Get Down w/The Juice Crew

Admit it.  You fantasize about being a vineyard baron.  Each morning you wake up, survey your vineyards; then step down to the cellar and greet the barrels of fermenting wine.  Your Rhone blend - spiced with a touch of Petit Sirah - has turned California's wine society upside down.  You've out-maneuvered the movers and shakers to produce the most sought-after wine in all the land.

Then you wake up and remember its garbage day.  No more winemaking fantasies.  The drudgery of life is calling.

Don't despair, the Basic Juice Crew* is here!  B.Juice has teamed up with the fine folks at Crushpad to make those dreams of winemaking glamour a reality.  I would like to offer 25 of you the chance to help me produce the inaugural vintage of Basic Juice Red (BJR - we can work on a catchier name later), a 3-varietal blend (Grenache, Syrah, Petit Sirah) from the Eaglepoint vineyard in Mendocino, Northern California.  If you can commit to purchasing one case of wine (at ~$18/bottle) then you'll be able to participate in producing a barrel-full of blog-powered wine.  As part of The Juice Crew you'll be able to:

• Sample various combinations of our 3-varietal blend with a Crushpad blending kit.
• Create a name for our wine (Basic Juice Red isn't going to cut it)
• Work with our very own graphic designer (that would be you, Ms. Pizzuto) to come up with the wine world's most unique label design (no pressure).
• Review the wine and pair it with your own recipe to be published in our Basic Juice Red Wiki (again, the name will change).

So what say ye, fellow winos err, wine enthusiasts?  Drop me a line to reserve your spot in The Juice Crew.  Space is limited to 25.

Here's how to join the crew:

1. Visit Crushnet and register (free, painless, etc., etc.)
2. Select 'Groups' and in the description field, type: basic juice crew
3. Click 'find groups'
4. Once you've found us, click, 'join this group'
5. Voila! You're now down with the Juice Crew

And to those of you who are podcastophiles and fans of the custom crush concept, check out this interview with Crushpad prez, Michael Brill (via Cellar Rat).

*apologies (& much respect) to the original Juice Crew)

 

Technorati Tags: california wine, crushpad, grenache, syrah

Comments

[Jim Eastman]

Does one have to be local to participate, or can I join in the fun from Ohio?

[beau]

Anyone from anywhere can participate. I hope you join up, Jim!

[jeff]

The obvious name would of course be "Basic Crew Juice" but it's of course not up to me...

We've done some "blending seminars" as part of some winery events. We've usually ended up with some tasty blend variations (and some pretty outrageous label designs...) It's interesting the effect small changes can have.

If you're on the fence, I'd urge you to sign up for this - you'll learn a lot and have a great time!

[beau]

Indeed - I like the mad scientist vibe behind the whole blending thing.

[Jameson]

When I started reading this post, I was praying that you would give props to the Juice Crew. Just don't let KRS-One or BDP know that we are down with the juice crew.

And I signed up. This sounds awesome and I will definitely buy a case! Can't wait to add it to cellar tracker! (Go to www.cellartracker.com and search for sparkling vouvray and you can peep my cellar)

[beau]

J - I was actually concerned about KRS kicking my ass. Have you ever listened to 'The Bridge is Over' ?

[Robert]

my cold room is 50* F and my barrel fermentating chardonnay is rocketing through fermentation , juice temp 71*F,brix dropped 9 points in 1 day , tried dry ice but foamed over too much, any thoughts or suggestions?

[Vindu]

Hi, Beau. I've always wanted to try Crushpad. This sounds like fun. I signed up and look forward to the blending.

Vindu

[winehiker]

I'm in. Any chance of a group meet at CP as we blend and/or bottle?

[beau]

V-
Welcome aboard! Accepted your invite and offered one case

WH-
I think 'rvanvi' could facilitate a group meet for the CA folks. Send here a message on Crushnet

[Peter Ribton]

Fantastic website and reviews! Coming from South Africa it's a treat to sample the fine wines of Austria in this beautiful city, Graz.

Prost Guys!!

Peter

[sha]

Great

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