Community Wine Making in Dogpatch/Potrero Hill, San Francisco

How you, too, can get in on the act, with Crushpad



A few weeks ago, I did something I have never done before: I bought three bottles of pinot noir. Nothing unusual about that, you might think. But the difference, this time, is that the wine I purchased hasn't been made yet. And - if all goes according to plan - I am going to be part of the wine making process. And you can be too!

I was very excited when I found out that Crushpad - a winery situated just a few blocks away from where I live, had started a community wine-making project right in my hood. I don't expect anyone remembers, but I first wrote about Crushpad almost three years ago. Although the idea of it appealed to me on some level, I couldn't really get into it at the time because it was so cost prohibitive: To make your own wine with Crushpad privately costs a whopping $5,700 to $10,900 per barrel.

So when I heard that Crushpad were opening up the opportunity to be part of the wine-making process to our whole neighbourhood, both the people who live here and work here, I jumped at the chance to be involved by buying (the maximum allowance) three bottles of the Potrero Hill Pinot at the futures price of just $19 a bottle. So, what does this give me and what does it give you, if you decide to buy a bottle too?

For just $19 you can be a part of all of this:

July 10 9, 2008 Potrero Hill Pinot Pizza Party
August 28, 2008 Potrero Kick Off Party
October 5-18, 2008 Potrero Hill Crush Camps (dates subject to change)
February 14, 2009 Valentines Day Barrel Tasting Party
August 2009 Potrero Pinot Release Party
AND
# Receive online updates about the progress of your wine as is makes its way from vineyard to bottle.
# Participate in a special Potrero Hill Crush Camp where you'll get to sort grapes, do punchdowns and learn about winemaking. Plus enjoy all the grapes you can eat!
# Vote on a local Potrero Hill artist to design the label for Potrero Pinot.
# Know that any profits from this endeavour will go to a neighborhood charity.

AND, of course, you'll end up with the bottle of wine you were a part of making.

For an investment of just $19, it doesn't sound like I've got anything to lose! I'd love as many of my Potrero/Dogpatch neighbours as possible to join in the fun because then I might get to meet you, make wine and clink glasses with you. And if you don't live or work in this particular area, don't fret, your turn will come: Crushpad plans to start similar community wine making projects all over the city of San Francisco soon. Click here to see the map, select your hood and sign up for information about when Crushpad will be offering their service to you and your neighbours.




?Have you ever made wine before? How did it go?

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© 2008 Sam Breach

Community Wine Making in Dogpatch/Potrero Hill, San Francisco