You wannabe winemakers form a line to the right...

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- David Dain Smith lives in Missouri, but his California winery is just a click away, waiting to spring to life in the dim glow of his computer screen.

Smith is making wine through Crushpad, a winery where the grapes are real but the experience is as virtual as members want it to be with e-mail updates, live chat and Web cams...

Story contines at:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/04/16/virtual.vino.ap/index.html

I have a couple of casual acquaintances who are making wine there. I suppose it's fine if that's how you want to do it, but you do miss out on the wonderful experience of coming home coated head-to-toe in sticky grape glop.


Mike

I'd like to see the cost per bottle for different varietals. For 2006, Mine ran from about $1 (Catawba) to $4 (Gewurztraminer).

The story says $5,000 to $10,000 per barrel, which yields 300 bottles. So that's between $16.67 and $33.33 per bottle, though it doesn't say what the different grape varieties cost.

That's not a bad price if the wine is good. Of course, then you're stuck with 25 cases of it. Compared to the costs of home winemaking (mere bucks a bottle) though, it's not even close.

Besides, I'd hardly call it actual winemaking:

Members sign up to make at least one barrel of wine per year (300 75- milliliter bottles) and decide what style of wine they want and what grapes they want to buy from numerous suppliers available.

Winery staff keep their virtual vintners up to date with e-mails and Web postings. When the fruit comes in, Web cams show the crush, complete with live chat so viewers can question the workers, who respond to computers equipped with voice-recognition software.

Further along in the process, members can participate in blending and bottling decisions and design their own labels.

Does the fee include the price of the barrel? Does the members get to keep the barrel after the wine is made and bottled? They make excellent planters, especially for tomato plants.

Salute

I'd like to see the cost per bottle for different varietals. For 2006, Mine ran from about $1 (Catawba) to $4 (Gewurztraminer).

Gee Dan, that's pretty expensive. My Steuebn costs $.65 per bottle and the Chard & Riesling come out to about $2.50.

Howie wrote:

Gee Dan, that's pretty expensive. My Steuebn costs $.65 per bottle and the Chard & Riesling come out to about $2.50.

My grapes are higher quality!