Wine

West Coast U Brew carries a broad selection of wines from all over the world. From 4 week wine concentrates to pure juice, you can be assured of getting the finest wine you are looking for. West Coast U Brew provides you with the best selection and materials, and our state-of-the-art equipment helps you make the best wine possible.

Choosing your wine

Selecting the right wine is an individual taste and can sometimes be challenging. The 3 most talked about wine traits are oak, body, and sweetness. While some wines can be light and fruity and are meant to be consumed young, others are heavy, lots of oak and tannins and take time to "come around". This is a term called esterfication. It is the alcohol mixed in with all the unique ingredients that take time to soften up. Otherwise known as ageing. Whites are generally consumed sooner than reds but reds usually have a longer shelf life. We can help you choose when you come in to start a batch.

Caring for your wine

Upon arriving home with your wine, please keep bottles upright for 10 to 14 days before storing on their side. Once turned, it is important to store wines in a dark, cool place.

Red wine is generally served at room temperature, and white wine (including Zinfandel) is generally served chilled. Wines are best when consumed within 5 years. However, 28 day kits are best consumed within 24 months. Red wines last longer than white wines.

The winery process

Wine crafting is made easy with the help of companies like RJ Spagnols and CellarCraft.

1. Choose your wine  from the West Coast U Brew menu.
2. We mix the ingredients and pitch (add) the yeast.
3. We then ferment, rack, fine, rack, filter, your wine for you.
4. You then make an appointment to bottle your wine around the due date.

Our friendly staff can answer all of your questions about the brewing process. Please check our FAQ or contact us.

Wine Kits: A closer look

The less expensive kits have more concentrate in them. So more water is added to make 23 litres. As the price increases so does the amount of juice and quality. Also where the grapes/juice come from change the cost structure. Some kits are not location specific while others are. Usually location specific wines are more expensive. The more expensive wines do need more time to age. Bottom line? The best wines cost the most and take the longest to age. If you need wine right away do the less expensive 4 week kits and drink right away. If you can't wait too long but want better quality do the middle of the road 6 week kit. All kits (other than Ice wine and Port styles) produce 23 litres or about 28-30 bottles.

Bottling options

You can bring in your own wine bottles but they must be CLEAN. We have a free bottle sanitizer on site. You MUST remove or deface commercial wine labels from your bottles before you are permitted to fill them up with your own wine. 750 ml clear or green bottles may be purchased on site at a cost of about $1 each. Since we have no control over your cleanliness we cannot guarantee product consistency when you bottle in your used bottles.

More information about our wine bottling options