Word spreads on grapevine of shop making wine for €4

A Belgian man was so shocked at the price of wine in Ireland that he opened up Europe’s first craft wine-making shop in Co Meath which offers cheap wine with no hangover.

Luc Heymans has been inundated with engaged couples who are saving thousands of euro in their wedding budget by making their own wine in-store for just €4 a bottle.

He said: “When I lived in Europe, I used to enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner, but when I moved to Ireland I couldn’t believe the price of a bottle of wine.

“I started making my own wine and then I decided to open the shop. There are thousands of similar stores in Canada but this is the first in Europe.”

Since he opened in Kells less than a year ago, he has been inundated with requests from couples eager to give their wedding guests a personalised treat at a fraction of the cost.

“One couple explained that they were quoted €2,300 for 150 bottles of wine from an off-licence for their wedding. I was able to give them 150 bottles for just €670.”

Luc imports all the wine kits from Canada.

Customers can buy the wine and bring it home to make or start the process in the shop and leave it with Luc to ferment.

He said: “The wine takes between four and eight weeks to ferment, depending on the quality you choose. When it’s ready, the customer comes back into the shop to bottle and cork it and add personalised labels.

“They then take the wine home and leave it to rest for a few months. Each kit makes between 28 and 30 bottles.

“If they don’t like the wine when they taste it, they get their money back, but this hasn’t happened yet.”

Luc stocks 100 types of wine from all over the world and says that each bottle of wine is comparable to a €10 supermarket-shelf bottle.

“I have been making my own wine since I was 18 years old and I can stand over the quality of these wines,” he said.

Besides the price, he claims there’s another bonus to his wine.

“As there are no chemicals involved, it won’t give you a hangover.”

The shop also sells beer and cider kits but these have to be taken home as it’s against the law to brew beer on commercial premises, he explains.

-More information can be obtained at www.makingyourwine.com