The chance to play winemaker

The sun sets over the vineyard where your grapes are growing. They’re harvested and pressed before being carefully aged in oak casks. These are the dreams of those who have begun to consider retirement. Well, them, and Korean pop music producers.

A recent Bloomberg article visits the Bordeaux vineyard of California-based Crushpad, a custom-wine company that has been helping clients create their own vintages since 2004. The French arm of their do-it-yourself wine operation opened in May of this year. Korean pop producer Soo-Man Lee is a recent client, spending approximately $30,145 for 75 cases of wine that he will help blend and name.  

“The make-your-own concept is unknown here and agents thought I was crazy,” Crushpad France president Stephen Bolger tells Bloomberg. 

That makes sense — residents of Bordeaux might be understandably miffed by someone telling them how to do a job that’s been mastered in the region for centuries. It’s like sitting at the chef’s table in a restaurant and offering cooking advice.