Knowing that planning a wedding can be hectic and stressful, James Fields, Owner of Vintner's Cellar Waterloo, set out to make at least one part of it easy and fun. With a huge selection of high quality wines and a relentless pursuit of perfection, Vintner's Cellar runs on the motto, “30 minutes of your time makes 30 bottles of fine wine.” They can help you select wine based on both your budget and your food – complementing both and cutting your bar bill in half. In an attempt to provide personalized service for each of their customers, Vintner's Cellar can provide homemade wine for your bachelor/bachelorettes, reception and guest favours with customized labels. They can also host fun and interactive private bottling parties for you and your wedding party.

Being casual in their approach and flexible in their service, James says Vintner's Cellar has something for just about everyone from the pickiest connoisseur to the wine novice. We met with James in his convenient location in North Waterloo and found out more about how he goes out of his way to make sure couples' wine making experiences are affordable and fun. Let us tell you more…

Personally speaking…

James initially became interested in wine while going to college for Hotel Management. One day, he walked out of a video store and noticed a 'brew on premises' store next door where you could make thirty bottles of wine for under $100. "Being a business student, I did the math and decided to give it a try," says James.

That's when he first discovered his love of winemaking, which he pursued for the next few years as a hobby while living and working in Toronto. The day James decided to turn his hobby into a profession was after he arrived home following a long drive on the Don Valley Parkway. He opened a bottle of Barolo upon his arrival and began to wonder if there was a more enjoyable way to make a living. "After investigating for several months… I decided to open a Vintner's Cellar franchise because of their high quality product," James told The Ring.

The business was opened in August 2008 in Waterloo and is now a state of the art bottling facility that was recognized by Echo Magazine in 2009 for 'Favourite Wine Made on Premises for Waterloo'. Vintner's Cellar was also recognized by the Waterloo Chronicle when they won the 2010 Gold Award and again in 2011 when they won the Diamond Award. They're also proud to share that they help support several local charities and events.

In fact, the recognition goes beyond the KW area. In 2011, Vintner's Cellar entered the International Amateur Wine Competition and won! Out of 4,235 entries, they won gold for both white zinfandel as well as port. They also received silver for Barolo (100% juice). How cool is that!?

While James is the Owner of Vintner's Cellar in Waterloo, he also gets help from his wife's uncle, Henry. Over the years, that has meant providing wine for hundreds of weddings, among many other customers.

Knowing that wedding planning can sometimes be a stressful task, James says that Vintner's Cellar will do their best to make it easy. And with their motto ("30 minutes of your time makes 30 bottles of fine wine"), we're not surprised that that's the case.

James believes that wine is like cooking, "There is always something more to explore." It's this love for making wine that makes it easy for him to go into work each day. "I enjoy making wine, chatting with customers - of which, many have become friends - and of course, making sure my wine cellar stays full!" For James, wine-making isn't work. He gets to do what he loves every day, he just happens to also get paid for it, too.

Wine for all tastes…

According to James, Vintner's Cellar has a broad range of clientele, from punk rockers to high level corporate executives, which he says is because they have something for everyone. And for the pickiest of clients, James is happy to 'play with the wine' a bit to make it perfect. He explains, "You can add a bit more oak, tweak the sugar content, or slightly alter your method of making it to get a different result." They offer specialty wines such as fruit wines and chocolate cherry port, as well as kits that allow you to make your own hard liquor!

Whatever the choice of flavour, James says that Vintner's Cellar Waterloo offers a high quality product, but that they're always in search of more ways to make it (and the service) even better. James strives to make sure his Vintner's Cellar location is one of the best facilities in the K-W area, and that he's able to offer personalized service that each customer deserves. This comes in handy particularly for his engaged clients. "We want to work with brides to make their experience at Vintner's Cellar a great memory for years to come," he told The Ring.

We're also sure that James' friendly and flexible service and his knowledge of everything wine also helps make the process easier for brides and grooms – particularly when it comes to helping couples pick the wine that's right for them. "Fifty percent of people already know what they like and can easily select their wines," says James. "The rest need a bit of help." Which is exactly what James is there for – to help you figure out what you’re looking for based on the meal you’re going to serve, other wines that you enjoy, and your budget.

Aaron and Laura Bauer made wine for their August 2009 wedding at Vintner's Cellar and they told us that James was great. "He was very knowledgeable, helpful, and personal," they said. "He made the experience easy for us and very enjoyable."

What's in a wine?

When choosing a wine from Vintner's Cellar, James suggests that the quality will influence the flavour. They recommend their 100% juice quality level for weddings since it's excellent value for the price – this also happens to be the most popular among bridal clientele. "Most brides and grooms choose 100% juice wines for the quality, price, and turn around time," James told us. "It's also great for wedding favours – it’s economical and your guests will love it!"

In addition to the 100% juice quality level, Vintner's Cellar also offers a less expensive Concentrate, and their own Reserve, which we were told is the best quality and flavour. All of the quality levels have several choices in grape variety, which you can find on the Vintner's website, along with descriptions of each for the novice winemakers.

Once the wine quality and grape variety are picked out and it comes to actually making the wine, James doesn't just want it to be one more thing you have to do for your wedding. He wants it to be a fun experience that you can share with others. That's why Vintner's Cellar can also host a private bottling party for you and your wedding party. "We have the latest equipment to make your bottling experience fun and enjoyable," he says.

Going even further to personalize their service and give couples the full experience, Vintner's Cellar can also make customized labels to suit your wedding – with names, dates and different pictures, which you can pick from the various styles they have on their website. The best part? A customized label upgrade is free on any batch of wine that you plan to use at a special event (they usually cost $5 per batch). Just one more thing that Vintner's Cellar does to help make your day special and unique.

Aaron and Laura told us that they wanted to have a quality wine served at their wedding, which was why they chose to make it at Vintner's Cellar. What they loved best about making their own wine (aside from saving on costs), was that it allowed them to personalize it – from the wine type to the label. "It became a talking piece at the reception," they told us.

Pricing it out…

Making and serving your own wine at your wedding reception is not only fun, but it's great for the budget as it's usually less expensive than purchasing wine from the reception hall. James did the math for us and said that the average cost of thirty 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 $157.82 for thirty bottles of wine," explained James. Plus, you'll get a more personalized experience and result than at the LCBO.

"Making our own wine at Vintner's Cellar allowed us to make a great wine at a price that would allow us to save substantially on overall costs," say Aaron and Laura. "The prices were very affordable. We had roughly 200 guests attending and we were able to save several hundred dollars (compared to serving the reception hall's wine)." They add that it was an enjoyable experience to share with one another – even the corking. "It also helps to cut down on wasted wine at the table during the reception – people may be encouraged to use up each opened bottle if they know it was made by the bride and groom." Meaning, if there's unfinished open bottles at the end of the night, it doesn't cost as much money when it's thrown out. Laura adds that extra bottles that weren't used at their reception were taken home. "They make for a great keepsake or gift."

Each batch of wine makes about thirty bottles, so four batches of wine (average for a 100 person wedding) is around $800 for 120 bottles of wine (everything included). Plus, Vintner's Cellar offers discounts if you intend to make four or more batches.

Keep in mind that if you plan to serve wine at your reception, you'll also need a Special Occasion Permit from the AGCO (Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario). If you find yourself getting lost, the LCBO also gives information on permits.

The breakdown for each batch, which includes thirty new 750 mL bottles, is…
• Concentrate Kits - $157.82
• Supreme 100% Juice - $212.82
• Vintner's Cellar Reserve - $252.82

Some expert tips from the connoisseur…

• All wines require time to age for best quality. Start making the wine at least three months in advance, but six to nine months is ideal for some types (particularly reds); others require twelve months.
• Some venues charge corkage fees for serving homemade wine. This charge can be reduced by using 1500 mL bottles instead of the standard 750 mL bottles.
• Know your reception hall's policy about supplying your own wine. If you’re hoping to bring the wine in, try to negotiate corkage fees before signing with the venue.
• The rule of thumb is that you’ll need two glasses of wine per person. For example, if you’re having 200 people at your wedding but ten of them are children (190), multiplied by two glasses (380), divided by the number of glasses per bottle (four per 750 mL bottle), equals 95 bottles. The average kit makes thirty bottles of wine so you’ll need four batches.
• You want to have equal amounts of red and white and it’s always better to have more than you need. Homemade wine has a two year shelf life, so you can give it as gifts or drink it on your anniversary. "Better to have a bit too much than be apologizing for running out," James says.
• Wine should be stored on its side to keep the cork moist. If the cork dries out, air can get in and potentially cause the wine to go bad.
• It's recommended that you use new bottles for your wedding wine as it will look better. After that, bottles can be reused.

Vintner's Cellar sells new 750 mL bottles for $1 each, plus tax, which you will need thirty bottles of per batch. They also sell 375 mL ice wine bottles for $2 each, and 1500 mL bottles for $3 each.

Walking you through the winemaking process…

James recommends starting your wine six to nine months before the wedding. Some red wines require twelve months to reach maturity, and most white wines need one to three months to age in the bottle, so the sooner the better.

Email is the best way to get a hold of Vintner's Cellar as that allows them to respond with their wedding newsletter that provides couples with all of the information and pricing they need. You can also drop in (preferably by appointment), or phone and they'll send the information later.

If you've never made wine before, you'll be as surprised as we were to know that it's a very easy process that pretty much consists of these simple steps. One, choose the type of grape and the quality level of your wine (which James is happy to help with). Two, pay for the product and add the yeast to the grape juice.

Step three, Come back in six weeks and bottle your wine (with your bridal party if you'd like). Once the wine is in bottles, you take it home and store it in a cool, dark place until the wedding. Step four, have the wine served at your wedding.

Step five, relax and enjoy!

Details, details, details

• Start making your wine 6 to 9 months before your wedding to ensure that it's aged in time (though most reds require 6 to 12 months of aging in the bottle while whites need 1 to 3 months).
• The average couple spends around $800 for 120 bottles of wine, which includes bottles and custom labels.
• Full payment is due on the day you mix the wine kit.