Create your own wine label on Facebook
If you've ever fantasized about becoming a winemaker, a California wine company is launching a virtual contest that gives oenophiles a chance to create and market their own label.
Crushpad, a custom crush facility for winemakers in Sonoma, California, announced the launch of a Facebook contest this week that allows ordinary wine lovers in the US to become virtual winemakers and choose the brand name, grape variety, blend, region and type of oak that will characterize a wine.
Participants can choose from a range of red wine varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah, in addition to designating where the grapes comes from, whether it be the vineyards of Stagecoach in Napa, White Hawk in Santa Barbara, Durell in Sonoma Valley or Saralee's in the Russian River.
After filling in a brief form that asks aspiring winemakers to explain how they would market and sell their wine, the winner will be chosen by online votes. The top 10 contenders who move on to the final round will be interviewed by a panel of industry experts by phone and Skype and the winner chosen based on originality, creativity and chance of success for the brand.
The award will be announced April 25 and the winner will work with Crushpad to produce the wine to their specifications.
Meanwhile, Virgin Wines Virtual Winery is also a crowd-sourced project that allows members to vote for their favorite wine label and choose the wine blend and type of oak in a virtual setting. Last year, members voted to make it an oaked Cabernet and chose the name Cordis Vinum for their collectively created wine, bottled in Pallavicini, Italy.
The Crushpad winner can choose between a barrel (25 cases) of wine worth $8,000 (€6,000) to $12,000 (€9,000) or opt to work with the Crushpad team to market and sell the wine.
For more info, visit the company's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/crushpad.
