About Us
Paul Sass founded The Home Vintner in 1994, after many years as a commercial airline pilot, to pursue his passion for fine wines. His number one committment was to quality, and he quickly adopted the phrase which still guides The Home Vintner - "NEVER COMPROMISE ON QUALITY!"
The Home Vintner carries a wide selection of premium wine and beer kits, guaranteed to please the most discriminating connoisseur. We offer award winning kits by Winexpert produced from varietal wine juices of superior vineyards around the world, and full malt Barons beer kits.
We conduct Wine & Beer Making Classes for our customers and our staff of Certified Winemakers provide ongoing technical advice and assistance to ensure a positive and pleasurable experience in hand-crafting your own fine wines & beer.
Our customers have won 500 Winemaking Awards at the prestigious Annual Provincial and National wine judging events, which we believe attests to the quality of Winexpert kits as well as The Home Vintner’s continuing technical support. We have also won Winemaker of the Year and Brewmaster of the Year awards over the years.
You can hand-craft fine wines & beer in your own home at a fraction of the cost of commercially produced products and with much less chemical content.
Visit any one of our stores and discuss home wine & beer making with our staff and you too can become an Award Winning Wine & Beer Maker.
IN THE NEWS
Volunteering with vino - Posted by The Airdrie Echo November 12th, 2010
Make mine wine - Posted by Airdrie Life Winter 2010
Wine Pairings- Posted by Airdrie Life Summer 2010
Better Beer – Posted in Airdrie Life Summer 2010
For the animals – Posted by The Airdrie City View June 25, 2010
Raise a glass for the animals– Posted by The Airdrie City View May 21, 2010
Indulge in wine, cheese and chocolate for ADHS– Posted by The Airdrie Echo May 26, 2010
Local's see positive change to wine market - Posted by The Airdrie Echo February 11th 2009
The do-it-yourself sommelier: The Home Vintner elevates art of handcrafted wine - Calgary Herald May 12, 2008
WINE & BEER MAKING CLASSES
Join Paul at one of our Wine & Beer Making Classes as he demonstrates the making of a wine & beer kit from start to finish. Thirty-six years of experience shared so that the novice can be successful on their first attempt! Paul guides you through every step - from start-up , to racking, the importance of the hydrometer, C02 removal, bottling, the importance of a good quality cork, to storage. The charge for this class is $25.00 per person, minimum age 18. It is very important to us that wine and beer makers realize the difference between our excellent, award winning kits compared to many cheaper varieties on the market. Our classes are offered on a rotating basis in all 9 stores. Click here to see our class schedule.
NEW CLIENT REFERRAL PROGRAM
We truly appreciate you referring us to your family and friends. When the new vintner or brewer purchases their first kit, you both will receive 10% off the regular price of any kit. Referral certificates are available in our stores.
WINE & BEER MAKING CLASS REFERRAL PROGRAM
We truly appreciate you referring our class to your family and friends! New students will receive 50% off the regular class price of $25.00 with your referral.
100% PRODUCT GUARANTEE
The Home Vintner has had a 100% guarantee on all our wine and beer kits since 1993. Customer satisfaction is very important to us at all our locations. In order to honour this guarantee, it is absolutely essential that you use our corks, as there are many sub-standard corks on the market. Please also remember to peel off the code sticker on the top of the box, and keep it with your records. These codes are full of important information for both the retailer and the consumer.
WINEXPERT QUALITY - HOW AB0UT ORGANIC WINE?
Grapes are a very long-term crop (no fruit for four years, and then a 20+ producing life for vines) growers who don't promote soil health are rapidly without a livelihood. No soil = no vines.
There isn't a huge call for synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on grapes. The only really common thing that grapes get sprayed with is Bordeaux mixture, a blend of lime and sulphate that prevents mould. This compound is allowed for use on organic grapes, as it's not derived from petrochemical products, and is pretty benign.
The most important factor to consider, you can't make wine if you don't handle the grapes with plenty of integrity. Poor handling causes burst grapes, subsequently oxidizing the juice.
WE REWARD LOYALTY - EVERY 11th KIT IS 1/2 PRICE
Purchase 10 wine or beer kits and your 11th kit is 1/2 price! Your 1/2 price wine kit may be any wine kit available in the store. Purchases may be made at any Home Vintner store with no time limit.
