Crushpad Wins "American Idol for Wine Startups"

Captures First Place in Vator.tv Wine 2.0 Business Plan Competition

Crushpad, the urban winery that is democratizing wine making, today announced that it has been selected the winner of the 2007 Wine 2.0 Business Plan Competition hosted by the entrepreneur network, Vator.tv. Wine 2.0 is based on Web 2.0 concepts pioneered by companies such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. Wine 2.0 connects consumers to each other to create a huge force that has the opportunity to transform the notoriously producer-centric wine industry into a consumer-driven industry.

The Wine 2.0 competition featured online video "elevator pitches" from early stage wine companies, each detailing their business model, competitive advantage, management team, intellectual property and defensibility. Videos were viewed and voted on by the public on Vator.tv as part of the four-month competition. Crushpad's "Social Production" video received the most votes by a factor of four and was selected the winner by contest judge and venture capitalist, Chris Moore of Redpoint Ventures.

"The principle of participation that has come to define Web 2.0 is now rippling through the wine industry, giving consumers the tools, information and control to drive the wine making experience," said Crushpad CEO, Michael Brill. "It is gratifying to be recognized as the leader of this Wine 2.0 social production revolution."

"Crushpad was the clear winner as demonstrated by the overwhelming number of votes, highest ratings and positive comments it received from the Vator community," said Vator.tv CEO and co-founder, Bambi Francisco. "We're excited that we could be a catalyst in providing momentum and recognition for such an innovative company."

About Crushpad

Crushpad is a San Francisco-based custom winemaking facility whose over 3,000 clients include wine enthusiasts, professional winemakers, wine bars, retailers and restaurateurs. Crushpad specializes in small-lot, luxury wine production from California, Oregon and Washington's most notable vineyards. The company was founded in 2004 by wine industry veterans and technology industry refugees determined to liberate winemaking from its traditional stereotypes of impossible wealth, expansive chateaus and Golden Retrievers. For more information about Crushpad call 415-864-4232 or visit www.crushpadwine.com.