It's Your Winery - Wine Making Store!

[FentonCellars]

A buddy of mine gave us a homemade bottle of red wine for our wedding gift. In fact my wedding photos are on his website.

He went to this place called "It's Your Winery". "They have you taste test a bunch of different wines and pick one you want. Then they get all the ingredients together for you and you just mix them, store them for like 6 weeks. Come back and clean your bottles, choose labels, corks, cork seal colors and bottle away."

Sounds like the best job ever! Pictures of this place can be found below on his personal space page (I can say that some photos could be funny, as he is a goofy guy. I also should say that I have no control over some of these photos, so I apologize right away if they offend - Don't worry, nothing too bad!):

http://markmoeykens.spaces.live.com...11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=0&_c=PhotoAlbum

Anyone know what this shrinking machine is (red machine) in pic 11 of 18.

 

[FentonCellars]

I found that red machine! Has anyone got one of these?

https://secure13.nexternal.com/shar...2=833594918&ProductID=420&Target=products.asp

 

[cpfan]

Anyone know what this shrinking machine is (red machine) in pic 11 of 18.

Sure do, got one in my store. Works pretty good. I wouldn't buy one for home use because I think dipping the bottles in boiling water works better. Just get a pot boiling, holding the shrink in place with a slotted spoon, put the neck of the botle in the water. ZIP it's done. Better than the machine especially for oversize shrinks (but many of you won't have seen the oversize ones).

ABC Cork (a Canadian distributor) has them but it is now discontinued.
http://www.abccork.com/NET/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=22008EA

Steve

 

[smurfe]

It is a Horizontal Thermocapsuler. It shrinks the PVC capsules on the top of the wine bottle. No picture of it here but the place I buy from sells them.

http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=19000

I use an embossing gun which you can get at craft stores like Hobby Lobby used for scrap booking. Only link I could find was for one sold on eBay. It works great for a fraction of the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stampabilities-Heat-Embossing-Gun_W0QQitemZ220069887041QQihZ012QQcategoryZ16504QQcmdZViewItem

Smurfe

 

[smurfe]

I too used the boiling water until I got the embossing gun. It works OK but I kept burning my fingers in the boiling water. Also, many times I would apply labels before I added the capsules and the steam would make the ink run. The major reason I quit using the water is i didn't know if the moisture that would get under the capsule would be a harbor for bacteria.

Smurfe

 

[phantom]

This is what I use

I'm still not sure how the slotted spoon thing works, but this is what I use for my capsule shrinking. I haven't tried it with 1.5L bottles, but it works with 375mL bottles, as well as 750mL bordeaux and burgundy bottles. One-handed operation, and you hand stays away from the boiling water.

http://www.beer-wine.com/product_info.asp?productID=557&sectionID=2