Running a small winery with a lean team means living in a state of organized chaos. In this episode of Expert Talks by InnoVint, Bertus van Zyl (FARM Collective) explains how he runs three brands and 20-25 unique wines a year with a three-person cellar team, and what changed when paper notepads stopped scaling.Bertus is the head winemaker at FARM Collective, where he oversees production for Tank Garage, the never-repeat DTC brand sourcing from across California, James Cole, a classic Napa-focused estate, and his own personal label, Belong. In this conversation with Lauren Heindel of InnoVint, he shares the workflow systems, planning rhythms, and team structure that let a small producer move serious volume without burning out the people running it.In this episode, we discuss:• How small wine producers keep many SKUs organized without micromanaging the team• Why compliance and inventory tracking break before anything else when a small winery scales• How Tank Garage plans 20-25 unique wines each year from 50+ varieties• Why empowered teams and front-loaded work orders make remote management possible• What's worth investing in for small producers, and which wine-industry tools are over-hypedGuest: Bertus van Zyl, Head Winemaker at FARM CollectiveHost: Lauren Heindel, Marketing Manager at InnoVint00:00 Welcome and Overview00:59 Bertus Origin Story03:59 Scaling Pain Points06:19 Fixing Chaos With Software07:59 Daily Workflow and Remote Ops12:05 Tank Garage Never Repeat Model17:55 Costing and Compliance Setup18:34 Advice for Small Producers20:54 Lean Team Bottling Machine23:37 Adopt Sooner vs Overhyped26:06 Wrap Up and Thanks🔗 Full episode page: https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks/small-winery-workflow/🔗 Learn more about Expert Talks: https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks/Expert Talks is a series from InnoVint, the winery operating system used by thousands of winemakers to manage production, inventory, and operations. Each episode features conversations with wine industry leaders about improving winery operations, profitability, and long-term business health.

Making great sparkling wine isn't just about picking great grapes — it's about mastering the art of blending dozens of unbalanced components into something greater than the sum of its parts. In this episode of Expert Talks by InnoVint, winemaker Kyle Altomare (Gloria Ferrer) breaks down the technical and intuitive sides of sparkling wine production, from assemblage philosophy to how AI is changing the way his team works during harvest.

Kyle has spent over 15 years working his way from small production cellars to leading winemaking at one of California's most respected sparkling houses, with stops at Clos Pegase, Charles Krug, and Artesa along the way. In this conversation with Lauren Heindel (InnoVint), he shares how he approaches blending for texture over aromatics, why sparkling wine requires thinking backward from the finish line, and how InnoVint AI helped his team work smarter during the 2024 harvest.

In this episode, we discuss:

▶ Why sparkling wine blending requires a completely different mindset than still wine production

▶ How Kyle evaluates base wines for weight, finish length, and acid purity — not just aromatics

▶ The philosophy behind using oak in sparkling wine without letting it overpower delicate base wines

▶ How vintage variation (like the dramatic difference between 2023 and 2024) shapes blending decisions

▶ When blending becomes intuitive — and why the final tweaks never get easier if you're doing it right

▶ How InnoVint AI features like image import, voice-to-text work orders, and custom reporting changed the way the Gloria Ferrer team works during harvest

Guest: Kyle Altomare, Winemaker at Gloria Ferrer

Host: Lauren Heindel, Community Manager at InnoVint

🔗 Full episode page: https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks/making-better-sparkling-wine-blends-with-data-and-ai/

🔗 Learn more about Expert Talks: https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks/

Expert Talks is a series from InnoVint, the winery operating system used by thousands of winemakers to manage production, inventory, and operations. Each episode features conversations with wine industry leaders about improving winery operations, profitability, and long-term business health.

On this episode of Expert Talks, Wine industry insights by InnoVint we sat down with tasting room educator Liz Mercer, partner at WISE. She has dedicated her life to teaching wineries how to improve their tasting room staff, processes, and customer experience and has joined InnoVint to share her secrets. Liz and Lauren dissect what is currently working in tasting rooms, and what isn't and why. Then Liz shares some tactical first steps you can take today to start increasing your tasting room conversions.

In this episode of Expert Talks, powered by InnoVint, host Lauren Heindel chats with Mike Tracy, Director of Winemaking for Trois Noix and Consulting Winemaker for Peter Paul Wines. Mike shares his journey from early exposure to viticulture in Sonoma County to managing multiple wine brands with data-driven strategies.This episode highlights the distinct challenges of working across both estate wineries and custom crush facilities, the importance of small details in winemaking, and balancing wine styles across different labels. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the art and discipline behind multi-brand winemaking and the pivotal role data plays in ensuring wine quality.

Join InnoVint on a special bonus episode of Expert Talks as host Lauren Heindel sits down with Anna Muthig, the data analyst behind Harvest Watch, InnoVint's new real-time harvest progression dashboard. They discuss the origins and functionality of this innovative tool, which offers real-time data on harvest progression, improving informed decisions during harvest. Anna shares her journey from working in wine production to specializing in data analytics and explains how Harvest Watch helps winemakers from different regions track their harvest progress, validate their decisions, and respond to environmental factors like air quality and fire risk. Discover how this tool is continuously evolving based on user feedback and find out how you can contribute to its development.

Are you running out of your best-selling wine too soon? Or stuck with cases collecting dust? 🍷In this episode of Expert Talks, we sit down with Andrea Savaiano, a strategy and operations consultant, to unpack how wineries can align supply with demand.Andrea shares a repeatable, step-by-step process that small and mid-sized wineries can use to:✅ Forecast sales and production with confidence✅ Map inventory against real demand✅ Build actionable plans with clear accountability✅ Revisit strategies annually for lasting successListen to the full episode, and subscribe to be notified when new episodes drop on our web hub: innovint.us/expert-talks

In this episode of Expert Talks, host Lauren Heindel chats with Alison Crowe, Vice President of Winemaking at Plata Wine Partners, about the intricacies of custom crushing in the wine industry. Alison, with extensive experience in custom crush partnerships, breaks down her step-by-step framework for successful collaborations between wineries and custom crush providers. This episode is a must-watch for wineries considering custom crush services or looking to offer them.

In this episode of Expert Talks by InnoVint, host Lauren Heindel sits down with Erik McLaughlin, managing partner at METIS, to discuss the current state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the wine industry. Erik shares his journey into the winery M&A niche, insights on market trends, and types of deals that are currently prevalent in the industry. He provides a detailed look into how wineries are valued and what motivates sellers and buyers in today's market. The episode covers essential tips for winery owners considering a sale, including the importance of early advisor involvement and financial cleanliness. Erik highlights the keys to post-merger success and how to manage buyer and seller expectations. This episode is packed with valuable information for winery owners, investors, and anyone interested in the intricacies of winery M&A.

Connect with Erik at METIS.

Check out all the episodes and supporting articles in our Expert Talks web hub!

Expert Talks is a video podcast series presented by InnoVint, featuring interviews with wine industry experts on key topics in winemaking, finance, compliance, and more.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Jim Duane, Winemaker at Seavey Vineyard and host of the Inside Winemaking podcast, we take a deeper dive into two important and often stressful realities of running a winery:

• TCA & smoke taint: How to detect, triage, and avoid these common wine faults
• Managing a winery like a business: Advice on labor strategy, loans, and capital expenses

Jim shares practical advice from his years running a small, quality-focused Napa Valley winery, and offers a transparent look at the financial trade-offs and decision-making that owners and winemakers face every day.

Expert Talks is a video podcast series presented by InnoVint, featuring interviews with wine industry experts on key topics in winemaking, finance, compliance, and more.

In this episode, Jim Duane, Winemaker at Seavey Vineyard and host of the Inside Winemaking podcast, joins us to share his take on two essential topics: identifying and addressing wine faults and how to be resource-savvy in a small winery setting. Jim brings a practical, transparent perspective from years of hands-on experience in Napa Valley, working in both large-scale and small, quality-driven winery environments.

This is a must-listen for any winemaker, cellar lead, or production manager looking to level up.

Connect with Jim:

→ Inside Winemaking Podcast

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