Q: Why don’t you carry brands from other companies?
A: First of all, there are a number of factors. With hundreds of kit names, types, styles and sizes, we would be crazy to try to carry them all. Nobody can carry every brand.
The moment a store begins to carry too many brand names, the rotation and stock age begins to suffer. Take Shiraz types for example. This is a very popular line type and we carry 8 of them! They’re available in many formats, from the table 7.5L format to the 23L pure juice and everything in between. It does make ordering a bit tricky. Too much of one can mean aging on the shelf and too few can mean running out of a particular format/brand. There are quite a few brands available from companies we don’t buy from.
For 28+ years we have purchased from Global Vintners, parent company of Vineco. Vineco produces the wine kits we carry: Niagara Mist, California Connoisseur, European Select, Cellar Craft Classique, KenRidge Classic, Cheeky Monkey, Cellar Craft Sterling, Legacy, KenRidge Showcase, Vinterra and KenRidge Founders.
Global Vintners isn’t just the parent company of Vineco, but also Wine Expert, Wine Kitz. We have visited their lab, taken a tour to see their testing procedures, packagin facility and more. First class operation all around! This isn’t to say that others are not, but then Global Vintners is the largest wine kit maker in Canada, if not the world.
Q: Mind if I ask you a question?
A: Not at all! After all, our customers are our best asset. We keep our doors open and are able to work in the industry we love because, like every other business, we are supported by our customers. We love walking someone through making wine for their first time, or solving that problem they’ve never come across before. The great majority of our customers are jovial people who enjoy making their wine – and probably even more, sipping it! The occasional question we get might be something like a clearing that white which remains cloudy after following the instructions. An answer like another clarifier, additional degassing or filtration of proteins are simple steps to fix the problem, and in answering we get to talk about our passion : wine! So don’t hestitate, ask away!