation to drip systems and raises the question of how delivery methods change nutrient management, while the closing remarks underline Grant's reputation as a generous teacher who has helped raise the level of knowledge across the industry.

As heard by us

Vineyard nutrition is treated as a practical grower decision, from micronutrients to irrigation.

The episode keeps its feet on the ground, which suits the subject. Stan Grant brings enough experience to make the talk feel practical rather than abstract, and the strongest sections connect micronutrients to the compounds behind color, flavor, and aroma.

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Why you'd press play

When you need grape-vine nutrition advice that respects crop load, quality, and irrigation changes.

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