Congratulations on your engagement! Now, what are we drinking?

Weddings are so much fun! What’s not fun is all the planning and the expense. The Wine Factory is here to help!

At the Wine Factory, we don’t sell wine, we help you make wine at our location. We have all the equipment, space and expertise to help you make wine for your special occasion. 

We’ll help you choose your wine taking into account the food and who your guests are. We’ll guide you through starting your wine, print your custom labels, and do most of the work making your wine. If you don’t have a designer among your friends we can even design your labels for you. 

Here are some commonly asked questions about making wine for weddings that we thought we would answer to help guide you in making wine for your special occasion!

Isn’t making your own wine a lot of work? We’re already busy planning events.

Making wine, cider and hard seltzer is fun! It’s a great activity for the wedding party (or friends and family that want to help.) The process involves two steps. The first is choosing and starting your batches – usually 20 – 45 minutes depending on what and how much you’re making. You’ll learn about how alcohol is made and actually start your own fermentation. You come back when it’s ready to be packaged up – usually 45 minutes per batch. Fill, cork and label your wine bottles or fill and seal cans of seltzer or cider. A group of people can work together to make a fun (and efficient) event.

How do I save money on wine for my wedding?

Making wine at The Wine Factory will cost a fraction of what it costs at liquor stores. Our entry level wine is $160 plus the cost of bottles for 23 litres, or 30 bottles.  That’s less than $6.70 ea. including everything (all taxes, fees, bottles etc.) If you choose from the premium or even ultra premium levels you’re still looking at around $10 a bottle. 

Can we have our own wedding labels on the wine?

Yes, we charge a nominal fee for printing custom labels (around $8.50 per batch of wine). If you need someone to design the labels we can do that too. We have a quality label printer that is great with photos and colours. When you make 3 batches or more we’ll print your labels for free!

Make your wedding sparkle!

Add some elegance to your event by toasting with your own sparkling white or rosé wine. We can carbonate any of the wine you make at our shop. 

How much wine should I order for my wedding?

Each bottle yields about four 6oz glasses of wine. A common guide is to have ½ of a bottle per person. That should work out after accounting for those who drink more than 2 glasses and those who may drink less. If you end up with unused wine at the end of the evening – that will help fill glasses at holiday gatherings, summer picnics etc. for the year ahead.

And, don’t forget all the other events! Bachelor/ette parties, showers, rehearsals, pre-wedding events etc. can often be places where wine, cider or seltzer are served. Why not make your own (with custom labels, of course)?!

The other way couples have used their wine etc. is as favours. Takeaways for guests, thank you’s for the wedding party etc.

Should I order red or white wine or both?

In our experience, the divide is about equal between the two main types. Summer heat may have more people tipping a glass of white wine while cooler winter evenings usually see a few more people drinking red wine. Overall, it’s a good idea to have both for your guests to choose.

What about wine alternatives?

The Wine Factory has a new option for the non-wine drinkers out there, Hard Bubbles. It is a DIY hard seltzer (along the lines of White Claw, Truly etc)  The hard seltzer boom has been fueled by people looking for moderate alcohol, lower carbs, lower calories etc. compared to the majority of alcoholic beverages. When you make your own you save money, create your own flavour combinations, choose your sweetener and sweetness level, even design your own label. The Hard Bubbles can also be enjoyed at all of your pre-wedding events like your bridal showers or bachelor/ette parties! 😉

Are there rules around using homemade wine?

Yes, always check with your venue and read the regulations for Special Occasion licenses. The rule of thumb is that if the location has a permanent liquor license you cannot use homemade wine or other alcohol. Private residences and halls without a liquor license are usually okay.

Book a consultation today!