Host Lauren Heindel, from InnoVint, sits down with wine industry experts in finance to winemaking and dives deep into topics to help you run better wine businesses.
Workflow Secrets From a Small Production Winemaker
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.
31 Mar 2026
Making Better Sparkling Wine Blends With Data and AI
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/ (https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks/%5Bepisode-slug%5D/)
🔗 Learn more about Expert Talks: https://www.innovint.us/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.
10 Feb 2026
Why Your Tasting Room Isn’t Converting, and What to Do About It
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.
1 Dec 2025
Winemaking for Multiple Brands with Modern Technology
Host Lauren Heindel interviews Mike Tracy, Director of Winemaking, who reveals how he leverages data-driven strategies to manage winemaking for multiple brands, ensuring quality and consistency across different wine styles.
12 Nov 2025
Behind The Scenes of Harvest Watch 2025
Data analyst Anna Muthig describes InnoVint's Harvest Watch dashboard and its real-time data on harvest progression, which helps winemakers make informed decisions and respond to environmental factors, in an interview with Lauren Heindel.
25 Sept 2025
6 Steps to Align Your Winery Supply and Demand
Strategy consultant Andrea Savaiano outlines a six-step process for wineries to align their supply and demand, ensuring optimal inventory management in this interview.
27 Aug 2025
Managing Custom Crush from Both Sides
Host Lauren Heindel interviews Alison Crowe, Vice President of Winemaking at Plata Wine Partners, about managing custom crush relationships from both winery and provider perspectives.
9 Jul 2025
What to Expect When Buying or Selling a Winery
Host Lauren Heindel interviews Erik McLaughlin about winery mergers and acquisitions, exploring market trends, valuation methods, and essential tips for owners considering a sale.
27 May 2025
Winemaking Mistakes No One Talks About with Jim Duane - Part 2
Winemaker Jim Duane reveals common winemaking mistakes like TCA and smoke taint, and discusses winery business management, including labor strategy and capital expenses, in an interview.
14 May 2025
Winemaking Mistakes No One Talks About With Jim Duane (part 1)
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 (https://www.insidewinemaking.com/)
View the InnoVint Expert Talks Hub + Subscribe to never miss an episode!
→ innovint.us/expert-talks (https://www.innovint.us/expert-talks)
8 Apr 2025
How to Have The Most Error-Free Bottling Run
Bottling is one of the most critical (and stressful) parts of winemaking—are you setting yourself up for success or inviting costly mistakes? In this episode of Expert Talks, Melissa Hackett, owner of Wine Unfiltered Consulting, shares her expert insights on how to optimize your bottling process for efficiency, accuracy, and minimal errors.
In this episode, we cover:
🍷 The biggest bottling mistakes wineries make—and how to avoid them
📅 A step-by-step timeline for prepping wine, staging materials, and finalizing details
🔍 Best practices for quality control and compliance
⚙️ How technology can help reduce bottling errors
📦 Industry trends shaping the future of wine packaging
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or gearing up for your first bottling run, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you streamline your process.
🎙️ Join the conversation in The Punchdown (https://punchdown.innovint.us/c/expert-talks/)
Enjoyed this episode? Follow, review, and share to help more wine professionals discover Expert Talks! 🚀
2 Apr 2025
Bridging The Gap Between Winemaking and Accounting
In this episode, Rachel Smith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-smith-cpa-90163232/), owner of Northwest Wine Accounting (https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwestwineaccounting/) brings together the different and oftentimes siloed roles of winemaking and accounting. As a long-time accountant working with the wine industry, she knows firsthand what it takes to support a frictionless interdepartmental team.
Listen and Learn:
What winemakers know that accountants don’t
How to properly account for your bulk and bottled wine
Which costs the winemaker should be owning
Which costs the accountant should be in charge of
When it’s most important to calculate COGS
How to prep your books to get a line of credit or business valuation
2 Apr 2025
6 Common Mistakes Wineries Make When Filing TTB Reports
Have you ever wondered, am I doing this right when filing the TTB report? I sat down with Compliance Expert, Ann Reynolds to discuss the six most common mistakes wineries make when filing the report. In this episode she outlines:
✅ How to avoid errors that could trigger an audit
✅ Best practices for maintaining accurate records
✅ How to correct mistakes after submission
And MORE!
2 Apr 2025
6 Segments Of DTC Customer Data with Paul Leary
This episode’s expert: Paul Leary, Owner of Assemblage Strategy Group
This episode's topic: The Six Segments of DTC Customer Data
What We Cover
The health of your customer data
How you can speak to customer segments differently
Using time-based segmentation
Creative ways to grow your DTC list
2 Apr 2025
Compliance 101 with Nicole Elizabeth
This episode’s expert: , Owner of Premier Wine Compliance
This episode's topic: Winery Compliance 101
What We Cover:
Crucial steps to ensure your winery is compliant
Ways to streamline your compliance filings
The scary costs associated with missing compliance payments and reporting deadlines
28 Mar 2025
The Top 5 HR Tips for Wineries Without an HR Manager
This episode’s expert: Hart, HR Consultant and Owner of Jessica Hart Consulting
This episode's topic: Top 5 HR Tips for Wineries without an HR Manager
What We Cover
Jessica’s definition of HR (spoiler: it’s everything!)
Top tips for wineries that don’t have an HR department
The importance of handbooks
State laws you should be aware of
28 Mar 2025
5 Ways To Level Up Your Career With Financial Literacy with Mike Matthews
Want to grow your career in the wine industry? It all starts with financial literacy. 🍷📊
In this episode of Expert Talks, Lauren sits down with Mike Mathews, Partner at 2Go Advisory Group, to break down five key strategies for improving financial literacy—whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned professional.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ How financial literacy can help you advance in your career
✅ Simple ways to build financial knowledge without feeling overwhelmed
✅ Why winery leaders should prioritize financial transparency
✅ How small changes in financial understanding can lead to better business decisions
Don’t miss these valuable insights! Watch now and take the next step in your career.
🔔 Follow for more expert insights on the wine industry.
📢 Join the conversation in the comments—what financial strategies have helped you in your role?
#WineIndustry #FinancialLiteracy #ExpertTalks #Winemaking #CareerGrowth
Watch all the Expert Talks on The Punchdown: https://punchdown.innovint.us/c/expert-talks/ (https://punchdown.innovint.us/c/expert-talks/)
28 Mar 2025
Cost Accounting Concepts with Frances Spangler
Expert Talks is a video and podcast series presented by InnoVint, featuring interviews with wine industry experts on key topics like winemaking, finance, compliance, and more.
In this episode, Frances Spangler breaks down winery cost accounting. She dives deep into barrel depreciation, how to properly account for your rose, and other important tips to properly manage your winery's finances.
Listen to this episode, and if you like it follow us and share Expert Talks with someone in the industry you think would find this helpful.
Who has been a guest on Expert Talks - Powered by InnoVint
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Mike Tracy
Anna Muthig
Andrea Savaiano
Alison Crowe
Erik McLaughlin
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2 ratings
Spotify
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Lauren Heindel host the show. Published by InnoVint.
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