Winemaking Tips

The Winemaking Process

Join us in our state of the art in-store winery and make wines you’ll be proud to serve to family and friends.

The process is simple: Choose your wine kit (we can help!)  ? Mix the ingredients and sprinkle the yeast (by law) ? Come back in 5-8 weeks to bottle your wine!

When bottling, you may choose to dress it up with our labels and shrinks.

We’d suggest you allow your wine to age once you get it home; we can help with both aging and wine pairing suggestions.

Wine Storage Tips

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

DO

  • Store your wine upright for the first 3 to 5 days.
  • After that, store your wine on its side in order to keep the cork moist.
  • 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.

DO NOT

  • Constantly turn your wine. Red wines will sometimes dust (leave residue on the inside of the bottle). This is normal. Simply decant your wine.
  • Store your wine directly on a cement floor. Put a thick piece of wood under your wine storage boxes.
  • Store your wine on heated floors.

 

Food and Wine Pairing

What you are looking for is harmony and balance in your pairing. Wine on its own tastes different than when it is paired with food. If it is complementary, wine can impart its flavours to a dish, thereby giving the food an added layer, or food can lend its flavours to the wine. If they clash, or if one overpowers the other, the experience will under whelm and disappoint and can sometimes lead to flavours that are not present in either, like an unpleasant metallic taste which can result from high tannin content and oily fish. With the right pairing, wine and food can combine to give your palate great pleasure!

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. It may help to allow the wine to age after taking it home.

Not at all. The prices for our most popular wine kits range from $125 to $225 for 30 bottles. This means you can have a bottle of quality wine for approximately $5.00.

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. We assist you at all times to whatever extent required. After the batch is started the customer has no further obligations until the wine is ready to be bottled. When you arrive for your bottling appointment you need to sanitize your bottles, 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.
We offer you the choice of 5-week, 7-week and 8-week wine kits. Our 5-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. Our 7-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.
The alcohol level in our wines range from 11% to 14.5%.
Our wine menu has sweetness indicators next to the wine names. Most of our wines have a dry finish, but we can adjust the levels to your taste. Just ask.

Yes! We offer a bottle cleaner/sanitizer for your convenience, at no extra cost to you.

Hints for home: Thoroughly rinsing a wine bottle very soon after it is empty, soaking it for a few minutes to remove the label (if you so choose) and draining it completely helps keep your wine bottles clean and in great shape for the next bottling. Store the clean bottles upside down to avoid contamination by foreign objects, dust, insects etc.

Sorry, once your wine is ready to be bottled you need to bottle and remove it to your home within a reasonable length of time (30 days). This is required by law as well as by the availability of containers and space to put them in.
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.
The fuller flavoured 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.
Similar to how milk softens tea, cheese serves to round the tannic tastes of wine. Brie with sparkling wine is a good combination. Blue cheese overpowers most wines except dessert wines.

Start Making Your
Wine Today!

Stay Connected

Our Location

Uxbridge Store

28 Toronto St S, Unit 4
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1P3
(905) 852-0444

View Location
Whitby Store

1200 Rossland Road East
Whitby, Ontario, L1N 8H3
(905) 430-2966

View Location