In-store winery services are known by various names: U-Vint, U-Brew, Brew-on-Premises and Brew-on-Site.

Wine Kitz Barrie is a pioneer in bringing in-store winery services to the market and we are proud to offer these in our store for your convenience. You need not purchase any equipment, and there are only a few simple steps involved. Your developing wine will be carefully stored in our temperature-controlled premises.

What do you have to do?

On Day One, you will select – with our help if you need it – the wine kit of your choice. When paying for your kit and the in-store winery fee, you will be asked to sign a bailment contract, which for legal purposes moves ownership of the soon-to-be wine from the store owner to you, and acknowledges that you are making wine for personal use only (not for resale).
You will then be directed to the preparation area within the winery, and the winemaking process will commence. Store staff will pour the liquid content of the kit into a sanitized primary pail. To ensure you are legally making the wine, you will add the yeast and stir the contents, adding any extras such as oak chips, clarifying agents and other flavour enhancing ingredients.
Once mixed, we’ll attach a log card with pertinent information such as date started, wine type and contact information and move it into the ‘in-progress’ section of the store with many other full pails and carboys.

Now, to wait! You may now go home and wait for us to call you when it’s time for bottling (approximately 4-8 weeks, depending on kit type and store scheduling – ask about our popular bottle washer/sterilizer – yours to use at no extra cost!). During this time, your wine will progress through fermentation and clearing; store staff will perform many necessary tasks, which include hydrometer readings, several rackings (transfers), stabilizing, clearing and the final step of filtering the wine. Of course you may bring your own bottles to reuse, or you may purchase bottles in-store.

How Long Can I Keep My Wine?

This chart reflects how long you can expect your wine to last. These are guidelines only. We have many customers who have cellared their Wine Kitz wines for more than 5 years with great success.

The most critical element to the longevity of your wine is the conditions under which it is stored. The more ideal the conditions, the more longevity you can expect.

Cellar your wine on its side in the coolest, quietest, darkest place available in your home. The warmer the environment the faster your wine will age. Temperature fluctuations of more than 10°F / 6°C can spoil wine, so find a place that has a consistent temperature and humidity level.

NOTE: In-Store Wineries and the Law
There are several Provincial laws by which we must abide when operating in-store wineries. For instance, store owner or staff are not permitted to bottle wine on a customer’s behalf. Wine will be set aside until the customer can come in and bottle it personally.
Several basic Provincial laws we must all abide by:

• Winemakers must be of legal drinking age to use in-store winery services.
• Wine sampling prior to purchase is not permitted, and sampling of final product is never permitted.
• Wine sampling prior to bottling (the day of) is limited to 170 ml per batch by the winemaker whose name appears on the contract.
• Winemaker’s assistants must be of legal drinking age.
• Exchanging wines on–site with other winemakers is not permitted.

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