Welcome to Episode 11 of TRINKTalks! In this episode we sit down with Marco Simonit, renowned Italian agronomist and co-founder of Simonit & Sirch, the world’s leading vine pruning consultancy. Marco shares the story of what first drew him to the art of vine pruning, how he developed his pioneering gentle pruning technique, and why it’s transforming vineyards across the world.

We delve into the unique challenges facing German and Austrian viticulture, the lessons learned from old vines, and the incredible resilience of grapevines. Marco also discusses the future of vineyard management, the role of innovation, and how digital education is reshaping viticultural training for a new generation!

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Our Episode Transcript is coming soon!

ABOUT GUEST MARCO SIMONIT

Marco Simonit is an Italian agronomist and co-founder of Simonit & Sirch, the world’s leading vine-pruning consultancy and training group. Hailing from Friuli, Italy, Simonit developed a passion for vine care that led him to revolutionize pruning practices through his ”gentle pruning” method. This approach focuses on making smaller, strategic cuts to preserve the vine’s internal structure and sap flow, thereby extending vine longevity and enhancing grape quality. His techniques have been adopted by over 130 prestigious wineries worldwide. Simonit’s commitment to education is evident in the establishment of the Simonit & Sirch Vine Master Pruners Academy, which offers both in-person and digital training programs. 

ABOUT TRINK 

TRINKTalks has been brought to you by TRINK Magazine, an independent quarterly digital publication exploring the “German-speaking wines” of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. 

Founders Paula Redes Sidore, based in Germany, and Valerie Kathawala, in New York, were brought together by their shared love for these wines and the conviction that a deep understanding of the cultural contexts in which they are embedded is essential to appreciating them fully. 

TRINK launched in 2020. From the outset, their mission has been to deepen the understanding of how wine intersects with and impacts the narrative, culture, history, and geography of the European spaces where German is common cultural currency. 

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ABOUT THE HOSTS OF TRINK TALKS

Valerie Kathawala specializes in the wine cultures, traditions, and innovations of Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, and Switzerland, as well as those closer to her home in New York City. Her work appears in the pages of Noble Rot, The Art of Eating, SevenFifty Daily, Meininger’s Wine Business International, Pipette, Glug, Pellicle and a number of other publications. She is the co-founder and co-editor of the wine magazine TRINK. She is currently at work researching and writing a new course (2025) on German wines for the Wine Scholar Guild. 

Paula Redes Sidore moves smoothly between the worlds of wine and words. She is a double-certified sommelier, through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Chamber of Commerce.  In 2012, she founded Weinstory, a creative content and translation agency dedicated to transposing the world of German-speaking wine into English. TRINK is the natural extension of that pursuit. She is the German and Austrian regional specialist for jancisrobinson.com and a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Paula has a Masters degree in fiction writing, and her work has been featured in jr.com, Sevenfifty Daily, Feinschmecker, and Heated. She lives on the northern wall of wine growing with her family in Bonn, Germany.

Thanks for joining us today and remember to Keep Trinking!