Unlike topical humour and ice sculptures, a fine wine only gets better with age. Age gracefully with today's Groupon: for $59, you get a winemaking experience, which makes 30 bottles of merlot or chardonnay, at The Wine Place (up to a $119 value).
At The Wine Place, would-be vintners can mix and bottle their own reds and whites using premium wine kits and modern equipment. Visiting oenophiles can choose between a Merlot blend ($106) or Chardonnay ($119) varietal, and then, with the help of a friendly vino virtuoso, start their wine batch by adding yeast and firing an Olympic start gun. After four to six weeks, during which time nascent libations undergo filtering and coming-of-age initiations, customers return to bottle, label, and top their creations using The Wine Place's automated equipment. A batch yields 30 750 mL bottles; guests can bring their own vessels or purchase them on the spot ($1 each). The facility provides corks, labels, shrink-wrap tops, and a personal DJ for future grape-stomping fests.
The Wine Place
Under the guidance of recently appointed owners Eve McAllister and Steve Johnston, The Wine Place's award-winning experts continue to help customers craft more than 60 wine varieties. After adding yeast to your favourite red, white, or rosé culled from top wine-growing regions such as Australia, Chile, and Spain, personnel oversee the four- to six-week brewing process. Once brews have spilled out from cocoons, oenophiles return for bottling and labelling sessions. The Wine Place's stock of measured electric wine pumps, compressor corkers, and electric shrink-wrap machines ensure a stress-free experience for each eager imbiber. In addition to its standard labels, The Wine Place supplies personalized labels for weddings, birthdays, and cubicle-warming parties.