Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Tuesday 21 July 2015

Randall Grahm to breed 10,000 new grape varieties



Message from Randall Grahm (Bonny Doon, California):
'I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I am launching a crowd-funding initiative on IndieGoGo to breed 10,000 new grape varieties at Popelouchum, and it is going live tomorrow, 7/21 @ 6:23 a.m. - a time considered particularly propitious in Maria Thun's Biodynamic calendar for the "sowing of seeds."  You can see all of the details of the initiative and campaign at  http://igg.me/at/GrahmCru.  

The big idea is to achieve a "wine of place" in the New World, (a vin de terroir) that is to say a wine of rare complexity and harmony,(1) by taking the radical step of breeding 10,000 new grape varieties from disease-resistant progenitors, (each vine being genetically distinct from the other), and looking at the very complex wine they might produce as a suite, with the side benefit of potentially one or more new "genius" grape varieties emerging from the mix.  In so doing, it is my hope that I will be able to produce a wine from our Popelouchum Estate in San Juan Bautista, reflective of the great quality of terroir I know it to possess.


While I am very proud of the Bonny Doon Vyd. wines we've made over the years, it is now time for me to put together all of the eclectic bits I've gathered in my diverse experience and seek to achieve something on a very different level, and to leave something of real value to the world when I'm gone (above and beyond all of the terminally cute wine labels that I've caused to occur.) 

There are a number of cool rewards, including the shot at potential immortality through the naming of a new grape variety,(2) or the opportunity to participate in some very special events at the vineyard in San Juan Bautista.  In any event, anything you can do to spread the word of this initiative to your social network would be so greatly appreciated. Any suggestions to make this a more interesting and successful initiative also greatly appreciated.  Needless to say, I am receptive to any questions you might have.

All the best,  Randall'


The project explained on YouTube
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