Sipping Wine at Vintner’s Cellar in Royal Oak
Posted by GirlyDrinks | Filed under Cool People, Royal Oak, drinks, people, uncategorized
On November 18th, 2009, Lisa Berry celebrated the one year anniversary of Vintner’s Cellar in Royal Oak and her first year of entrepreneurship.
Located on Fourth Street, Vintner’s Cellar is a custom winery where you can make your own wine or stop in to sample and see the wine making process first hand.
I stopped in the day after Lisa celebrated the anniversary of Vintner’s to ask her some questions, see the wine making process, and sample the wine.
Berry, who opened Vintner’s - a franchise based out of Michigan – after she left her job at Nextel, personally makes each bottle of wine that is sold. The wine making process starts with a juice concentrate blend (must), is mixed with yeast, metabisulphite, and bentonite, then moved to carboys for the fermentation process to begin. After the initial fermentation process is over (6-8 weeks), bottles age for another 6-8 weeks for fruit wines, 4-6 months for white wines, and 6+ months for red wines.
Carboys: Wines in different stages of the aging process at Vintner
Sound complicated? It looked like a much simpler process in person, a process that you can see in all stages if you stop into Vintner’s.
When you do stop in to Vintner’s, you can enjoy a sample of any of the wines they have ($5-$8 per glass, complimentary 1 ounce samples if you are purchasing a bottle, or 1 ounce samples at 3 for $5 and 6 for $10), drink a glass of wine while working via wifi, make your own wine and wine labels, host or attend an educational or social party, or make wine for yourself or for charity and fundraising purposes. Parties start at $15 per person and include 5 samples of wine plus appetizers (cheese, crackers, grapes), or can be customized for larger parties.
Lisa puts on monthly activities at Vintner’s including spa days, chocolate and wine pairings, a jazz night, and soon, a belly dancing night, where you can learn the art of belly dancing while tasting different wines. You can also participate in one of the quarterly wine making classes in which you’ll learn and participate in each step of the wine making process, make red, white, and fruit wine, and receive one bottle of wine from each batch made. The next class starts in January, lasts five weeks, and is $75 per person.
For those looking to stock their wine cellar, serve personalized wine at weddings, or gift to employees, you can stop in and consult with Lisa on a grape choice then start the wine making process. Remember, though, that the entire aging process can take up to 6 months, so plan ahead. A batch of wine starts at $189 for 24 bottles. Once you make your wine, you can also choose from pre-designed wine labels or customize and design your own. Lisa had examples of wine labels ranging from wedding and bridal shower designs to corporate/business wine labels and pictures of couples at their new homes, made by real estate agents who take marketing to a new level.
Lisa behind the bar, ringing up my order of chocolate port, cranberry shiraz, and valpolicella wines.
My visit to Vintner’s included a sample of a delicious Pear Ice Wine, the “Bellissima” red wine, and a chocolate port; I went home with the Bellissima, chocolate port, and the seasonal Cranberry shiraz, all of which were hits at the family Thanksgiving dinner. Since Vintner’s doesn’t grow grapes at their store and instead uses juices, the wines sold there can’t be called by their vairetal names; Lisa has fun coming up with new names like “G-minor” for a gewurztraminer wine, “Gris Gris” for a pinot grigio, and “Winter Splash” for a wine similar to a cranberry riesling. The wine menu and availability changes periodically, including seasonally and holiday introduced wines.
To find out more about Vintner’s, I suggest you stop in and say hi to Lisa (she’s very friendly and easy to talk to!) and try a sample of her wines, but you can also find out more information on Twitter, Facebook, her website, or through the Vintner’s newsletter.
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- Royal Oak pours it on for Wine Stroll 2010
- Stuff to Do: Royal Oak Wine Stroll
- Buy Local: Cloverleaf Fine Wine
- Stuff to Do: Autumn Wine & Crepe Tasting
- the cloverleaf wine guys
Tags: make your own wine, michigan wine, michigan wineries, Royal Oak, royal oak wine bar, royal oak winery, vintners cellar
