Randall Grahm is seeking $350,000 in funding for his Popelouchum Vineyard project on Indiegogo.
In his own words (and be grateful Indiegogo doesn’t have the capability for footnotes):
We aim to create a truly unique, superior and nuanced wine, a “Grahm Cru,†an expression of the unique terroirs of our Popelouchum Estate in San Juan Bautista. We plan to do this by adopting a very unusual methodology – the breeding of 10,000 new grape varieties, each genetically distinctive from one another – and blending them into a unique cuvée that the world has not tasted heretofore. In so doing, we might also discover individual vines that are more congruent to our site as well as those that might have greater global utility – disease or drought tolerance – in a changing climate. We plan to employ biodynamic practice and use other techniques – some new-fangled (the use of biochar), some old-fangled (dry-farming), to grow grapes in a more deeply and truly sustainable fashion.
Read about the full project on the site. Some quick notes, though… the grapes will be grown biodynamically, and he also plans to have the vineyard certified organic. Perks include dinner at the vineyard and the chance to name one of the grape varieties.