078: Beyond Organic Wine with Adam Huss

In this episode of Vineyard Underground, Fritz welcomes Adam Huss — host of the Beyond Organic Wine podcast, winemaker at Centralas Wine, and creator of the Crenshaw Cru Wine Garden in South Los Angeles. Adam shares his unconventional path into winemaking, beginning with a career in the nonprofit sector before launching a winery focused on ecological and community-driven practices. The conversation explores Adam's philosophy of going "beyond organic" to embrace an ecological approach to winegrowing — one that avoids getting boxed into industry buzzwords and instead focuses on the interconnectedness of soil, plants, people, and place. He discusses his work with regenerative agriculture pioneer Kelly Mulville at Paicines Ranch, his shift toward sourcing local fruit (including prickly pears and other native plants), and his experimentation with vitiforestry — a centuries-old practice of integrating grapevines with trees to create resilient, biodiverse systems. Adam also explains how transparency in winemaking, creative use of wild or locally abundant ingredients, and community involvement shape his vision for wine that is both place-specific and environmentally sound. Listeners will hear stories from his LA-based wine garden, lessons from crop failures, and his plans for a vitiforestry project in New York that could produce wines unlike anything on the market. Whether you grow grapes conventionally, organically, or somewhere in between, Adam's journey offers a fresh perspective on how to balance environmental stewardship, economic sustainability, and community engagement in vineyard operations. In this episode, you will hear: How "beyond organic" focuses on ecological connections rather than labels Lessons from Paicines Ranch on listening to the land before planting The concept and practice of vitiforestry, from hedgerows to "married vines" Creative use of local and wild ingredients in winemaking The role of community in sustainable agriculture and wine culture Follow and Review: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more listeners. 💜 Click the '+' in the top right corner of Apple Podcasts to follow now. Resources: Join Fritz live to learn about What Our Grapevine Leaves Are Telling Us – Diagnosing & Treating Symptoms on August 26, 2025 | 5:00-6:30 PM CST.  Register for FREE - https://www.virtualviticultureacademy.com/symptons. Schedule your 15-minute FREE vineyard help call with Fritz for the week of August 25th at www.virtualviticultureacademy.com/call.  Come grow with Fritz through VirtualViticultureAcademy.com/Join! Save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout. If you have questions about today's episode or ideas for future episodes, go to VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com and click the Ask Fritz button.  Today's Guest: Adam Huss is the podcast host of the Beyond Organic Wine podcast, the owner and winemaker for Centralas Wine in LA, and the creator of Crenshaw Cru Winegarden in South LA. Connect with Adam: Beyond Organic Wine Podcast Website - https://www.organicwinepodcast.com/ Instagram - @OrganicWinePodcast Crenshaw Cru - Perennial Winegarden & Centralas Winery Website - https://www.centralaswine.com/ Instagram @centralaswine and @CrenshawCru Blog - https://www.centralaswine.com/blog Episode Sponsor: Today's episode was brought to you by Clemens Technologies. Clemens Technologies is the market leader in machinery for all elements of vineyard management. Visit https://www.clemens-online.com/us/ and provide the code UNDERGROUND to receive 5% off your order of in-stock machinery. Or reach out to Thomas Clemens directly at [email protected] with any questions. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you.