FAQs for making your own wedding wine 

with Vintner's Cellar Waterloo (website | review)

According to James Fields of Vintner's Cellar Waterloo, the average cost of 30 bottles of wine purchased at the LCBO and served at a wedding venue is about $450. "At Vintner’s Cellar Waterloo we can make wine for your special day for as little as $152.82 for 30 bottles of wine. This includes custom printed labels for your wine bottles."*

James recommends that you start your wine at least six months before your wedding date so that the wine can properly age in the bottle before being served. And, you'd be surprised just how easy the entire process is! At Vintner’s Cellar, it's about ensuring your wine making experience is simple, easy and affordable. "We offer additional discounts if you intend to make four or more batches of wine and can also host a private bottling party for your group. We have the latest equipment to make your bottling experience fun and enjoyable."

From liquor license to labels, here's everything you need to know about making your own wine with Vintner's Cellar Waterloo...

3 Easy Steps

 Never made your own wine before? No problem! Vintner's Cellar says that any bride and groom can make their own wine in three easy steps...

1) Choose the type of grape and the quality level of your wine.

2) Add the yeast to the grape juice.

3) Come back in six weeks and bottle your wine using our state of the art equipment.

What to plan for

Liquor License

You will need to apply for a Special Occasion License if you intend to serve the wine at the wedding. Click here for special permit details. 

* No license is required if you intend to give the wine away as your wedding favours.

Is It Allowed at the Venue?

Confirm with the location you have chosen that they allow you to bring your own wine. If they do you should find out if there is a corkage fee. A corkage fee is a service charge (charged per bottle) for serving the wine. A good way to reduce this cost is to use larger bottles.

Wine Type

The type of wine you choose should pair well with the food you plan on serving. James or Henry can help choose an appropriate wine for your special day or you can take a look at our wine description section for appropriate wine pairings. More information here. 

The quality of wine you choose also influences the flavor. We recommend the 100% Juice quality level for weddings as it is an excellent value for the price...

Quality Level      |  Equivalent Bottle Cost at LCBO

Concentrate          |  $10 - $12

100% Juice           |   $15 - $25

Vintner's Reserve  |   $35 - 45

Quantity

Use the Equation below to determine how many bottles you need (750ml).

(# of Guests - Non Drinkers ) X 2 Glasses per person 

------------------------------------------------------------- = # of Bottles (750ml)

                              4 glasses per bottle

For Example: A wedding with 200 guests of which 10 are children would result in

(200 - 10) X2 

--------------- = 95 bottles = 3 batches (90 bottles) or 4 batches (120 bottles)

          4

The typical wedding is 4 batches of wine (120 bottles) with 2 batches of red wine and 2 batches of white wine. It is always better to have more wine than you think you will need. Extra wine bottles make excellent gifts for your guests and can also be used for wedding showers and bachelor parties before the wedding.

Labels

We offer free customized label upgrades on any batch of wine that is to be used at a special event. You can view our customized labels by clicking here.

Bottles

We have several types of bottles to choose from:

375ml Ice Bottle - $2 each

750ml Clear Bottle - $1 each

750ml Green Bottle - $1 each

1500ml Green Bottle - $3 each

To see photos of different bottle types, click here. 

Pricing (aka. savings)

All of our kits make approximately 30 bottles of wine. The average cost for 30 bottles from the LCBO will be about $450 in comparison to the price below.

Concentrate Kits (Cost is $152.82 with tax and 30 new 750ml bottles included)

Supreme 100% Juice (Cost is $202.82 with tax and 30 new 750ml bottles included, $187.82 if you order 4 batches or more)

Vintner's Reserve (Cost is $242.82 with tax and 30 new 750ml bottles included, $227.82 if you order 4 batches or more)

Additional discounts?

James says, "We offer discounts based on the number of batches ordered and the quality level that you choose. Please give James a call or come in to the store and we would be happy to discuss your options."

Find out more...

Visit Vintner's Cellar Waterloo online at http://www.vintnerscellarwaterloo.com and/or go directly to their wedding wine details page, here. To read their full review in The Ring, go to www.theweddingring.ca/reviews-in-the-ring/vintners-cellar-waterloo

photo, above, left: Vintner's Cellar

* See store for details.