CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – June 9, 2011

Local businessman Darren Holt, owner of Wine Kitz Charlottetown was named New Franchisee of the Year at the Wine Kitz National Conference held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario June 5 -7.

Mr. Holt opened the Charlottetown location at 155 Belvedere Avenue in March 2010 and has grown his business exponentially since that time. This award recognizes Darren’s efforts and success as a first year franchise partner.

5 of the 12 awards presented went to Atlantic Wine Kitz stores. Other winners included Mike Briggs, Moncton NB for Franchise Partner of the Year. Award winners in the Director’s Club for outstanding sales achievement included franchise partners Harry Turner, Quispamsis NB, Eric Tucker, Fredericton NB (2nd year in a row) & Mike Briggs, Moncton NB.

There are 72 stores in the Wine Kitz franchise chain.

Darren Holt attributed his success to having staff that treat the customer as one of the family, making the whole customer service process a fun event for winemakers & staff.

Wine Kitz Charlottetown offers it customers the opportunity to make their own wine on the premises in a clean environment with state-of –the-art equipment that automates much of the winemaking process.

For additional information contact: Darren Holt, winekitzcharlottetown@bellaliant.com or phone (902) 894-9403

In-store winery services are known by various names: U-Vint, U-Brew, Brew-on-Premise, Brew-on-Site, etc..

Wine Kitz is a pioneer in bringing the in-store winery concept to the Atlantic region, and an increasing number of the Atlantic Wine Kitz locations offer state-of-the-art wineries in their stores. Some store locations allow customers to process both beer and wine, however most stores focus solely on wine processing.

Note: We now offer in-store oak barrel aging. Ask us about it!

The Concept

On day one the winemaker selects and pays for a kit of their choice, along with the winery service fee. This fee usually includes corks, and in some instances also includes wine bottle labels and shrink tops. The cost of wine bottles (if new bottles are required – many customers bring their own to re-use) is always outside the normal service fee.

When making payment the winemaker will be asked to sign a bailment contract. For legal purposes, this contract moves ownership of the soon-to-be wine from the store owner to the winemaker who is making wine for personal use only.

The winemaker will then be directed to a preparation area within the winery, generally near a sink, where the winemaking process will commence. Store staff or owner will pour the liquid content of the kit into a sanitized primary pail. Legally, the winemaker must mix the liquid product by adding yeast, bentonite and oak chips (if included with kit). Once the product has been mixed, store staff will attach a log card with pertinent information such as date started, wine type, contact information etc., and move it into the ‘in-progress’ section of the store with many other full pails and carboys.

The winemaker may now go home and wait for a telephone call to book a bottling appointment. This telephone call will occur in approximately in 4-8 weeks, depending on type of kit selected. During these few weeks, store staff will perform many necessary tasks, which include hydrometer readings, several rackings (transfers), stabilizing, clearing and the final step of filtering the wine.

Click on the flow chart below for a full-sized image

In-Store Wineries and the Law

There are several Provincial laws by which we must abide when operating in-store wineries. For instance, store owner or staff are not permitted to bottle wine on a customer’s behalf. Wine will be set aside until the customer can come in and bottle it personally.

Several basic Provincial laws we must all abide by:

• Winemakers must be of legal drinking age to use in-store winery services.
• Wine sampling prior to purchase is not permitted.
• Wine sampling prior to bottling (the day of) is limited to 170ml (five ounces) per batch by the winemaker whose name appears on the contract.
• Winemaker’s assistants must be of legal drinking age.
• Exchanging wines on–site with other winemakers is not permitted.