PRESS RELEASE
Cellar Rat and Crushpad Collaborate On A Winemaking First: Pinot 2.0
San Francisco, Calif., Sept. 25,2006 - Pioneering wine podcaster Alan Baker, the "Cellar Rat," is teaming up with Crushpad, a San Francisco based community winery, to make Pinot 2.0: the first wine created with online consumer collaboration.
The project uses Crushpad's new community winemaking website, Crushnet, to bring together wine enthusiasts in the "Rat Pack" group. The Rat Pack will participate with Baker in making an Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from Wetzel Vineyard. Baker will invite members to participate in winemaking decisions, facilitate discussions with wine experts, and create downloadable video and audio pieces that keep members involved every step of the way. Using a helmet-mounted RatCam, Baker will broadcast the complete winemaking experience live on the Internet.
Opening the world of winemaking to a larger, more diverse audience has been Baker's goal all along. "I'm trying to use the Internet to bring people into the act of winemaking, to prove that it's not just for the anointed few," Baker said. "Crushnet is all about that, so it was a great fit. When we're finished we get to share in a very special wine that we've all labored over and watched take shape. The infrastructure supplied by Crushnet will allow me to focus on the winemaking, and having fun with the group of people who join in the process, rather than fiddling with wires all day."
Crushnet is a new community winemaking website that allows users to join together to share the cost and experience of creating a barrel of wine. Crushnet helps users find winemaking groups, manages the payment and allocation processes, facilitates dialogue between the group members and allows members to virtually follow along with the creation of their unique ultra premium wine.
It's not too late to be a member of Alan's group. Joining is as easy as creating an account at www.crushnet.com and selecting the Rat Pack from Crushnet's list of groups.
"We're very excited that Alan chose to use Crushnet for this project," said Michael Brill, Crushpad CEO. "Crushnet is a revolutionary new concept that turns the current consumer model inside out by allowing consumers access to the entire winemaking process, not just the end purchase.Alan has earned a worldwide following at cellarrat.org by giving his readers and listeners this sort of access through his humorous, irreverent and informative podcasts. I feel Alan is a great fit for Crushnet."
About the Cellar Rat
Alan Baker left a radio job in Minnesota in May 2005 to follow his passion for wine to Northern California. His popular podcast, "Ratcasts from the Cellar Rat" is part of National Public Radio's alt.NPR series. Through these podcasts and his blog, cellarrat.org, his audience has been living vicariously through his exploits as he chases a classic American dream of chucking the day job and starting anew. Listeners have followed Baker as he learned the ropes working as a vineyard laborer and cellar worker (cellar rat). Now Baker will add live video to the mix allowing access into the winery as he takes on the task of winemaking in this Pinot 2.0 adventure.
About Crushpad
Crushpad is a San Francisco-based custom winemaking facility whose customers include wine enthusiasts, professional winemakers, wine retailers and restaurateurs. Crushpad specializes in small-lot, ultra-premium wine production based on California 's most notable vineyards. 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. For more information call 415-864-4232 or visit www.crushpadwine.com.