Questions & AnswersCustom winemaking made easy

Can I start by making just a few bottles?

Absolutely!  We are delighted to arrange a bottle blending session where you get to blend, label and take home your wine in a matter of hours. For the soup to nuts (fruit to bottle) winemaking experience you can create as little as one barrel. Got the bug? You can also scale upwards.

I have my own vineyard. Can you help me make wine to showcase the caliber of my grapes for potential winery clients?

You’re smart to consider making your own wine as a way to market your grapes to potential winery clients.  What better way to demonstrate your vineyard’s unique attributes or terroir?

In fact, we founded MicroCrush in 1992 in large part to support grape growers like you. Our years of experience, expertise, location, state-of-the-art facility, personalized attention and low-key style has earned us the reputation as custom winemaking facility of choice for vineyard managers, grape growers and enthusiasts alike.  Plus, our growing business means we may come to you for some of your ultra-premium grapes.

I live in New York City and only get to the Napa Valley once a year.  Is it possible for me to make my own wine at MicroCrush from afar?

Not ready to give up the day job?  Love those cold, snowy winters? No problem.  We’ll manage everything from here based on your preferences, keep in touch regarding your wine’s progress via phone and email*, celebrate your arrival and taste the wine with you when you’re in the area, and ship your finished wine to you when it’s ready.

*We’re developing a section on our web site that will allow you to check the progress of your wine, ask your ‘consulting’ winemaker questions, etc. Stay tuned!

Ripe Cabernet Sauvignon clusters

I don’t have any grapes or know any grape growers. Can you hook me up?

Having worked side-by-side with Napa Valley grape growers for 30 years, we have dozens of grape growing friends and acquaintances. And, since MicroCrush is where accomplished grape growers come to create their own wine as a showcase for their fruit, we have an inside track on impeccable grapes. 

No matter what the varietal, flavor profile or terroir you’re after, our experience and connections will get you the grapes you need to produce the wine that fulfills your dreams.

A group of us wants to go in on a barrel of our own wine.  Can you accommodate us?

You bet. In fact, most enthusiasts prefer to share the fun of the custom winemaking process with their friends and family.  You can start at harvest and enjoy each step of the way together, or opt for a private barrel blending session which only requires a day of coinciding schedules.

Who uses MicroCrush for custom winemaking?

Everyone from grape growers to wine enthusiasts, groups of friends (girlfriends, guy-friends, bachelor and bachelorette parties, adult family groups), corporate groups seeking a dynamic team-building opportunity… You name it. 

Options range from an afternoon session where everyone takes home a few bottles that day, to a full-day barrel blending experience where your wine is shipped to you, to the complete harvest-to-finished-bottle experience. 

The fruits of a rewarding MicroCrush Bottle Blending session

What makes MicroCrush special?

For starters, we’re a Napa Valley winery amid the vineyards on the famed Silverado Trail.

We’ve lived and made wine in the Napa Valley since the 1970s, and pioneered the concept of consumer MicroCrush in 1992.  Not only did we pioneer the concept, we continue to offer very small scale production – as little as one barrel.

You’ll have direct access to behind-the-scenes winemaking and should feel free to ask winemakers Art and Judd Finkelstein and Kenn Vigoda all your winemaking questions.

Bring a few guests to sample your wine from the barrel. Vineyard owners and grape growers may want to demonstrate the quality of their fruit by sampling the wine with potential grape buyers.  Save 20% on current releases of our award-winning Judd’s Hill wines and enjoy complimentary winery tours and tastings.

There are great MicroCrush client-only events each year, and field trips to wine industry specialists such as barrel builders, etc.

Our experience, expertise, high-touch, personalized, relaxed, authentic style has earned us a reputation as “THE place for custom winemaking in the Napa Valley”* among grape growers and enthusiasts alike.

*Food & Wine magazine

How much does it cost?

Surprisingly little when you consider what you’re getting: anywhere from $4,000 per barrel for top-quality Zinfandel in neutral oak (approximately $13.75/bottle) to $8,000 per barrel for Napa Valley Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon in new French oak (approximately $27.50/bottle).

And that includes the grape sourcing, the grapes themselves, harvest, transport of the grapes to the winery, hand-sorting, press, fermentation, the barrel, racking, blending, basic label design and printing, licensing, bottles, corks, case boxes and bottling.

Our billing program provides flexibility to pay based on the progress of your wine: deposit, after pressing fee, progress payment and bottling payment.

How soon do I need to sign up?

The sooner the better.  It’s never too early to begin planning – grape sourcing, barrel type, etc.  After October*, it’s too late to source grapes or participate in that season’s harvest.  But never fear: you can still get in on the barrel blending action any time of year.  Give us a call at 707.255.2332 or shoot us an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

*Please note that the later in the season, the more limited your fruit options may be.

When will I get my wine?

It all depends on the grape variety and amount of aging you choose to do.  On the quick side, a wine like Sauvignon Blanc is ready within a few months after harvest.  A big, cellar-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon will typically age at least 18 months in the barrel before it’s bottled.

Can I start by making just a few bottles?

Absolutely!  We are delighted to arrange morning or afternoon bottle blending sessions where you get to blend, label and take home your wine in a matter of hours.