{"podcast":{"title":"Vineyard Underground","slug":"vineyard-underground-6280933","podcast_index_feed_id":6280933,"rss_url":"https://f364ccd0-b8ab-4504-aea4-3e21b899bc22.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://www.vineyardundergroundpodcast.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/b/3/9/ab390a1f09536c4d27a2322813b393ee/Final_Vineyard_underground_1.jpg","author":"Fritz Westover","episode_count":100,"summary":"What if you could hang out with experienced grape growers, ask them about the science of grape growing, vineyard operations, and more; then take an insight or two to improve your vineyard and ultimately the quality of the wines you produce? That's what we do each week on the Vineyard Underground. Hosted by Fritz Westover –– viticulture expert more than 20 years of experience in the vineyard industry –– every episode is an in-depth look at grape growing methods, care, and even complicated matters of fertilization and pest and disease management? The goal is to provide you with an understanding of the complicated aspects of viticulture science so that experienced and even first-time grape growers will be able to understand and implement new practices in their vineyard.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-09T18:17:07.711312+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vineyard-underground-6280933"},"episode":{"title":"082: How Vines are Made with Dustin Hooper","slug":"082-how-vines-are-made-with-dustin-hooper","published_at":"2025-10-14T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vineyard-underground-6280933/082-how-vines-are-made-with-dustin-hooper","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vineyard-underground-6280933","url":"https://f364ccd0-b8ab-4504-aea4-3e21b899bc22.libsyn.com/082-how-vines-are-made-with-dustin-hooper","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f364ccd0-b8ab-4504-aea4-3e21b899bc22/VU_Ep082_master.mp3?dest-id=3650511","summary":"In this episode of Vineyard Underground, Fritz welcomes Dustin Hooper, Vice President of Sales at Sunridge Nurseries, to take listeners behind the scenes of how grapevines are made. While growers see the final product when vines arrive at their vineyard, there's a fascinating process that begins long before planting — starting with certified mother vines and continuing through propagation, grafting, greenhouse production, and certification. Dustin shares his personal journey into the nursery business and offers an insider's perspective on the complexities of producing clean, reliable vines for commercial vineyards. Together, Fritz and Dustin explore the differences between own-rooted versus grafted vines, the pros and cons of dormant bare-root versus greenhouse formats, and innovations such as tall and medium-trained vines. They also cover critical topics like soil and water testing, rootstock selection, and how clones are chosen to fine-tune vineyard performance and wine style. A key part of the discussion is the rigorous certification process overseen by UC Davis Foundation Plant Services and state agencies to ensure vines are tested and free from major viruses before they ever reach a vineyard. Dustin emphasizes that selecting the right vine format, rootstock, and clone isn't just about availability — it's about long-term success, sustainability, and profitability. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of the nursery side of viticulture and gain practical insights into how to make informed decisions when ordering vines for their vineyard. In this episode, you will hear: The difference between own-rooted and grafted vines, and when each is appropriate Pros and cons of dormant bare-root vs. greenhouse-grown vines How tall and medium-trained vines can he…","meta_description":"In this episode of Vineyard Underground, Fritz welcomes Dustin Hooper, Vice President of Sales at Sunridge Nurseries, to take listeners behind the scenes…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4027,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/vineyard-underground-6280933/episodes/082-how-vines-are-made-with-dustin-hooper/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vineyard-underground-6280933/082-how-vines-are-made-with-dustin-hooper.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}