Frequently Asked Questions
A few of the most common questions we get asked.
I've never done any winemaking on premise, what do I need to know and how much work is required of me.
The process of making wine on premise starts with choosing the type of wine you want to make and what quality of wine kit you want to use. The A.G.C.O. requires that the customer own the ingredients and begin the process by pouring the necessary ingredients into the primary fermentation container and sprinkling the yeast to begin fermentation.
We assist you at all times to whatever extent required. After the batch is started the customer has no further obligations until the wine is ready to be bottled. When you arrive for your bottling appointment you need to sanitize your bottles, fill them and finish by applying labels and shrink caps if so desired. We provide all the necessary equipment and assistance for you to accomplish this with ease.
What determines quality?
Wine quality is determined by several factors. The first being the quality of the raw ingredients contained in the kit. We primarily use RJ Spagnols products as they have an extremely high standard for the raw material quality used to make their kits. The second is the amount of non-concentrated juice contained in the kit. Most kits contain some concentrated juice in order to reduce the aging requirement for the finished wine. Instead of having to age the wine for a year or two the wine can be fully enjoyed much sooner.
Can I clean my bottles when I come in to the shop?
No, your bottles should already be clean as we provide time and equipment for sanitizing already clean bottles. Thoroughly rinsing a wine bottle very soon after it is empty, soaking it for a few minutes to remove the label and draining it completely eliminates the need to spend much more time cleaning bottles that are left to the last minute. HINT! Store the clean bottles upside down to avoid contamination by foreign objects or dust.
Can I store my wine at Brewing Oasis?
Sorry, it is required by law that once your wine is ready and you have bottled it the wine must be removed from our premise.
Can I make 1/2 a batch of Red and 1/2 a batch of White?
The best way to achieve this is to find yourself a friend, relative or co-worker to split the batches with.
Why don't I recognize all the types of wines you offer and what if I don't know what I like?
Many commercially available wines have protection for their names and in order for us to offer similar wines we have had to use alternate names for our kits. If you don't know what you like we can usually determine through questions and discussion what you would enjoy.
Can I sample the type of wine I want to buy before I make it?
A: Sorry but it’s against the law to offer samples of ready made wine. All of our wine is 100% guaranteed so if you don’t like it we’ll give you your money back or start you up a new batch at no extra cost.
How much wine will one kit make?
A: All of our wine kits (4,5,6,and 8 week) make 30-750ml bottles. If you’re making Sherry, Port or Ice wine, one kit makes 30-375ml bottles or 15-750ml bottles.
30 bottles is too much for just me, can I split a batch with my friends?
A: Of course lots of groups bottle at Cork It, it’s a great way of trying different kinds of wine without breaking the bank. Bring some snacks and have fun, we have a great sound system and some people bring their own music too! Contact us for bottling appointments.
What is included in the price of my wine kit?
A: Everything! Wine, all taxes, our service fees, corks, shrink wraps and labels.
Oh no what do I do if I don’t have enough bottles?
Relax, you have at least 4-8 weeks depending on your particular wine kit to collect bottles, raid your friends recycling bins and save all your bottles from the liquor store. Our corking machine can cork twist off cap bottles as well as regular wine bottles. If you can’t get enough bottles together before your bottling appointment we have a selection of new and used bottles for sale here.
How much will it cost me to make wine at Brewing Oasis?
A: Anywhere from $101.00 up to $180.00. We have a large variety of wines ranging from 4 week kits up to 8 week kits which can be aged in our oak barrel.
How long does it take to bottle my wine?
Depending on your speed and whether or not you want to put on labels/shrink wraps, bottling can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Because we have 2 bottling stations, we book of our appointments 1/2 hour apart so you won’t feel rushed.