Wine related articles
Crushpad Announces ''Adopt A Barrel'' Program; Wine Enthusiasts Can Still Get in
on 2005: The Best Harvest in Years
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2005--Crushpad, the urban San Francisco
winery that makes those "I want to be a winemaker" dreams come true, finished
pressing the last of the 2005 harvest this week. Due to an excellent harvest,
Crushpad created extra barrels of wine, making these available to wine
enthusiasts who can now "Adopt A Barrel" instead of waiting until 2006 to make
wine.
Crushpad is a unique winery that sources grapes from highly-sought California vineyards and provides complete winemaking services to non-traditional winemakers. Winemaking customers choose their level of participation and have complete control over key winemaking decisions, relying on Crushpad's winemaking expertise when needed.
The proof of 2005's quality is in the winery's San Francisco cellar. While most of these barrels are owned by Crushpad customers, there are about 50 barrels up for adoption. Crushpad's vineyard sources are located in several top California wine regions. Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley's Oakville and St. Helena sub-appellations, Pinot Noir from Russian River and Anderson Valley, and Syrah from Santa Barbara are among the available barrels.
"California's 2005 vintage is being compared to 1994, an excellent harvest in terms of quality and quantity. This has created a bonanza for us -- extra barrels of phenomenal wine. And people who want to make wine can get involved right now," said Michael Brill, Crushpad founder and CEO. "With our Adopt A Barrel program, we've picked and pressed the grapes and started the process. At this point, just like our regular customers, our adopting customers can create their vision for the finished wine. They make aging decisions, blend to their own specifications, taste as the wine ages, design their own packaging and then eventually bottle their wines."
Crushpad maintains a list of barrels available for adoption at www.crushpadwine.com. Winemakers contract to adopt the barrel and then follow these key steps to make their wine:
-- Winemaking Plan: Customers meet with an in-house winemaker -- in person or on the phone -- to create a winemaking plan that guides the final product.
-- Blending: During aging, there is the option to blend other varietals into the wine. Winemakers conduct blending trials with customers to create the final blend.
-- Aging: The wine is stored and tasted while it ages -- a process that takes anywhere from nine months to two years depending on varietal.
-- Package Design: Winemakers can create their own package for their wine from label concept to bottle, cork and foil capsule decisions. Crushpad navigates the complex government approval process and prints labels while their in-house designer assists with design.
-- Bottling: Many winemakers plan to be at Crushpad when their wine is bottled. Once the wine is finished, it is picked up, shipped or stored by Crushpad.
"When we started Crushpad last year, we wanted to support anyone -- regardless of where they lived -- with the dream of creating their own wine" said Michael Brill. "Our Adopt A Barrel program is another way that we have made winemaking accessible for people passionate about wine." Today Crushpad has winemaking customers in more than 25 states as well as four countries.
About Crushpad
Crushpad is a San Francisco winery that enables anyone with a serious interest in wine to participate in the magic of winemaking. The winery supports wine lovers, small scale professional winemakers, wine retailers and restaurateurs who create as little as one barrel (25 cases) of ultra-premium, branded wine but can scale to hundreds of cases. Crushpad provides the equipment, winemaking talent and premium fruit from California's most prestigious vineyards like Napa's ToKalon. The company was founded in 2004 by wine industry veterans and technology industry refugees determined to liberate winemaking from its traditional stereotypes of impossible wealth, expansive chateaus and golden retrievers. To become a winemaker call 415-864-4232 or visit www.crushpadwine.com.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
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