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vendor reviews: wine making
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Reviewing Geoff & Angela Lorentz, Winexpert, Kitchener
A local make-your-own wine store has become ultra-attractive to brides and grooms over the years, and for several good reasons... This 'on-premise winery' teaches couples how to cut wedding wine costs by up to 70%, add a personal touch (and taste) to their wedding reception, and then top it all off by custom designing classic gifts for guests to take home. When you make your own wine with Winexpert, you are looking at three easy steps, lots of personal help, and a finished product that can range from Chardonnay to Sherry.
Look expensive without blowing your budget With tons of details to plan and bills to pay, it's nice to find something that rates low on the difficulty scale and on the budget. The staff members at Winexpert say that they save an average of 50% to 70% on the cost of your wedding wines. When you make your own wine in their Kitchener location, you're looking at two appointments from start to finish, and spending less than $150 to make a wine selection. This price includes corks, labels, tax, and approximately thirty 750 mL bottles of wine!
Winexpert carries sleek bottles, custom labels, and wine from some of the top wineries in North America, as well as wines from around the world, like New Zealand, Australia, France, Chile and South Africa. When we visited, they showed us that you don't have to be a wine connoisseur to make high-end wines at prices you have to love.
Making it fun In case you've never ventured into the wine making business, you'll love doing this for the first time. It's something new and fun to do with your groom, and when it comes time to bottle, you can invite your entire wedding party and make a day of it! Because the process is so simple and inexpensive, you'll likely end up heading back to make Christmas gifts or starting your own home selection of wines.
Walking through your options The first thing you do, upon booking your reception hall and/or catering services, is make an appointment to head into Winexpert.
At this appointment you will: • bring your wedding menu • discuss different types of wines, and how they taste • choose several types of wine that best suit the meal you'll be serving • make your final choice of red and white wines (you should offer both to your guests in a 2:1 ratio) • learn how to get the wine-making process started • continue planning your wedding as staff attend to your wines and the fermentation process • book appointments for bottling and labeling
Message in a bottle When you make your own wine, you get to choose from about two dozen designs for your label, which is a nice touch. Even better, is that you can personalize your label with your names, wedding date, and other text. You can choose the script style (font) that your text is written in. This is especially cool if you're personalizing mini bottles that your guests get to take home. When you have the wedding party in to help you bottle, you can have them pitch in to label the bottles as well. Considering saying 'Thanks for helping!' by giving each a bottle to take home with them at the end of the night.
The Winexpert store in Kitchener is owned by Geoff Lorentz. He and his daughter Angela, along with additional staff, work alongside brides and grooms every day in order to answer any questions they may have during the process. You'll be assured that you have the advice and guidance needed, and the benefits of working with the experts.
The store is operated by fully trained and qualified staff that could tell you just about anything you ever wanted to know about making a high end North American or International wine (just ask them about their award winning customized wines...). It's impossible not to learn something new each time you go in.
Winexpert in Kitchener (previously Wine Not!) is one of the many Winexpert stores that span six countries. The franchise is growing quickly because of their quality, selection, and personal touch.
To find out more about making your wedding wine or to book an appointment, contact Winexpert by phone at 519-744-8188, or by email at makewine@winexpertkitchener.com. They are located at 645 Westmount Road East in Kitchener (at the corner of Ottawa and Westmount). Check them out online at www.winexpert.com for more.
- The Staff at theweddingring.ca
*prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Winexpert |
Winexpert shows The Ring what the 'buzz'
is all about 
A popular option for
weddings is to make your own mini-bottles with personalized labels that you
give to guests as wedding favours. They look amazing on the table and are fairly
inexpensive. You could easily spend under $250 to make sixty 325 mL bottles.
Compared to most guest favours, this option adds more class for about the same
price. As long as you give yourself four to
six months to age your wine properly, the rest is a cinch. 
Meeting the crew...
To
make your own wine, contact...