May 2010
  Crushpad Update

Make Up Your Mind Already!

I still haven’t been able to pull the trigger on moving to Napa, but at least I’ve started looking at places to live. In the meantime, I spend my SF-Napa commute as one of those morons with their cell phone in speaker mode, holding it 3 inches from my ear as if it’s somehow more legal and safer than just holding the phone to my head. (sigh)  In any case, with the passing of the indecisive cold-wet weather, we’ve jumped into full spring mode and the vines are decidedly in bloom.  Perfect timing as we finish up the landscaping, tasting room and prepare the faux cave to open the week of June 7.  More on what’s going on…

2010 Harvest – Now’s a Great Time!
This time of year, I often get the question "Is it too late to make wine this year?"  With most grapes not being harvested for another 4+ months, it always strikes me a bit odd, but just to clarify: Now’s a great time to sign up!  A handful of vineyards are sold out, but we still have fruit from most vineyards (including the top of the top vineyards),  Please contact Dave Gifford in Napa or Stephen Bolger in Bordeaux to get started.  Here are the vineyard lists: California, Bordeaux.

Shipping Operations Moving up to Napa
The move to Napa has triggered a few more changes – one of them is that we are going to be transferring our fulfillment center up to Napa through a partnership with Inertia Beverage.  We are working on a solution for local pickup at our San Francisco office, but the wine will be housed in Napa.  If you would like to pick up your wine before the move, please go to MyCellar in Crushnet or shoot an email to shipping@crushpadwine.com.  Also note that the weather is warming up, so the spring shipping season is winding down.
Bottling and Barrel Samples
First of all, please note that all bottling is done at the winery in Napa – we just have an office in San Francisco.  Also, if you are coming by and want to get barrel samples, please try to give us at least 24 (or more) hours notice by sending an email to winemaking@crushpadwine.com or chatting with someone.  With all of the projects underway and being a bit short-handed, it’s tough for us to stop and track down samples with no notice.  Having said that, please feel free to stop by whenever you’re in town – the place is really starting to come together!

Last Chance for Sparkling Wine in Quarter-Barrels
Last year we fermented two special sparkling wines – a Blanc de Blancs (Chardonnay) and a Blanc de Noirs (Pinot Noir), and allocated them in quarter barrel increments.  They’ve just gone to bottle on April 14th and we’ve got a couple barrels of each left.  They’ll be ready to bottle by the end of the year – just in time for the holidays.  Contact Dave Gifford (dave@crushpadwine.com) or check out crushpadwine.com/make/specials for more info.

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   New Wine Brands

Congratulations to South Carolina’s David Ball –
Calicaro Wine gets 6
90-93 point scores

  Upcoming Events

We will be opening Crushpad Napa for events in early July.  Stay tuned!