NEWSLETTER
Only Minutes To Spare
August 31, 2006This is our latest monthly update yet (technically it's September in New York). But as you'll see, we've got excuses. We've been very lucky that this is such a late year because it's given us time to really prepare for what is going to be our biggest and best harvest yet. Our first fruit is Sauvignon Blanc from Napa and that will be arriving right after Labor Day. We'll have a couple week reprieve and then we're in the thick of it. OK, let's get down to business...
Important: Limited Wine Access During Harvest
Because of space restrictions, we will have no direct access to bottled wine that we are storing during harvest (note that this does not apply to Crushpad Commerce members). More specifically, between September 15 and November 15 we will not be able to retrieve any bottled wine. Therefore, we need to pull your wine before September 15 and we can ship it or you can pick it up. Contact Dave Gifford ( dave@crushpadwine.com ) to coordinate.
Please Welcome Mike Zitzlaff – General Manager and Chief Winemaker
Mike and I started talking about two years ago. He was a winemaker with over 20 years of experience in Australia and more recently in Napa. He was pretty smitten with what we were doing and sent us his 7 page resume and various technical papers he'd written. I rolled my eyes at this ridiculously overqualified guy and promised to keep in touch. We did stay in touch and after two years of rapid growth we finally made the plunge and brought him in to drive the winery. I can't tell you how exciting it is to have someone of Mike's caliber. And since I've never met an Australian I didn't like (no, I've never actually met Mel Gibson), it's a double whammy. Mike provides our winemaking team (Kian, Tom, Kathy, Alex and Ty) a huge amount of support. He can be reached at mikez@crushpadwine.com.
Harvest Kick Off Party – Sunday, September 17, 2PM – 5PM
To celebrate harvest 2006, we're having a kick off party. We'll be celebrating our third harvest with some recently bottled wines from our first harvests, demonstrations of winemaking and some cool promotions around Crushnet. This is sort of like our Open House, but done in the thick of harvest. Wise? Not sure. Fun? No doubt.
Crushnet Turns 500
Earlier this month, we launched the beta of Crushnet and we've added around 150 users to over 500 total. It is very important that you invite all members of your group to your Crushnet group because all notifications of vineyard status and winemaking go through Crushnet. If you want your entire group kept up to date, that's how you do it. Note that this week we witnessed the first birth of a wine on Crushnet... to a group from Finland! We've got some exciting things happening on Crushnet in September, so login to your account. If you are a Crushpad customer you have an account... contact paul@crushpadwine.com if you don't have your login. Otherwise, go to www.crushnet.com and create an account. It's free.
Matthew Daniel Cellars Launches
Crushpad Commerce's latest member to go live is Matthew Daniel Cellars. You can find Matt and Dan in suits, working together at a technology company in the Bay Area. Or you can visit their fleece-wearing alter egos at www.matthewdanielcellars.com! Their first wine - 2005 pinot noir from Bien Nacido vineyard - was just bottled and is being meet with rave reviews. They didn't make much and it's going fast, so if you want to try a great Central Coast pinot check them out. Now.
Your Own Winery T-Shirts... Really
After a false start, we finally figured out the best way to get your wine brand on clothing. Check out www.cafepress.com/crushpadwine for the initial brands (Molly Girl, Fuori, Tre Figli, Rockroom and LeVino). This is very cool. If you're interested in getting your own wine branded wine wear, send an email to Dave Bennett ( dbennett@crushpadwine.com ).
2006 Crushpad Equity Financing
If you expected to receive the offering package and didn't, that's because we either didn't get an email from you confirming your interest or Fedex lost the package. In either case, please email me at michael@crushpadwine.com. ( This announcement is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. The offer is made only by the Private Offering Memorandum and related Business Plan. Copies of the Private Offering Memorandum and related Business Plan may be obtained only in those States where the issuer may legally offer these securities in compliance with the securities laws of such State. )
2006 Vineyards: Some Are Gone, Others Are Going, Get Going Before They're Gone.
This week we sold out of Amber Ridge, Ink Grade and a couple of other vineyards. But we still have some phenomenal pinot and cab vineyards (not to mention an embarrassment of great syrah, zin, chard and viognier). Dave Gifford ( dave@crushpadwine.com, 415-864-4232 ) is the guy to talk to.
...Michael