Wine grape growing and winemaking are extremely competitive businesses, which creates an atmosphere for constant experimentation and change by practitioners and companies that cater to their needs. A relatively new type of wine grape planting stock, often referred to as “big vines,” is having a significant impact on how some growers are establishing new vineyards in California. Duarte Nursery is leading the charge in this new type of planting stock. I recently spoke with John Duarte, president of Duarte Nursery, about his history with this type of planting stock and his impressions of its impact on vineyard establishment and replanting vines.