Take a Close-to-Home Vacation

andvisit

Toronto Winemaking Country

Welcome to Village Wine!

Here’s what you’ll see as you begin your mini-holiday Tantalized by varietals from different countries? We have a library of books and magazines, covering wine regions, wine tasting, wine and food pairing, etc. Time short? Pick up supplier brochures to read at home.

Have a seat and let’s talk about the wine you like There are no ‘right or wrong’ decisions about wine, just a number of opinions. While some may appear to have held true over time, in reality the SINGLE most important factor regarding wine is what you like.

Choose from a wide variety of countries and types

Travel the globe! Do you fancy a bit of Australian, or maybe a dip down to South America? We offer a broad selection of red and white table wines, created from grapes sourced worldwide, plus specialty types such as port and ice-style wine.

In considering your tastes, we will ask you about various wine factors:

* do you have a favorite type of wine, or a grape you especially like (pinot noir, anyone?)* is there a commercial wine you’d like to match [ask us for a Label Lifter if you need it]?* how long can you wait for your wine to develop, or do you need it for an event ASAP?* what sorts of foods do you want your wine to go with, e.g. rare steak, spicy Thai, Italian?* how do you feel about strong vs weak tannins, heavy vs weak/no oak, sweet vs dry, etc.? * and a number of other elements that are likely to arise out of our conversation ….

Various retail items might improve your experience…

Do you need a corkscrew (whether the traditional waiter’s type, or one that makes cork removal even easier), a wine stain remover like Wine Away, wine gift bags, or a freshness preserver such as Swissair Epivac?

… You may require a home wine storage system, which could be custom-built to your own dimensions or created from modular solutions.

…Perhaps you can’t always open a bottle hours in advance, allowing it to breath? If so, the lovely Eisch breathable crystal glasses would increase your wine enjoyment.

Do you want to make wine at home?

Besides the kit you’ve chosen, we carry additives (yeast, bentonite, oak), cleansers (e.g. Sanibrew), primary fermenters, Better Bottles, anciillary equipment such as Fizz-X degassers or autosiphons, plus filter paper etc.

What about Hungarian oak barrels, large or small?

Here’s a small side trip to Hungary -- for those wishing to either age or serve their wine in authentic barrels, you have your choice of Holm Oak barrels (from the Northern Highlands of Hungary, the same species as French Oak).

While on holiday, why not start a wine to enjoy a little later ?

This is where your wine gets underway. Juice is settled into the Pourer, a handle tips it into the pail, you add the yeast. Fermentation begins and you’re launched!

These are the elements that combine with juice: the right application of yeast, your preference of oak , and a ‘spa’ effect for your wine: bentonite.

You might opt for dark vs. light oak, or maybe the added oomph that skins provide… and when filtering, your wine deserves the best papers available.

Allow me to introduce …

the Three Blue

Giants

which live in the cave

downstairs

As the name suggests , these three items are large --about 30” long-- and each provides increasingly fine filters (removing chlorine etc.) so any water used in making your wine is as pure as it can be.

Enhance your wine: choose bottle sizes, cork types

You may own bottles, or you may need them. If you are making a port or ice-style wine, specialty bottles are lovely, especially for holiday use. You can opt for regular or “condo” corks, while some people prefer screw caps due to TCA.

You can have faith in your winemaker -- Paul “learned at his father’s knee”. He has been making wine since he was old enough to drink (okay, maybe even before that), having won awards for table and specialty wines.

The hardest part is choosing which one(s) you want! Once that is done and you’ve made your purchase, the rest is easy. After you’ve stirred and added the ‘magic ingredients’, you can relax. We’ll take it from there. (Click here to see what happens to your wine while you are away) MUST ADD LINK

When the Big Day arrives, with your appointment scheduled, it’s time to transfer your wine back upstairs.

The elevator is summoned.

Anticipating your arrival, your wine is eager to greet you

Your bottles get the Rolls Royce treatment, speedily

If driving, you can park by our back door, just a few steps to the left of the bottle washer. Assuming your bottles are well rinsed, this really beats using the Avinator, and saves water. All the work is done in 7 minutes!

Time to pick a label (unless you made your own?)

Choose from our selection of labels and shrink caps [to cover the cork], completing your wine’s ensemble. However some people prefer to design their own, using personal artwork – perhaps Chez Nous?

Our bottle filler and corker move the process along

The white box in the corner connects to the carboy, and rapidly siphons wine from it into your bottles, two at a time. The next step is closure: inserting corks, with the shiny red corker you see here, or affixing caps.

Lastly, add labels & shrink caps as finishing touches

You can label here, then use the heating machine which shrinks the cork-covering colored capsules. On the other hand, you could opt to label at home or simply put an identifying label on the box – totally your choice.

Voila -- You have your own personally made wine to take home & celebrate all the moments of your life!

We thank you for your business.

Referring your friends and family is the greatest compliment you can give

us. Thank you for your trust.