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15| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,F ebruary 1,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca Stay Current... From the latest information on local politics, to minor sports scores to what's going on down the street, visit www.waterloochronicle.ca CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY BUSINESS Visit waterloochronicle.ca for more coverage From the grape to the bot-tle of wine on the dinnertable, Mike and ChrisTudisco's family has been helping people make home- made wine for more than 35 years. Whether it was the wine filter- ing process their grandfather Onofrio patented for the home vintner, to the Buon Vino compa- ny their dad Peter operates, which has a hand in every step of wine making in countries around the world, wine is in their blood. But after years of seeing the decline in the number of people buying grapes and grape juice to start their own wine fermenta- tion process, the brothers along with the rest of their wine mak- ing family thought there must be a way to take the process into the 21st century. "We saw a gap and we didn't see a lot of people work- ing to bring it into this century," said Chris. Chris said that people don't have the same connection to making wine that some first gen- eration or second generation Ca- nadians had passed down to them. The process can be timely and messy, and doesn't always work for those living busy lives. But he also knows that people like to know how things are made, where they come from and some of the craftsmanship that goes into making traditional products like wine. "I tell my friends about this stuff and they say you can make your own wine, what do you mean?" said Chris. "There's a whole generation of people who know about the whole wine mak- ing thing, and then there's a whole generation of people who know nothing about it at all. They think it only comes from wineries in Italy or whatever." That's why they launched Vines at the 42, a new condomini- um complex at the corner of Bridgeport and Peppler streets in uptown Waterloo, to create a new approach to urban wine making. "We're trying to target a new au- dience who does even know how to do this stuff but would like to learn," said Chris. Now they can take people in- terested in making their own spe- cial reserves and take them through the grape selection, fer- mentation and the bottling and corking process. Vines will also provide wine education, and help people pick out the vintages that work for them and pair them with the foods they enjoy. It won't make you a sommelier, but peo- ple will appreciate the insight they gain into how to pick and pair wines. And as millennials them- selves who grew up in the social media age, keeping people con- nected to the process through Facebook and a Vines app they can put right on their phone that tells them where the batches are created are in the process and when it will be ready to be bottled is a modern addition to a process that once happened in cellars but is now happening in a modern so- cial setting they can share with friends. "They'll be able to follow their progress on their phones," said Chris. "They'll get a wine glass that will gradual fill until its full and their wine is ready for bot- tling." The brothers have stocked the most popular grapes and wines, and people can bottle smaller batches of 15 bottles as the refine their palettes and develop their tastes. "We have smaller batch sizes and we've picked five of the most popular wines like merlot, Ca- bernet Sauvignon, chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, and you can do it in an 11-litre batch that yields you 14 or 15 bottles," said Mike. "Instead of having to commit to 30 bottles for somebody who hasn't done this before, you don't have to commit to that much." "It also allows them to try dif- ferent varieties, and if they want to make a red and a white," said Chris. The also want to create a com- munity of people who want to talk about wine making and per- haps compare the stuff they cre- ated and offer suggestions for more. "We want people to talk about wine more in general, and we'll eventually have educational events where we can bring peo- ple in and talk about wine mak- ing and where the wine comes from," said Mike. "There's so much to know and love about wine, and wine is a good conver- sation starter." Vines will be having a grand opening from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 3, at Unit 3, 42 Bridgeport Rd. E., where they invite anybody in- terested in wine making to come in an find out more about the pro- cess. Parking is available at the corner of Bridgeport Road and Regina Street. That process will include can- ning wine in the future as well as the expansion into cider and oth- er wine-based drinks like Prosec- co or spritzers. They said Water- loo is a great place to launch the concept because it's all about in- novation and exploring new ide- as. "Vines fits in really well with the vibe of the town," said Chris. For more about Vines, visit ex- periencevines.com. VViinneess llooookkss ttoo bbuuiilldd ssoocciiaall ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss ttoo uurrbbaann wwiinnee mmaakkiinngg Founders bring the homemade wine process into this century BOB VRBANAC bvrbanac@waterloochronicle.ca Chris and Mike Tudisco have launced an new urban winemaking venture in uptown Waterloo called Vines that comes the old world skill with social media tools. Bob Vrbanac Photo