Crushpad is Atwitter
Twitter and Crushpad team up with the Room to Read charity for a new winemaking venture
Posted: Oct 16, 2009 1:44pm ET
So much for my vision.
A few years ago, when financial backers of Crushpad told me of their plans, I could see it: a custom-crush facility where anyone could make their own wine, be their own winemaker, buy the grapes they wanted, make a wine in their preferred style and create their own label. Some of these folks are now bonafide vintners, complete with reviews, waiting lists and groupies.
But I most certainly didn't envision Twitter, the micro-blogging web phenomenon, in any concept, much less teaming up with Crushpad, as it now has, and the Room to Read charity organization to make wine. The wine is called the Fledgling, and there will be a 2009 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, each of which will sell for $20, $5 of which goes to Room to Read, a non-profit organization that creates literacy programs for children in some of the world's most needy countries.
This new project effectively merges two vehicles of New Media, which have been shrinking the distance between the consumer and producers, in Crushpad's case giving consumers access to experienced winemakers and production equipment. With Twitter involved, Twitter readers following @Fledgling will receive regular updates on the wine and will have an opportunity to influence the final cuvée.
Never thought wine would provide such a smooth crossover between media and the blogosphere. Makes me excited about what's next. What's your reaction to the way technology has affected the wine world?
Two words, "Gary Vaynerchuk".