FAQs & Tips

Interested in making your own wine but not sure what it’s all about?

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Winemaking FAQs
Wine Storage Tips
Cellar Planning Tips

FAQs

Can I make wine that is as good as store-bought brands?

Yes. It may help to allow the wine to age after taking it home. And there is the added benefit of little or even no sulphites (a preservative found in all commercial wines).

Is it expensive?

Not at all. The prices for our most wine kits range from $120 to $220 for 30 bottles. This means you can have a bottle of quality wine starting for as little as $4.00 per bottle (and ranging up to about $7.10 bottle).  Kits make 30 bottles each and that is the minimum purchase quantity.

I’ve never done any winemaking on premise. What do I need to know and how much work is required of me?

The process of making wine on premise starts with choosing the type of wine you want to make and what quality of wine kit you want to use. The LCB requires that the customer own the ingredients and begin by sprinkling the yeast on the juice to begin fermentation.  After the batch is started, we make the wine and the customer has no further obligations until the wine is ready to be bottled. When you arrive for your scheduled bottling appointment you will need to sanitize your bottles, help fill & cork them and finish by applying labels and shrink caps. We provide all the necessary equipment and assistance for you to accomplish this with ease. It takes less than half an hour from start to finish.

How long will it take?

We offer you the choice of 4-week, 6-week and 8-week wine kits. Our 4-week wines are made from the finest blend of grape juice and concentrate. They are usually ready to drink in a few weeks after bottling.

The 6-week wines are made from premium quality grape juice blends. They are fuller bodied and require a longer aging time (at least 2 to 3 months).

Our 8-week wine kits, with 100% varietal grape juice from country-specific vineyards, Selection Estate Series has re-defined the quality expectations of the advanced winemaker and the wine kit industry alike. While still enjoyable to drink at 6 months, it would be better to hold these wines for 12 months before starting to enjoy them.

What kinds of wines are available?

Please see our Products page for a full description. We carry over 110 different wines from more than a dozen countries.

What is the alcohol content?

The alcohol level in our wines range from 11% to 14.5%.

Are Winexpert wine kits dry or sweet?

Our wine menu has sweetness indicators next to the wine names. Most wines have a dry finish, but there are a number of sweeter offerings and many wines that have a fruitier palate. We can also adjust any wine to a sweetness that you enjoy. Just ask.

Can I clean my bottles when I come in to bottle?

Your bottles should already be clean as we provide time and equipment for sanitizing already clean bottles. Thoroughly rinsing a wine bottle very soon after it is empty and storing it properly, eliminates the need to spend much more time cleaning bottles. HINT! Store the clean bottles upside down to avoid contamination by foreign objects, dust, insects etc.

Can I store my wine in the Wine-On-Premise where I made it?

Sorry, once your wine is ready to be bottled you need to bottle and remove it to your home. This is required by law as well as by the availability of containers and space to put them in.

What are tannins?

Tannin comes from the skins, seeds, and stems of the grapes, and also from wood. It gives wine its longevity and character. Tannin is also found in strong tea.

What about wine with food?

The fuller flavored the food, the more full-bodied the wine should be. A simply prepared chicken can match well with a light bodied white wine. If you add a rich cream sauce, then a medium to full-bodied white may be preferred.

Wine Storage Tips

Here are some wine storage tips to ensure top quality wine:

Do:

  • Store your wine upright for the first 48 hours
  • After that, you can store your wine upright, on its side or even upside down (the nomacorc corks do not need to be kept wet by the wine).
  • Store your wine in a cool, dark place.
  • Your wine should be stored where the temperature is CONSISTENT… Bright light, movement, and temperature fluctuations can negatively affect the quality of your wine.
  • After you have fininshed each bottle, simply rinse the bottle three times with hot water and return neck down in the carboard case

    Do Not:

    • Do not store your wine on heated floors.
    • Do not put your wine directly on concrete floors, Put a thick piece of wood under the wine boxes
    • Do not “trunk-age” your wine. Please take it out of your car.

    Cellar Planning Tips

    One thing that books and courses on winemaking never seem to teach is how to build up a good cellar of wine made on premises. If you’re like most winemakers, you always seem to be drinking the last bottle of your batch before it’s really perfectly aged.

    1. Determine how much wine you use. This includes your daily glasses with dinner, weekend dinner parties, friends dropping by, birthdays, anniversaries, the holiday weekend, house warming presents, your thirsty brother-in-law, etc. Let’s say that comes to about three bottles per week, all together. Split it up as per your preference for red and white (don’t forget pink and dessert).

      2. Multiply your weekly consumption by 12 weeks and divide by 30 bottles to determine your first order for your new cellar.

        3. Each time you bottle put 12 bottles of each batch away in your cellar (or at least a hard to reach area). Make sure you add the date of bottling to each case or write on the shrink cap of each bottle. Now forget about your cellar wines for at least a 9-12 months.

          4. Drink the balance of your young wine, as you need it.

            5. At the end of one year start opening those fully aged bottles, and enjoy the tremendous improvement that good cellaring can bring. You’ll be a convert to aged wines.

              The problem with this is, while it is very rewarding, you need both the space and the cash to make 12 batches of wine all at once. If you can’t quite swing it, another good strategy is to make two batches of everything, every time you make wine. Bottle one for your use, and put the other in the cellar (away from the prying corkscrew of your thirsty brother-in-law!) Try and stay on a regular schedule – ask us to put you on our “to-be called” list and set the date for that call. Then you can come into the store and start an old favorite or ask about a new wine. Over the course of a year you should be able to get least three or four batches salted away for ageing, making a good start on your cellar.

                Visit Us

                3699 Highway 97 Unit 102
                Kelowna, BC V1X 5C3

                Phone: (250) 765-5353
                Email: info@winecentral.ca

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