Twitter Launches 'Fledgling' Wine Label

Will they drink it from micro-cups? Microblog service Twitter is making a foray into viticulture with a wine label: Fledgling Wines. A joint project with San Francisco DIY winery Crushpad and nonprofit literacy organization Room to Read, proceeds from Twitter’s two wines—a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay—will go toward promoting child literacy in the developing world. SF Weekly reports that, “true to the open nature of its own product, Twitter is not creating the wines all on its own: It’s encouraging you to participate in the process” with “virtual” barrel tasting and a possible label-design contest. Crushpad is a company that provides means for amateur oenophiles to make and sell their own wine. Like Twitter, it’s one of the Bay area’s promising young startups, having raised $9 million in funding since 2004, mostly from its customers.