Regenerative Solutions to Conventional Farming

  • Tuesday, April 28, 2026
  • 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
  • Chandon Tasting Room

Join us for an engaging presentation from regional leaders in regenerative viticulture. We will discuss techniques, tools, and services that help growers enhance the health of their vines, reduce their reliance on inputs, and increase the resilience of their vineyards to mother nature’s curveballs.

Speakers include:

  • Steve Matthiasson from Matthiasson Wines discussing his long-term approach to growing healthy vines and balanced wines.
  • Aron Weinkauf from Spottswoode Winery outlining the ‘Spottswoode approach’ to farming organically in Napa, as well as discussing a couple services that enable them to conserve their use of water and sprays.
  • Jake Neustadt from Bedrock Vineyard illustrating their approach to managing old vines in a no-till system- their techniques and limitations in managing fertility and vigor- as well as address their use of Advancing Eco Ag products.
  • Zephyr Papin-Tillery from Lallemand Plant Care will showcase their line up of products for winegrape management- nearly all of which are OMRI listed.
  • And we will hear from HopeTape about their soil-degradable vineyard tape for tying and trellising.

This is a seated event. Contact us for student discount tickets!

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Steve Matthiasson | Owner at Matthiasson Wines

Steve dreamt of farming his entire life. In 1994, while back in grad school for horticulture he found a job in vineyards and orchards working for a small sustainable agriculture consulting firm. In 1999 he co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. In 2002 he started consulting on vineyard practices in Napa. He still loves the challenge of solving vineyard problems for others, but since 2003 the primary focus has been on our own family farming and winemaking.

Aron Weinkauf | Winemaker & Vineyard Manager at Spottswoode Estate

In 2006, Aron joined the Spottswoode team as assistant winemaker. At Spottswoode, Aron embraced his desire for a deeper understanding of viticulture. “I fell in love with the sheer enjoyment of working in the vineyard,” he says. “Winegrowing is so dynamic – it requires both sensibility and sensitivity as you intuit and adjust to the ebbs and flows of Mother Nature.” In 2009, in addition to his role as assistant winemaker, Aron was named Spottswoode’s vineyard manager.

Jake Neustadt | Director of Viticulture at Bedrock Wine Co.

Jake’s wine industry career has orbited around old vines (Rock Wall Wine Company, Ridge) with a sidestep into West Sonoma County Pinot Noir (Freeman) and a harvest learning the agony of bird nets in Central Otago, New Zealand (Misha’s Vineyard). It was at Ridge, under the tutelage of David Gates and Will Thomas, that Jake learned the idiosyncrasies of farming old vines with sustainable practices like biological control and site-specific cover cropping along with using modern viticultural instrumentation and data analysis in order to improve old-school organic and dry farming practices.

Zephyr Papin-Tillery | Field Solutions Specialist and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Lallemand Plant Care

Zephyr Papin-Tillery is a Field Solutions Specialist and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Lallemand Plant Care, with more than 20 years of experience in pesticide use and regulation. She holds an MSc in Agriculture with a focus on Plant Health Management and specializes in U.S. state registrations and regulatory compliance, organic certifications, and the management of pesticide and biostimulant field trials on the West Coast. She serves as an active participant and co-chair on multiple regulatory and agronomy committees addressing biopesticide and biostimulant issues, including BPIA, WGA, and WPHA.