First Wine Crowdsourced From Vine to Table Releases to The Public
03 Jun 2016 --- Today marks the release of Columbia Crest's 2014 Crowdsourced Cabernet, the first wine to be crowdsourced all the way from the vineyard to the bottle. In this unique project, Columbia Crest invited the public to vote on key winemaking decisions that impacted the creation of the wine. The result is a wine that's truly the product of the crowd.
In June 2014, Columbia Crest embarked on a journey to become the first winery to crowdsource a wine from vineyard to table through a unique interactive online experience on CrowdsourcedCabernet.com. Everything from bud break, harvest, fermentation, the final blend, and even the label was put in the hands of the online community for an educational, fun and trailblazing adventure in winemaking.
Over the last two years, the Crowdsourced Cabernet process empowered fans and wine enthusiasts to make decisions throughout every step of creating the wine and through their participation gain a deeper understanding and connection to the craft and skill of winemaking. Columbia Crest's head winemaker, Juan Muñoz-Oca, played an integral role in the program by educating and guiding the crowd along the way, from how much water to apply to the vines, to how the temperature outside impacts harvest, to how different varietals shape the aromas and flavors in the blending process.
In a near perfect harvest, the crowd chose to harvest at night, create a wine with a lot of complexity yet soft tannins and age it 16 months in 30% new oak barrels. The result is a beautifully integrated and layered Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills. The 2014 Crowdsourced Cabernet Sauvignon has a delicate nose of tobacco, dried herbs, bright cherries and anise. On the palate, the wine develops warm blueberry pie flavors and a silky texture with dark chocolate and toffee undertones. It finishes with a bright, elegant and refined texture.
