Where do we get our wines from? Grapes? Locations?

All of the wines that we carry are made on-site in a climate-controlled room in our store. The grapes used for making these wines originate from selected vineyards all around the world and are acquired via our distributors in North America.

Whether you’re looking for Old World wines from France, Italy, Germany or Spain, or New World adventures from California, Oregon, Chile, Argentina, Australia or New Zealand, we carry the true regional varietal for you. In essence, the grapes from a South African Pinotage are sourced from South Africa, as a Napa Valley Stag’s Leap Valley Merlot are sourced from the area of Napa Valley.

Sulfites - What are they? What are the benefits of not using them?

(Here’s the short answer…) Sulfites are a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. Technically, they are usually in the form of sodium or potassium metabisulfite. Fermenting yeasts present on all grape skins generate naturally occurring sulfites in amounts ranging from 6 to 40 parts per million (ppm).

Sulfur as an additive has been used as a preservative in winemaking for quite some time. To prevent wine spoilage, European winemakers pioneered the use of sulfur dioxide (SO2) two hundred years ago. Unfortunately, fresh grapes and juice have a tendency to spoil due to contamination from bacteria and wild yeasts. Not only does sulfur dioxide inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria, but it also stops oxidation (browning) and preserves the wine's natural flavor.

However, many people have little tolerance for sulfites. They are considered sulfite-sensitive. Even for moderate wine drinkers, the average level of sulfites found in many commercial wines can cause headaches, heartburn or other side effects. Other unpleasant reactions include burning sensations, hives, cramps, or flushing of the skin.

Our wines are very low in sulfites, as we don’t add any as a preservative in our process. So enjoy your wine you make here with us even more so.

How long does the wine last? Does it get better with age?

The shelf life of our wines should be between 3-5 years, and that partly depends on how you store it. Though as most of our regulars will tell you, it never makes it that far! (It’s too easy and too much fun to enjoy!)

Our wines are delicious when you bottle them, but yes, they certainly do improve with a little ageing. The process of ageing and maturity in a wine is often shrouded in a vague mystique, but there is substance to it. Time allows a wine to achieve something elusive but generally eventual – balance. After just going through the shock of fermentation, the essence of the wine is a bit of a cacophony.

What follows is a process of unfolding, much like the slow budding of a flower blossom. The acidity tones down to a point, the firm fruit-forwardness calms slightly and deepens out, other more subtle characteristics are able to be tasted and expressed, and the body and weight of the wine fills out to its full potential. Most wines are just meant to be drunk. Those few others that are destined for greatness achieve their ideal through balance and harmony.

The whites are great right off, and will improve with just one to three months of time in the bottle. The reds stand to benefit a bit more, depending on the weight and depth of complexity of the wine you select. The first several months will show an improved taste as all the various varietal types are allowed to open up. The lighter bodied reds will plateau off at this point. The bigger, denser, more intense reds will take more time, some not reaching their peaks for at least six months to a year or more, when they will really blossom and express their character.

Our best advice – enjoy them when you want to. Pull a cork. Drink the bottle. Toast the day.

How do I store it? (Temperature)

The ideal temperature to store wines is between 55°F and 58°F (13°C–15°C). However, any temperature between 40°–65°F (5°–18°C) will suffice as long as it remains constant. The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical. A gradual change of a few degrees between annual seasons won't matter. The same change daily will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.

A refrigerator or temperature controlled room is best. If not, don’t worry. For our climate in Hawai’i, the best thing is to find the coolest, darkest place, such as in the closet, below the bed, or on the lowest floor. If necessary, some people have said they leave it at the office, where the AC runs all the time! Just be sure to cover it in papers, and don’t tell your co-workers.

After leaving the bottles upright for about five days, then be sure to store the wine on its side. This is the proper way to store all wines with a natural cork, as the liquid contacts the cork and seals the bottle.

Can you ship wines?

At this time, we’re not able to ship the wine for you, but you are welcome to make accommodations for sending it to friends and family yourself. To this end, we do offer boxes, with sturdy cardboard padding between bottles, for safely shipping or transporting wines by the case.

There is a strong movement currently going on to open up trade between the states, but currently each state has its own rules on whether or not you can send to them. The Supreme Court made a major ruling in favor of consumers being able to get wine from any other state in the country, so hopefully it is only a matter of time before this disseminates into all of our local area.

If you would like more information, or are interested in which states allow what, please check out Free The Grapes.

Do you just do wine tastings? Can I buy just a bottle of wine? Can I just buy a glass?

What is the alcohol content?

The alcohol content depends on the kind of wine you select. Typically white wines have an alcohol content of about 12%; most reds are 12.5-14%; Estates: 14%, and dessert wines can range from: 15-18%. The percentage may increase if you personally fortify your wine. In any case, a bottle of any of our wines will certainly give you a worthwhile buzz!

Can we blend wines? Or customize?

Blending wines is an option assuming you do two or more wines since at least two wines need to be made in order for a blend to be created. This is a venture for the daring as a blend of two wines cannot be tasted together beforehand, though a thorough tasting of wines will be conducted prior to selection. A blend offers a truly personalized experience as the wine you will be making will be a one-of-a-kind creation.

Aside from blends, there are also more subtle ways in customizing your wine that will further modify it to your own palate preferences. These customizing options are adding additional oak (light or dark), adding additional sugar, leaving your wine unfiltered (this is standard for some wines), fortification (especially popular for port or sherry), and for the more adventurous – using different yeast.

If you know you prefer your wines to be heavier, oakier, or sweeter or you are looking for a way to make your wine distinctive and unique, these options might be of interest to you.

How long does the fermentation process take?

Your juice is started immediately after you have selected the wine you would like to make and we bring it out to you so that you can conduct the most important step – the spreading of the yeast! This initiates the official first stage of your wine and from then it is eight weeks before it can be bottled and drunk.

During the eight week period your wine goes through a number of stages and processes (in order for it to be ready for your consumption) that we take care of in our climate controlled wine room. These processes include primary and secondary fermentation, racking, stabilization, and filtration, depending on recipe or your personalized preferences.

How long should I wait to drink it?

Your wine is ready to be drunk immediately from the bottling date (expect a bottle or two to be drunk during your bottling!). Individual taste preferences, however, may influence the amount of time you may want to age the wine.

Bear in mind that the younger the wine the more fruiter it may taste, thus a wine aged for a year may have a distinctively different taste than one freshly bottled.

Since our wines do not contain added sulfites (a frequently used wine preservative) all of our wines should be consumed within 3-5 years.

Do we use oak barrels? Where does the oak come from?

Though oak barrels are the traditional way Europeans made wine, we here at Wine the Experience opt to use glass barrels due to sanitary reasons. This however, does not mean we do not possess the capacity to create the oakey flavor distinctive to many popular wines.

We add oak chips to certain kinds of wines during the different stages of fermentation to ensure an authentic and delicious taste. We use both French and American Oak, either with a medium toast or without. The kind of oak and amount used depends on the kind of wine, as well as personal preference.

Do you design labels? Back Labels? Why do some labels have a printing charge? Is there a special size?

We do not design custom labels, however we are able to add text to pre-made templates, as well as print them out on our color laser printer.

For a totally personalized touch you may create a completely custom designed label that can be printed out on your own personal computer, or emailed to us at create@winetheexperience.com and printed out on our computer for a flat $10 ink charge. For ideas and inspiration, you may browse our books of unique and creative labels that our customers have designed for their wines.

A back label is provided for all bottles and offer an in-depth description of the wine you have selected. In regard to label size, it depends on the kind of wine you do.

The full-size label (standard for most wines) is 4.75” x 3.625”. You can design it oriented either portrait or landscape. The half-size label (for the dessert wines or a smaller graphic look) is 2.25” width x 3.44” high.

Additional Custom Label Specifications:

• It must be a PRINT READY file. As in, a complete and ready to go image.
• We can ONLY print from the following file formats: .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .pdf, or .psd. We DO NOT accept files in MS Word, as they do not preserve layout.
• A high-resolution file is recommended. 300-dpi, or 300-ppi, jpg compression at least 10 has seemed to work best.
• We cannot guarantee resolution issues, but will of course do our best to be of assistance.
• You are also welcome to bring in a hard-copy if it is original or hand-drawn artwork, or if that is better for your preference.
• Please make arrangements for your label at least a week prior to your bottling. Otherwise we cannot guarantee we will have your labels ready on-time.

Where on Kapahulu?

Please refer to our contact page, or download our PDF location map.

We are located in Kilohana Square on 1016 Kapahulu on the cross street of Kihei near the intersection by Market City Shopping Center. Kilohana Square businesses visible from Kapahulu are Mr.Ojisan Restaurant, The World of Feng Shui, Mill’s Gallery, and Neal’s Art for Sale. India Café is also a well-known restaurant in the complex.

Kilohana Square is located on the right side of the street when heading makai towards Waikiki or the ocean.

Landmarks?

For locals familiar with the area, we are located across the old KC Drive-in. Existing landmarks include Panda Travel (located on the opposite side of Kapahulu) as well as the popular Lenoard’s Bakery. Market City Foodland and Kaimuki high school are in the general area as well.

Parking?

Parking is available inside Kilohana Square in front of the store. The parking lot in back of the square is available for customers after 5pm, and can be accessed by the next driveway on the left down Kihei Street. Parking is also available along the sides of Kihei Street.

Seating Arrangements?

Seating is provided throughout our bottling room, though capability to spread out depends wholly on concurrent bottlings. Our space has the capacity to stage two bottling parties simultaneously and this happens frequently during evenings, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. During such instances each party is allowed 3 of the six tables along with 3 chairs per table.

Additional tables are available for storing food and condiments. In many cases, when a party of one bottling knows one from the other the two bottlings merge as one. This results in bigger company and more wine! Barstools are not provided for tastings though if you get a bit tipsy you are welcome to pull up a chair!

Nearby Restaurants?

India Café & Mr. Ojisan are within Kilohana Square, and are excellent choices for before or after your bottling, or to provide a nice snack during it!

Also in the area… Formaggio Wine Bar, Toraji, Tokkuri Tei, Momomo, Irifune, The Garlic House, and Zippy’s are all in a very close proximity.

How many people can I bring (tasting or bottling)? Entire space? Is there a charge to rent the space out by the hour?

Talking, laughing, and interacting with people are general characteristics affiliated with the consumption of wine. Thus, it is only natural that you should invite friends and family to your tasting and bottling! In fact we prefer that you bring at least 3-4 people to help you bottle your wine so that you will have more time to sit back and enjoy a bottle or two.

For tastings we typically keep it to within 2-4 people per barrel (i.e. if you were intending to do two wines then a maximum of 8 people). For the bottling, you are able to invite up to 12 people per barrel being bottled. If you bottle 4 wines then you may have a private party and the store is closed down.

Do you supply food? Can we bring our own food, or have it catered?

Traditionally, (and presently in many parts of Europe) wine was (and is) always consumed in conjunction with food. Though we do not provide food here at Wine the Experience, you are free to bring in whatever food you desire.

We see our customers bring in everything from simple cheese and cracker plates to elaborately catered full course meals. If you are looking for restaurants within Kilohana Square – India Cafe and Mr. Ojisan are both excellent choices for Indian and Japanese cuisine.

Fundraisers?

Please contact us to discuss fundraising possibilities.

Children?

Children are allowed as part of the tasting and bottling experience (assuming of course, that they are not consuming wine!). Though children cannot take part in the consumption of wine, they often find enjoyment in the bottling process (some of our best and most enthusiastic corkers have been pre-10 year olds!).

In essence, the affiliation and importance of family participation within the wine process has been a long standing tradition in wine making cultures and are values we observe here at Wine the Experience.

Outside beverages?

Outside beverages are allowed as long as they are non-alcoholic - though with a minimum of 30 bottles of wine what more do you need?