OK, the lowdown: Custom Crush Your Own Wine
Hola, todos–
Alan Baker, whose decision to make Pinot Noir from Wentzel Vineyard in Anderson Valley was my own catalyst for involvement, conducts a thorough, focused interview with Crushpad director Michael Brill in th linked podcast.
This will provide better answers to questions about th workings of th project than any I might attempt. Hope this clears any doubts and inspires many of you to join in!
http://www.cellarrat.org/archives/2006/08/ratcast_49_cust.html#comments
The services provided by custom crush facilities range from the bare
minimum of equipment and facility use, to a full service operation
which does absolutely everything, from acquiring the grapes to
delivering the cases of wine with labels they design for you
according to your instructions.
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I’ll take a look at how this is done today with an interview with the president of one of the most innovative of custom crush facilities, Crush Pad in San Francisco.
At right is Michael Brill president of Crush Pad, in the barrel room of the urban winery he started in 2004.
Click here to listen to/download Ratcast #49, Custom Crush Your Own Wine
Basically the smallest batch of premium wine you can make is a single barrel.
One barrel = 25 cases = 300 bottles
Custom crush facilities will typically charge you by the barrel or by the case with various things included. The two operations here in Northern California which cater to those who are not as familiar with the winemaking process both charge by the barrel. The price ranges
from about $4,000 to as much as $10,000, with the majority of the wines that us wine geeks would really want to go for landing
somewhere in the middle of that range. This makes the bottle price range from around $14 to $35.