NEWSLETTER

One Extra Day For Wine

February 29, 2008

Never one to pass up getting an extra day to write the newsletter, I want to wish you happy Leap Year. If you were looking for something special to open, today's the day. Here's how I look at it... I'm 43. Statistically I'm going to the big fermenter in the sky at 84 (I just took an 80 question online survey that told me so) - that's 41 years or 10 Leap Years. Do I have 10 special bottles that I want to drink? I'm getting started tonight and I suggest you do the same because your kids will probably just sell your collection. OK? Here's what's up...

Mashup Reminder
Last Saturday we had almost 700 clients attend our annual Client Mashup event (check out video from the event) where they tasted hundreds of barrel samples made by other clients. From what I saw, I think people are starting to understand the great stuff that 2007 has in store for them and how that's our new baseline for quality. We had a few dozen clients fly in from all over the country, doubtless to get to the front of the line at the taco truck that was busily serving up carnitas, lengua, buche and various other sources of saturated animal fat that you probably don't want me translating. We also invited our growers and had a nice dinner for about 50 of them afterword. It was a great event - Hayden did an awesome job!

2008 Allocations Beginning
By March 7, we will release our 2008 Vineyard List to existing Crushpad clients who will have first crack at all the new vineyards before we release the list to new clients. We have added a whole bunch of rocking vineyards this year, said goodbye to a couple, and have brought back most of the vineyards from last year. The grape market is definitely transitioning from one of surplus to shortage, but growers really love the fact that we're bringing so many passionate wine enthusiasts into their world that we continue get excellent access to great fruit. Expect to hear from Dave Gifford (dave@crushpadwine.com) with the list.

The Trouble With Tribbles
Doubtless all of you Trekkies have fond memories for those adorable, furry, rapidly-multiplying creatures. Well, that's what it feels like with winemakers around here. With increased volume and a focus on continuously increasing quality, we have been able to expand our winemaking team with more varietal specialists. Last month we brought on Camille Benitah as the New World counterpart to Old World Kian for Bordeaux varietals. Pinot Noir is being handled by Chris Nelson. Starting Monday we have a new winemaker in Jonathan Borrenson who is going to focus on whites as well as Rhone and Italian varietals (including Zin). Jonathan joins us most recently from Weingut Reinhardt Und Beate Knebel winery where he made numerous unpronounceable but delicious wines.

Crushpad Commerce Turns 100
Well, actually 107. That's the number of commercial wine brands that have launched or are in development as Crushpad Commerce members. These range from 50 case locally-marketed brands to over 1,000 case national brands - all focusing on delivering great wines and a highly personal experience where the end consumer has a real chance of interacting with the winemaker. For us it remains an extremely exciting and huge responsibility to help so many passionate people pursue the dream of launching and operating a growing wine brand.

Get it in Gear
What are all the hipsters and fashionistas wearing this year? Why Crushpad Gear of course. We've got a new online store and it has Crushpad fleece jackets, caps and even a baby onesie for your stomper in training.This is the really cool stuff that passed our design team's muster and you can be the first on your block sporting.

Looking for Event Space?
We have recently begun hosting events at the winery. During the off-season, we have the ability to host events up to 1200 people. We also have created a program for much smaller groups (as little as 8) around Fusebox blending sessions. We've had a number of groups through and it makes a great two hour teambuilding event. If you're interested in large or small events, contact Hayden Moulds (hayden@crushpadwine.com) and she'll get you the details.



…Michael

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