Did your favourite bottle of wine get more expensive? The global wine market saw an increase in production and distribution costs last year, which (of course) got passed on to the consumer. And in Canada, the 6.3% federal excise tax bumped those prices up higher.
But there is one way to offset your booze budget: Bottling your own vino.
What is it? You don’t have to stomp around barefoot in a barrel of grapes to make your own wine (and maybe shouldn’t for safety reasons). Plenty of wineries, vineyards and storefronts make the process easy for you—all you have to do is choose your wine, sprinkle some yeast and then return in 4-8 weeks to bottle and cork it.
What you’ll pay: The Wine Warehouse in Calgary charges a $59.99 fee per wine kit.
-
We chose a mid-range priced wine kit that costs $109.99.
- For $169.98 (plus tax), you’ll get 30 bottles of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, making each bottle around $5.50.
What you’ll save: LiquorLodge.ca sells Chilean Cab Sauvs from as low as $10.99 up to $448.99.
- Even at the lowest price point, you still pay more than double for a bottle.
- Thirty low-budget bottles bought at retail will run you $329.70.
So, is it worth it? It’s definitely worth it in terms of price, but the stuff you make is very unlikely to be as good as even budget bottles you get at the store. If you’re okay with that, then knock yourself out (well, not literally, but you know what we mean)!