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Where You Are the Winemaker
By Charlsy Panzino/Photos by Paul Bigelow Photography
The idea of winemaking usually conjures up images
of Italian women stomping around grape-filled vats.
The reality of commercially available wines today is
not quite so romantic. Fortunately, the Valley offers
places where you can get “hands on”, creating your
own wine without the hassle and mess of trying to
do it at home.
One such place is Studio Vino in Tempe, a winery
that specializes in allowing you to become your own
winemaker and create your own unique wine. There
are six steps involved in the process, starting with a
tasting of different wine varietals or types of grapes,
such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. Studio
Vino produces 15 varietal specific wines and based
upon popular demand, they will soon introduce a
line of fruit-infused blends. Aspiring winemakers
are encouraged to visit the winery to sample wines
by the glass or a flight of several different wines, and
the studio sells wine by the bottle to take home. This
gives them the chance to taste before they make, to
learn what they like and don’t like in a wine.
After choosing your favorite wine, the vintner will guide you through
the process of making your own. Starting with grapes which come
from highly reputable
growers in California
located in regions
such as Lodi, you’ll
have a chance to
blend, mix and test
the juice. Along the
way, you’ll learn a bit
about wine making,
including what a
hydrometer is used
for and how wines
are clarified. You’ll also have a chance to select your own oaking style.
Whether you like a buttery chardonnay or a smoky shiraz, different oaks
are available for you to create a wine that suits your palate. The final
step on your first visit is the addition of yeast to start the fermentation
cycle. The rest of the wine making process, including racking to clarify,
is completed by Studio Vino. Three months later, when your wine is
ready, you’re invited back to bottle, cork and label the wine.
Owner Kari Zemper says she and her husband visited a make-yourown-wine
location in the Valley and they really enjoyed the process,
especially the end result – which was a collection of personalized wine
they gave away as holiday gifts. That experience inspired her to open up
her own winery. She thought, “I could get really excited about doing this
every day”. Kari says the goal of Studio Vino is to provide a unique and
memorable experience by giving visitors the opportunity to learn about
wine tasting and wine making.
Christina Bernardo, 26, got married last June in Hawaii, but she wanted
to have another reception for her friends and family in the Valley.
Bernardo and her husband have always appreciated wine, and they
decided to have their reception party at Studio Vino.
“It’s not just a wine bar or a place where you go
for happy hour. It’s the whole process.” she says. “It
was a lot of fun to be able to share the winemaking
process with our friends who helped select the wine
we were going to make.” They made a Cabernet
Sauvignon and a Viognier and served them at their
wedding reception in bottles with a special label
commemorating their union. “Wine is something
you create,” she says. “It’s just a fun process that we
will forever remember. We made this wine that we
not only drank at our reception, but are able to drink
throughout our marriage.”
Lisa Amato, 44, is the vice president and branch
manager of Integrity 1 st Mortgage and has hosted
several winemaking events at Studio Vino. Amato
has used these events as opportunities to host her
best clients for customer appreciation and continues
to receive extremely positive feedback from her
guests. “What I really like about it is during the
tasting, it’s not just a tasting like, ‘Here, taste this.’
It’s very conversational and educational,” Amato says. “You get a lot of
information about the different wines to help you with the selection.”
Amato says her favorite part is being involved in the entire process. “I
like being able to, at the end of it, have this bottle of wine and give it as
a gift or enjoy it at home and say, ‘I made this wine.’”
As for the cost, the average prices range from about $13-$16 per bottle.
When you come back, you are encouraged to use the winery to plan
your own bottling party. They’ve also added a new tasting bar and
are excited about the new line of interesting and unique fruit-infused
wines.
Between making your own wine, bottling, corking and labeling, Kari
jokes that Studio Vino is like Build-A-Bear for adults. And with the
guidance and expertise of the Tempe winery’s vintners, it’s about that
easy.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
Enjoy making your own wine in locations around the Valley including:
Studio Vino in Tempe, Casavino in Fountain Hills and Su Vino in Scottsdale.
Their contact information can be found on page 58.
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