Blog

To Our Valued Customers,

We continue to closely monitor both the local and global situation concerning COVID-19. Just Fine Wine is taking every precaution here at our facility.

The health and safety of our customers and staff is of the highest priority for us.

Just Fine Wine takes its direction from local, provincial and federal health officials as well as Worksafe BC. We have implemented the following steps to ensure and support everyone’s health and wellbeing at our facility:

• Reinforcing our already rigorous standards and procedures for cleanliness and food safety.
• Working closely and communicating with our staff to ensure frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizers. We have made gloves, face masks, and face shields available to staff.
• All employees have been notified to stay home when sick.
• Signage posted on entrance door limiting occupancy and restricting when a customer may enter.
• 2-metre physical distancing in effect wherever possible throughout the shop.
• Bottling appointments are being spaced out as much as possible with at least a half hour allotted to each batch.
• Bottling/Bagging groups are strictly limited to a maximum of two people.
• No more than two customers groups (consisting of one or two people) in the store at a time. One in the bottling room and one in the front of house. This will be strictly enforced and may require you to wait outside until we welcome you in. This is our maximum capacity until further notice.
• Continual sanitation of all high touch surfaces including counters, seats, tables, POS terminal, carts, door handles, etc. Bottling stations are disinfected after every use.
• Availability of hand washing station and hand sanitizer. We encourage all clients to clean their hands prior to their bottling session.
• Availability of gloves and face masks. As per provincial mandate, face masks are mandatory inside our shop. We gladly wear ours to help protect you and ask that you kindly do the same for us in return.
• Sneeze guards installed at order desks as well as between bottling stations.
• Tap limit on POS terminal increased to $250 for credit cards to reduce contact.
• If you have extenuating circumstances or concerns before or after your visit, please contact us directly and we can discuss alternate arrangements.
• If you feel sick or are presenting symptoms of any illness or if you have been in contact with someone who is sick or presenting symptoms; if you have recently travelled internationally or have been in contact with any international travelers, we respectfully demand that you reschedule your visit/appointment to a later date (outside of the recommended 14-day isolation window).  We reserve the right to refuse (or delay) service to anyone for these reasons.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns…or if you are need of wine!

Thank you for your continuous loyalty and support and for placing your trust in us. We hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Jamie (on behalf of the entire team at Just Fine Wine)

604-944-7818

info@justfinewine.ca

Just Fine Wine aims to provide you with the very best craft winemaking experience each and every time you come through our doors. A major part of achieving that goal is to ensure you are crafting the very best wines available on the market. This is the reason we exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. Just Fine Wine has over one hundred varietals and styles to choose from, sourced from the finest vineyards around the globe. With such a wide variety, we always look forward to seeing which wines you, our loyal and supportive clients, have enjoyed the most over the course of the previous calendar year. This year, after a huge influx of new clientele from Beyond The Grape, Gerry’s Vintners, and Wine Kitz Coquitlam, we were especially interested in what changes we might see to this list. We’ve crunched the numbers and here are the results*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

**Total Number of Appearances in the Top Ten Since tracking was started in 2009 (the maximum number of appearances is 11)

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T5” Tied for Fifth

Points of Interest:

• There has indeed been some upheaval in the whole list this year, starting with the Top 5. As predicted last year, and for the first time ever, we have a brand new Number One Wine: World Vineyard Italian Pinot Grigio! Not a big surprise considering the incredible popularity of this varietal both in the craft winemaking and commercial wine industry.
• Stag’s Leap Merlot hasn’t fallen far from it’s lofty perch and still remains, by far, our most popular red wine. Selection Argentine Malbec continues its steady performance but the rest of the top five is filled out by a few wines that climbed their way from the bottom of last year’s top ten.
• The ratio of of reds to white in the Top Ten returns to what had been normal until last year, 7:3.
• Last year saw annual mover and shaker, Vintners Reserve Diablo Rojo crack the chart. This year it was joined (with a bullet) by it’s 6-8 week counterpart Selection California Enigma. If you enjoy the off-dry (slightly sweet) wine style of Apothic Red and Bodacious, these wines are for you. “Gulpable” to say the least.
• The fluidity of the bottom half of the top ten continues as it has most years. Selection California Gewurztraminer is back after a two year hiatus. Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has put in extremely solid numbers for the previous four years but narrowly missed this time around. Same goes for Eclipse New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
• Perhaps the biggest surprise is the absence of Selection California Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, not cracking the chart for the first time in a decade! It’s a guarantee it will return.
• Eclipse Reds have extremely consistent numbers almost across the board and none are very far off off from joining this list.
• Vinters Reserve Pinot Noir flirted with the Top 10 for years, finally broke through in 2019, and took a big leap forward here in 2020..

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

Just Fine Wine aims to provide you with an unrivaled craft winemaking experience each and every time you come through our doors. A major part of that is making sure you are crafting the very best wines available on the market. This is the reason we exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. Just Fine Wine has over one hundred varietals and styles to choose from, sourced from around the globe. With such a wide variety, we always look forward to seeing which wines you, our loyal and supportive clients, have enjoyed the most over the course of the previous calendar year. Another year has come and gone – and although we are a bit tardy – the numbers are finally in. Please enjoy your top ten wines of 2018*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

**Total Number of Appearances in the Top Ten Since tracking was started in 2009 (the maximum number of appearances is 10)

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T8” Tied for Eighth

Points of Interest:

• After a couple of years of turbulence in the Top 5, it looks like some stability is setting back in – with one exception. After completely falling out of the top ten, previous perennial top five wine Selection Luna Rossa, confidently returns to its perch. Other than that, the rest of the Top 5 remains unchanged from 2017.
• Bucking a yearly trend, reds take a spot from whites and now hold an 8 to 2 in the top ten.
• Back in 2017, we witnessed the closest race for spots 1 and 2 in the history of our tracking – mostly due to a Winexpert stock shortage of Eclipse Napa Valley Stags Leap Merlot that lasted over two months and allowed World Vineyard Italian Pinot Grigio to close the gap to the closest margin ever. 2018 saw this gap close even further, to a mere 6 batch difference. And there was no stock shortage this time around. If trends continue, we could see a new Number 1 – for the first time ever – as soon as next year.
• As has been the case for a few years now, if you combine the numbers for both 4-5 week and 6-8 Pinot Grigios, you have the most popular varietal/style of wine overall. This also continues to be the trend commercially as Pinot Grigio is the most popular style of wine sold in BC.
• The bottom half of the top ten continues to be quite fluid with a lot of change from year to year. Selection Australian Cabernet Sauvignon has replaced Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet and revives the top ten legacy of its Australian counterparts in the Selection series who have all found their way into the top ten at one time or another. Falling back off the list but still with a strong following are Eclipse New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Eclipse Barossa Valley Shiraz. Both wines have strong numbers and are amongst the best selling wines most years.
• Vinters Reserve Pinot Noir finally debuts on this list after coming oh so close on several occasions over the years.
• After blazing a trail up the charts for a few years now, Vintners Reserve Diablo Rojo has finally cracked the top 10. If you enjoy the off-dry (slightly sweet) wine style of Apothic Red and Bodacious, this wine is for you. It’s extremely “gulpable”. 
  

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

Starting in January 2019 in all Winexpert wine kits, potassium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate will be combined into one convenient, pre-measured packet. This change will be phased in as current supplies of individual sulphite and sorbate packets run out. There will be no change to the quality or dosage of each stabilizer. This change has been rigorously tested for quality, performance and efficiency.

New package look (please note that actual weights will differ from this picture)

Along with the combined Potassium Metabisulphite and Potassium Sorbate packet, two additional add pack changes will also be phased in as current stock runs out. These changes will also begin in January 2019:

• All 16L red, 18L red, and Après wine kits will now contain 1 x 150 mL Chitosan. This will replace the current 2 x 75mL packets. This is a packaging change only.
• Updated instructions will be included to reflect the combined sulphite/sorbate packet. The updated instructions will also reflect minor wording changes to add clarity to the existing instructions.

Please contact Just Fine Wine with any questions. You can also visit www.winemakerschool.com for additional information and resources.

Just Fine Wine wants to provide you with an exceptional craft winemaking experience each and every time you come through our doors. A big part of that is providing our clients with the very best handcrafted wines available on the market. This is why we exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. Just Fine Wine has over one hundred varietals and styles to choose from, sourced from around the globe. With such a wide variety, we always enjoy finding out which of these wines you, our loyal and supportive clients, have enjoyed the most over the course of the previous calendar year. Once again we have added up the numbers from 2017 and present to you your top ten wines of 2017*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

**Total Number of Appearances in the Top Ten Since tracking was started in 2009 (the maximum number of appearances is 9)

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T9” Tied for Ninth

Points of Interest:

• Up until the last year, the top four most popular wines had remained relatively constant since we started tracking in 2009. 2015 saw stalwart top 5, Eclipse Italian Piedmont Nebbiolo (Barolo), drop right out of the top ten and this year it was joined by perennial top 3 favourite, Selection Luna Rossa, that fell off the list completely. These wines remain as delicious as ever and sales remain strong for both making them both a good bet to return to the top ten in the future.
• For the first time, last year’s “short run” Eclipse offering (Nocturnal – a blend of  Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsaut from Langueduc, France) cracked the top ten. Both of the previous “short run” Eclipse releases had extremely strong showings but weren’t able to accomplish what Nocturnal did last year. It speaks volumes about the quality of these limited availability Eclipse wines as they have built a very strong following.
• In what seems to be a yearly trend, reds hold the edge over whites with a score of 7 to 3.
• This year was the closest race for spots 1 and 2 in the history of our tracking. Eclipse Napa Valley Stags Leap Merlot usually owns the top spot going away; however, mostly due to a Winexpert stock shortage that lasted over two months. This allowed World Vineyard Italian Pinot Grigio to close the gap to the closest margin ever.
• As was the case last year, if you combine the numbers for both 4-5 week and 6-8 Pinot Grigios, you have the most popular style of wine overall. This also continues to be the trend commercially as Pinot Grigio was the most popular style of wine sold in BC  last year.
• Overall, we’ve probably witnessed the most change ever on our top ten this year. There are three wines debuting on this year’s list: Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon, Selection Argentine Malbec w/Grape Skins, and Eclipse French Nocturnal. There two others who are back after a year or two hiatus: Eclipse New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Eclipse Barossa Valley Shiraz. The Eclipse reds numbers were likely inflated a touch by the absence of Stag’s Leap Merlot at the end of the year. The return of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is not surprising considering the popularity of comparable wines such as Oyster Bay and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.
• Much like the commercial wine industry, Malbec has again made a strong showing this year despite the discontinuation of the popular Selection Chilean Malbec.
• Making big inroads this year is Vintners Reserve Diablo Rojo which has steadily climbed in popularity since its debut several years ago. If you enjoy the off-dry red wine style of Apothic Red, this wine could be right up your alley. 
  

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

OVERVIEW:

As of December 1st, 2017 Winexpert is launching a new clearing regime supported with revised and streamlined instructions across all brands of their craft wine kits.
Two years of research and development resulted in this new clearing methodology. Benefits include improved clarity, brighter flavour, enhanced mouth feel and fuller aromatics to name just a few. The new instructions are also designed to be easier to follow and include tips for success as well as a link to a new website, www.winemakerschool.com for in-depth winemaking information.
Highlights of the new instructions are:

• 30g bentonite addition to all wine kits (excluding Après brand)
• 14 day primary fermentation and the elimination of a secondary fermentation
• Two-step clearing using kieselsol and chitosan
• Selection Amarone Style with grape skins will no longer require a chaptalization step.

Winexpert is excited to introduce this new clearing regime and instructions to ensure their products and processes are always best in class while demonstrating their ongoing commitment to the consumer winemaking industry.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. Why are you making these instruction and process changes?
As the consumer made wine industry leader, we continuously review our products and practices to ensure they are best in class. Over the past two years, an exhaustive review of all of our brands revealed enhancements to our clearing process to deliver superior finished wines with greater clarity, brighter flavour, and fuller aromatics.

2. How did you decide on this new process?
Our new clearing regime stems from two years of R&D encompassing all brands and a multitude of processes and winemaking conditions. The net result is a revised clearing regime
selected on its ability to consistently and effectively deliver superior finished wine across all brands.

3. What are the benefits of this new process?
The new clearing process delivers numerous benefits including:

• Improved clarity
• Brighter flavour
• Enhanced mouth feel
• Fuller aromatics
• Reduced haze in white wines
• Improved clearing of red wines
• Improved grape skin product clearing

4. What is the impact of the larger bentonite pack?
Tests were conducted using various amounts of bentonite. Results repeatedly and conclusively showed that 30g of bentonite delivered the clearest and brightest wines. A slurry of bentonite and water attracts particulate during fermentation to assist in the clearing process without stripping colour while eliminating proteins that can give off flavours.

5. What is the significance of 14 days vs 7 day racking?
There are several benefits of using a 14 day primary fermentation with a secondaryfermentation removed, specifically:

• The yeast works harder and longer, converting more sugars into alcohol; this allows wine to more consistently meet S.G. targets and for more sediment to drop out in the early phase to support effective clearing overall.
• Wines ferment dryer to create more stable finished products that meet their alcohol target
• Stalled fermentations are significantly reduced when the full yeast load is left undisturbed to consume sugars and convert them into alcohol.

6. What is the significance of adding kieselsol/chitosan?
Exhaustive research confirmed that the combination of kieselsol and chitosan is the most reliable, effective and thorough clearing method across all brands. This powerhouse team provides a positive (Chitosan) and negative (Kieselsol) charge that work together to maximize the removal of particulate during the clearing stage.

7. I haven’t had any problems with the current method, so why change?
This new clearing method is the result of two years of R&D to ensure we deliver the highest quality products. Wines made using the new process consistently measured higher for clarity and colour, scored higher on taste tests, and had a significantly reduced margin for error (i.e. stalled fermentations) vs. wines made using the previous method.

8. I will have two different sets of instructions during the transition. What do I do?
Starting December 1st, 2017, all Winexpert wine kits will contain the new instructions with the updated process. Kits produced prior to December 1st can continue to be made with the instructions and components included.

9. What if I don’t follow the new instructions?
The previous winemaking process will still work. However, please note that all wine kits produced starting December 1st will contain only those components required for the new clearing process and therefore Winespert quality guarantee can only be honoured based on following the new instructions.

10. Who should I contact for more information?
Please contact Just Fine Wine with any questions. You can also visit www.winemakerschool.com for additional information and resources.

One of Just Fine Wine’s goals is to provide you with the opportunity to make the very best handcrafted wines available on the market. This is why we exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. With over one hundred varietals to choose from, we always look forward to finding out which of these wines you, our loyal and supportive clients, have enjoyed the most over the course of the last calendar year. The totals are in and so without further delay, here are your top ten wines of 2016*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

**Total Number of Appearances in the Top Ten Since tracking was started in 2009 (the maximum number of appearances is 8)

 “-” Not Ranked That Year

“T10” Tied for Tenth

Points of Interest:

• The top four most popular wines have remained relatively unchanged (with a few exceptions) since we started tracking in 2009. Last year saw the stalwart top 5, Eclipse Italian Piedmont Nebbiolo (Barolo), drop right out of the top ten most likely impacted by the incredible popularity of Eclipse Forza from Veneto Italy, which no doubt took some of Barolo’s loyal customers away. This year’s limited release Eclipse, Bravado from Tuscany, Italy also fared extremely well while at the same time likely taking some popularity away from Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon and Eclipse Italian Piedmont Nebbiolo (Barolo).
• Speaking of Bravado, this limited offering wine made a serious run at our top ten this year in just 6 months time (it was released in July). This was the same situation we had with Forza last year. Had sales held constant for a full year,  Eclipse Bravado would have placed 3rd on this list. Incredible performance from a brand new, short-run wine.
• Repeating last year’s numbers, reds hold the edge over whites with a score of 7 to 4.
• Eclipse Napa Valley Stags Leap Merlot owns this list year after year. This magnificent wine outsells the next closest wine by almost a two to one margin! However, if you combine the 4-5 week and 6-8 Pinot Grigios, this proves to be the most popular style of wine overall. This is also the trend commercially as Pinot Grigio was the most popular style of wine sold in BC  last year.
• Overall, we did not observe much change in the Top Ten this year. There is only one debuting wine on this year’s list and two returnees. World Vineyard California Trinity Red and Vintners Reserve Riesling are back after missing out on the list for the last year and the last two years respectively. Selection California Gewürztraminer is making its premiere in the Top Ten.
• Much like the commercial wine industry, Malbecs have become a force to be reckoned with and are sure to be mainstays in the Top Ten for years to come.
• Falling off the list this time round are: Selection Australian Traminer Riesling; Eclipse New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc; and World Vineyard Chilean Merlot. All three remain well-liked and hovering just outside the cutoff for this year’s list. Not surprising considering the popularity of comparable wines:  Hardy’s Stamp of Australia Riesling Gewurztraminer, Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and the popularity of merlots in general.
• Other wines that made a serious run at contention include: Vintners Reserve Pinot Noir; World Vineyard French Sauvignon Blanc; and Selection Australian Shiraz which was a top 5 wine back in 2009. 
  

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

Congratulations to all of the Winexpert winemakers who took home a huge haul of medals at the 2016 Winemaker International Amateur Wine Competition. Winexpert Wine Kits won the most medals overall including BEST IN SHOW Kit/Concentrate for Island Mist Peach Apricot Chardonnay. Winexpert also had more gold medal winning wine kits than any other brand!

CLICK HERE for complete result listings from the 2016 Winemaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

Olive trees in France?  Yup – part of the experience when visiting the South of France and making friends with new suppliers for our wine kit products.

Along the Mediterranean, it’s not only grapes that flourish, but olives too.   After a whirlwind adventure visiting suppliers across Spain, Italy and France our winemakers took a well-deserved break to sample the local olives.  After all, one does need a break from wine sampling every once in a while don’t they?

The trip to France meant a visit to a Copérative to witness the crush of freshly picked grapes.  It also meant the beginning of a beautiful relationship to access additional varietal juice to make our wine kits and therefore our customers’ wines.  C’est bon!

Every couple of years Winexpert’s winemakers hop on a plane (or in this case 8) and visit the vineyards where they source the juice to produce the amazing wine kits that you enjoy. Winexpert’s ace winemakers, Danielle and Tara, get up close and personal with old and new juice suppliers alike to see and talk about this year’s harvest. Here’s part three of their journey

The Autobahn has got nothin’ when it comes to the roads leading to Bologna. Holding on for dear life in the back seat of an Audi (fitting don’t you think?) our winemakers, Danielle and Tara, made their way to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy at a feverish 180 KM/hr.  When asked why their driver (our supplier by the way) was going that fast, the answer was simple: Because you can!

After kissing the ground when they arrived, Danielle and Tara tasted our very own crop – not wine, but yes our actual fresh Italian juice just crushed where they made adjustments to improve balance. How cool is that?issing the ground when they arrived, Danielle and Tara tasted our very own crop – not wine, but yes our actual fresh Italian juice just crushed where they made adjustments to improve balance.  How cool is that?

Just Fine Wine aims to provide you with the very best handcrafted wines available on the market. This is why we almost exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. With over one hundred varietals to choose from, we always look forward to finding out which of these wines you, our loyal and supportive clients, have enjoyed the most over the course of the last calendar year. Without further ado, here are your top ten wines of 2015*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T3” Tied for Third

“T10” Tied for Tenth

Points of Interest:

• While the top wines have remain relatively unchanged (with a few exceptions) since we started tracking in 2009, this year saw the stalwart top 5 Eclipse Italian Piedmont Nebbiolo (Barolo) drop right out of the top ten. The wine is as good as ever but may have been impacted by the popularity of Eclipse Forza from Veneto Italy.
• Speaking of Forza, this limited offering wine made a serious run at our top ten this year in just 6 months time (it was released in July). Had sales held constant for a full year, Forza would have placed 5th on this list. Incredible for a brand new short-run wine.
• Reds continue to hold the edge over whites with a score of 7 to 4.
• Stags Leap Merlot reigns supreme yet again, outselling the next closest wine by almost two to one!
• We have a lot of change this year. There are four debuts on the list:  World Vineyard Chilean Malbec; Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon; Selection Australian Traminer Riesling;  Eclipse New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The latter two are no surprise considering the popularity of comparable wines: Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Hardy’s Stamp of Australia Riesling Gewurztraminer.
• Two wines made a return to our list after brief absences: World Vineyard Chilean Merlot and Selection Chilean Malbec.
• These four newcomers and two returnees displaced some still popular wines: Eclipse Italian Piedmont Nebbiolo (Barolo); Eclipse Barossa Valley Shiraz; Vintners Reserve Mezza Luna Red; World Vineyard California Trinity Red; and Selection Italian Amarone with Grape Skins
  

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

Every couple of years Winexpert’s winemakers hop on a plane (or in this case 8) and visit the vineyards where they source the juice to produce the amazing wine kits that you enjoy. Winexpert’s ace winemakers, Danielle and Tara, get up close and personal with old and new juice suppliers alike to see and talk about this year’s harvest. Here’s part three of their journey:

When our winemakers recently visited Manchuela, a sub appellation of La Mancha, they witnessed and participated in the traditional grape harvest.  Tara and Danielle were literally hand picking what would later become our juice crush.  Many vineyards in this region have stuck with their old school ways, allowing the grapes to grow without the support of trellises but therefore requiring a labour intensive, handpicked harvest.

With the abundance of sun and therefore a generally dry climate the grapes are sufficiently protected by their canopy in this region.  As demand grows so has automation so this was a rare opportunity for our winemakers. Consequently, they chose to celebrate a hard day’s work with a traditional “arroz” rice dish, not to be confused with paella (as their host vehemently warned)!

Stay tuned to hear more about Danielle and Tara’s European adventure!

Every couple of years Winexpert’s winemakers hop on a plane (or in this case 8) and visit the vineyards where they source the juice to produce the amazing wine kits that you enjoy. Winexpert’s ace winemakers, Danielle and Tara, get up close and personal with old and new juice suppliers alike to see and talk about this year’s harvest. Here’s part two of their journey:

Sounds of retching are probably not what you want to hear when on a plane, let alone when you don’t speak the language of your fellow passengers.

However, when it’s windy between Paris and Madrid it’s what happens, or at least it was for Danielle and Tara on their way to visit Winexpert’s wine kit juice suppliers. In their words, it was rough and not a photo op moment, hence the snap of the scenery out the window just prior to the descent into Madrid.

Once safely on the ground though, the trip took a definite up swing. First off, a traditional Spanish breakfast of toasted bread with chopped tomatoes to settle everyone’s tummy. Then off to visit suppliers in and around the La Mancha region where they saw monstrous juice tanks able to hold up to 200,000 litres of wonderful Spanish juice.

They also found out about (and most importantly tasted) new up and coming varietals. Mum’s the word on that for now though. Our loyal, fine wine loving customers will just have to wait for future limited release announcements.  Patience is a virtue – especially when it comes to great wine.

Stay tuned to hear more about Danielle and Tara’s European adventure!

It’s a whirlwind adventure across Spain, Italy and France.  Sounds glamourous or at least fun, doesn’t it?  Not so much.  With 8 flights in 7 days there’s not a whole lot of time to take in the scenery and culture.  But for Winexpert’s ace winemakers, Danielle and Tara, it’s a chance to get up close and personal with our juice suppliers to see and talk about this year’s harvest.

Every couple of years Winexpert’s winemakers hop on a plane (or in this case 8) and visit the vineyards where they source the juice to produce the amazing wine kits that you enjoy. This time around they’ve graciously agreed to share their journey as they jet set to old and new suppliers alike.  They’ll be reviewing quality standards to ensure the juice that is received meets strict specifications while forging new relationships to secure supply.  What’s really exciting though?  It’s also the time they get to see what’s up and coming in the world of new plantings and blends, discover new techniques, and discuss climatic factors influencing each region’s harvest. It’s where ideas begin or sometimes end depending on the year and the grapes. No matter what, it’s an integral part of how WInexpert brings their wine kit products to you and ensure the quality and selection you’ve come to expect.

So stay tuned to hear about Danielle and Tara’s European adventure.  Should be interesting!

What’s more devilish than stealing your kids’ Halloween candy? Scarfing it back with your favourite wine of course.

According to TheDrinksBusiness.com, the wine app Vivino has launched a “Halloween Survival guide for adults.” Here lies the pairing information required to make your Halloween frighteningly good as you learn what wine goes with your favourite chocolate bar or gummy worm.

Check out the app here so you can plan ahead for a wickedly good wine and candy filled evening. For more Halloween ideas, grab your broomstick and head over to Winexpert’s Pinterest page. Get inspired by their Happy Hallo-Wine pin board.

Recently we attended an Winexpert conference and were given a list of the current, top five best-selling wines in British Columbia liquor and wine stores. It was interesting to discover what is most popular with wine drinkers as well as to try to uncover why. Before we get to the list, here are a few notes on these five best-selling wines:

• The group is comprised of three reds and two whites.
• Three are single varietals and two are blends.
• Four can be found under $10 (before tax) in commercial liquor and wine stores.
• Three are Canadian wines. Two are imports.
• Three are available in bag in box format.
• “Sweet” wines, particularly reds, are gaining much more acceptance these days especially among the younger generations. 

Granted we are working with an extremely small sample size; however, the fact that they are the best selling wines can be telling. The most significant thing that becomes apparent, and not surprisingly, is that a large portion of wine purchasers in B.C. clearly appreciate value: a decent product at a good price point.

Providing our clients amazing value is, and will continue to be, a cornerstone of Just Fine Wine. With this in mind, we think you will be happy to know that  we have comparable (we would argue better) wines for all five of these best sellers. You may be happier to know that our wines have the commercial price points beat….handily.

In no particular order, here are B.C.’s current best selling commercial wines along with a comparable wine kit that can be found at Just Fine Wine:

Using these wines for example, at the low end you’re saving in the neighbourhood of $2 per bottle when you make a comparable wine at Just Fine Wine. On its own two dollars may not seem very significant to some; however, if you do the math on a conservative consumption of 2 bottles per week*, you save over $200 after only one year! On the high end, using the same consumption pattern, you save over $950 a year! Incredible!   (* 2 bottles per week works out to be a consumption of roughly 3.5 batches per year)

Stop by Just Fine Wine today to get your next batch underway and breathe easy knowing that you are receiving top tier wines at a price that just can’t be beat.

Curious to know more about just how much money you can save by making your own award winning wines? CLICK HERE to find out.

Just Fine Wine aims to provide you with the very best handcrafted wines available on the market. This is why we almost exclusively use Winexpert products and offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every Winexpert wine kit made on-premise. With over one hundred varietals to choose from, we always look forward to finding out which of these wines our loyal and supportive clients have enjoyed the most over the course of the previous twelve months, and from year to year. So without further delay, here are your top ten wines of 2014*:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T5” Tied for Fifth

Points of Interest:

• The top five wines have remained relatively unchanged (with a few exceptions) since we started tracking in 2009.
• Reds continue to dominate
• Stags Leap Merlot proves again to be the “alpha-wine”, outselling the number two wine by a shade under 77%!
• There are three debuts on the list: World Vineyard California Trinity Red is a 4-5 Week version of the always popular Bordeaux or Meritage blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and Merlot; 6-8 Week Selection Amarone with Grape Skins is a distinct and unique wine that is one of the best value kits available at Just Fine Wine. You will found Italian Amarone in the liquor store starting at $40 a bottle and reaching prices of over $100 per bottle! Ours works out to a little over $6 a bottle! Amazingly, it has only taken a little over a year after its introduction for 8 Week Eclipse Barossa Valley Shiraz to find its way onto the top ten list. This is an unprecedented accomplishment for a new wine kit and speaks to the quality of this Shiraz from South Eastern Australia.
• These three newcomers to the top ten have displaced some still popular wines: Selection Chilean Malbec; Selection Chilean Carmenere; as well as Vintners Reserve Riesling and Selection Italian Montepulciano which were tied for 10th last year.    

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

Over the roughly thirty year existence of the personal winemaking industry, the quality of the product has come a long, long way. Craft winemakers can now enjoy wines comparable to, and in many cases much better than, their commercial counterparts found at your local liquor stores. Besides the excellent quality of the wines, one of the most significant benefits of making your own wine at Just Fine Wine continues to be the cost savings to you.

Sometimes it is not ideal to have to wait up to 8 weeks to receive your wine and the savings may not be readily apparent when you pay for an entire batch of thirty bottles up front.  This is the reason we’ve sat down and did a little number crunching for you. Most everyone is aware that making your wine at Just Fine Wine is cheaper than liquor stores and restaurants but have you ever wondered just how much money you’re actually saving in the long run? We found out and the results are staggering — well worth an 8 week wait!

The following chart is based on an average person who consumes a single 5oz (or roughly 150ml) glass of wine a night. Since a standard bottle is 25oz (or 750ml), said person will consume just shy of one and a half bottles per week or slightly less than 73 bottles per year.  This works out to a little under two and a half batches at Just Fine Wine.  For ease of calculation we will round up to 75 bottles/year or 2 1/2 batches.

While these numbers are already impressive, please keep in mind they are very conservative estimates. The quality of Winexpert wines of all levels is often far superior to the price level that we have used for commercial equivalents.  Two notable examples are Selection Italian Amarone and Eclipse Stag’s Leap Merlot, whose starting price point in liquor stores is $40 and can be found for over $100. Yes, that’s per bottle! And don’t forget to factor in the increased savings if you drink more than the bottle and a half per week that the above calculations are based on.

If your thinking to yourself: “Yes, but what about my time?”.  Well, guess what? You’ll save that as well. And it’s often said time is money! If it takes approximately five minutes to shop for each bottle of wine purchased in a liquor store, these purchases would take up 6.25 hours of your life each year. If it takes 5 minutes to shop for and 30 minutes to bottle a batch at Just Fine Wine, the total for year is a whopping 1.46 hours. A time savings of 4.8 hours a year. For a couple that’s almost half a day saved to enjoy your wine rather than shop for it!

If you have ever had second thoughts about the economics of craft winemaking, we hope we’ve set those doubts at ease. Now sit back, relax, grab a glass of Just Fine Wine vino, and revel in the fact that not only are you drinking fabulous, award winning wines from around the globe, you’re doing it at a fraction of the cost compared to those who do their wine shopping at a liquor store.

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, CASL went into effect July 1st, 2014, and requires that we have your formal consent to provide you with the “Speaking of Wine” e-newsletter and other important Just Fine Wine communications.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind those of you who receive our email correspondence that we have obtained your email address from you, with your permission, for the purposes of distributing newsletters and other information. As always, your email address and personal information is kept confidential and used for internal purposes only. Your information has not been, nor will be, solicited to any third party.

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The importance of properly caring for and preparing bottles for filling with a completed batch of wine is sometimes overlooked or ignored by craft wine makers. This can be a very big mistake.  Starting out with clean and sanitized wine bottles is paramount to having healthy, beautiful wine. The alternative can lead to spoilage of your wine and embarrassment upon serving to friends and family.

Keeping your bottles clean is a simple task that doesn’t have to end up a big chore. All of the labels used at JUST FINE WINE are vinyl or vinyl-coated, both of which use “peel & stick” technology. This means they should peel off your bottles about as easy as they stuck on. To remove, simply lift up a corner and gently peel the remainder of the label form the bottle. If you are having any trouble, try filling the inside of the bottle with hot water and let stand for a few minutes. Then try again – the heat from the water should have loosened the grip of the label. Please note that you do NOT want to get the vinyl-coated labels (the ones that look like a paper sticker) wet as they will become gummy and extremely sticky upon contact with water.

After removing the labels and the shrink cap, rinse your wine bottle several times with hot water. A good technique is to fill the bottle about 1/3 full, put your thumb over the opening and shake vigorously, then drain. Repeat this process 3-4 times. After this is completed, leave the bottle(s) to rest upside down. When they are dry, put them back into your crate or box upside down and they will be ready to use on your next bottling appointment. Storing empties upside down prevents unwanted material such as dust, dirt, and insects from getting inside. If you are entertaining and the night is late, simply fill your bottles with water, let stand overnight, and then take care of the cleaning the next day.

Never use soap, baking soda, or anything other than household bleach to clean your bottles.  Soap and baking soda residue can be difficult to completely rinse away from the interior of the bottle and can ruin the taste of the next wine put in that bottle.  JUST FINE WINE has a great cleaning product available for purchase called Chloroclean, which is essentially a “food-grade” bleach. We also sell various sizes and styles of bottle brushes if you need to scrub inside your bottles.  It is recommended that bottles should be bleached each year, depending on usage.  When you clean with Chloroclean or household bleach, be sure to rinse thoroughly with water, MANY TIMES, to ensure there is no residue left in the bottle.

It’s important to keep in mind that even a tiny spot of mold or a single fruit fly that finds its way into one of your empty bottles can ruin your wine. To check for cleanliness, put the bottle to your eye and lift towards a light in order to do a thorough scan of the bottle, making sure it is free of dirt, grime, residue, mold, mildew, insects, etc.  Do not try to re-use any wine bottle that is dirty or contains black mold or mildew spots on the inside – it just isn’t worth it.  Send that bottle to the recycle depot and move on with a new one.

Proper care of your wine bottles is a relatively easy task that can ensure years of use with great results.

Just over a month ago we unveiled the Just Fine Wine’s Top Ten Wines of 2013. As in previous years, we here at Just Fine Wine like to compare and contrast how our top ten list of most popular wines against what is most popular throughout the rest of the province of B.C.

As has been the case during the five years that we have been tracking the results, the BC Top Ten remains very consistent. Last year three wines made their first appearance on this list and they all remain there a year later. Only one wine (Vintners Reserve Gewurztraminer) is a new addition to the group this year, returning after a one year blip that saw it fall out of BC Top Ten contention in 2012. Falling off the list this year to make room, is Selection Australian Chardonnay, a perrenial strong contender. Of the ten wines presented below, five varietals appear on both the BC Top Ten and Just Fine Wine Top Ten.

Without further ado, we present to you BC’s Top Ten Wines of 2013: 

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

“-” Not Ranked That Year

With over 150 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

At Just Fine Wine we pride ourselves on our ability to offer you the finest quality handcrafted wines available on the market. We are so confident that you will be happy with the end result that we guarantee your satisfaction for every purchase of a Winexpert product. With over one hundred varietals to choose from, we are always excited to find out which of these wines our loyal and supportive clients are enjoying the most.

In 2012 Winexpert completely overhauled the Vintners Reserve, World Vineyard, and Eclipse lines of wine kits. This past year Selection Original and Selection International were revamped under a single “Selection” banner. With all the Winexpert brands now being new and improved, we were curious to see if there has been any impact on our top ten most popular wines.

There are several interesting things to note regarding the Top Ten of 2013. Three wines have maintained a stranglehold on the top three spots since 2009; have they continued their dominance again this year?  The number of white wines in the top ten has dropped from four to three with Selection California Symphony and Eclipse Sonoma Dry Creek Valley Chardonnay just missing the cut this time out. Taking one of those spots is a white wine making it’s debut on the chart. Speaking of debuts, there is a total of three wine varietals making their premiere appearance in the top ten.  Another wine returns to the rankings after being bumped off it last year. One of the casualties, World Vineyard Chilean Merlot narrowly missed making the list again after placing sixth last year.

Without further delay, here they are. The top wines of 2013 – as decided by you:

*Wines are listed in descending order with the previous years’ rankings included.

“-” Not Ranked That Year

“T10” Tied for Tenth 

With over 100 varieties, Winexpert has no shortage of top quality wines to make and it’s a sizeable task to try them all. Our facebook page is a great place to connect with fellow wine lovers who may want to swap a few bottles or even start a new winemaking partnership/group to share a batch of something new.

One of the best things about being a local family-owned business is that we get to know our clients quite well and we consider you all friends as opposed to just another business transaction. Not only do we strive to offer the best available products but also to provide the best possible service to our loyal patrons. Recently Bob Negen brought it to our attention that most people do not like to complain and will go out of their way to avoid confrontation. Many are afraid they’ll be met with rudeness, hostility, or outright dismissal if they bring attention to a problem. This fact seemed pretty obvious to us since we don’t enjoy complaining at all. The thought of complaining to a friend is even worse! While this may not be breaking any new ground, the eye-opening consequence of this common behaviour trait is that when customers are disappointed with a product or service they often will simply stop patronizing the business altogether rather than have to deal with the potentially uncomfortable situation involved in making a complaint. We do NOT want this to happen with you!