Tasting your wine IQ

Franchise touts hands-on vintner education, local brews 

Owners of the new Vintner's Cellar Custom Winery on Loudon Road aren't looking for pretentious wine drinkers. Larry Crossley and Virginia Fressola want the store to be welcoming for people who haven't yet developed their palette.

The winery, part of a franchise with 31 sites across the country, holds wine tastings and helps customers make their own wine in the store.

"There's no wine snobs here," Crossley said. "What we want to do is help people make wines that they like."

Crossley and Fressola, ages 49 and 47, came to the idea of winemaking a couple of years ago. Crossley's daughter gave them a gift certificate to make their own wine at a winery in New Jersey, where they lived. Their interest was piqued, and they began looking into the craft for themselves, Crossley said.

That's when he learned about Vintner's, which was started in Ontario in 1993. The couple moved to New Hampshire, where Crossley has family, and opened the store about three weeks ago. The grand opening, featuring free tastings and refreshments, is being held yesterday and today.

Here's how the process works: Customers who sign up to make a batch of wine will have a tasting first to determine what they want to make. Then the owners help them mix grape juices, mostly brought in from California in 6-gallon buckets, with the oak or fruit that make it distinct and yeast that starts the fermenting process, turning sugar into alcohol.

For about one week, the wine-in-process sits in buckets in the back of the store. Then Fressola and Crossley will transfer it to large glass bottles called carboys. Five to seven weeks later, after filtering and bottling, the wine is ready to be taken home.

Customers can work with Fressola, who is a graphic artist, to design their own labels, including personal photos or business logos.

Crossley said most wines won't be at their peak for another six to 18 months, but he recommends that people try some early to learn about how wines change as they age.

Each batch makes about 28 bottles. People can skip the wine-making process and "adopt" a batch that's already fermenting or just come in for a tasting. If a full batch is too much, customers can put a custom label on single bottles made at the store. Crossley said they can custom-make batches for weddings or business events, too.

The store sells wines bottled under its own labels. There's Concord Coach Red, North Main Shiraz, Kearsarge Sauvignon Blanc and Merrimack Chenin Blanc. And there are racks of holiday-themed wines, such as Grandmother's House White, a Riesling, or Turkey Head Red, a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rita Phinney and Dan Stanton of Goffstown, who stopped in the store yesterday afternoon after hearing about it on the radio, are just the type of customers Crossley is looking for. They left with three bottles of wine: black currant merlot, cranberry shiraz and white Gewurztraminer. They also made an appointment to come in with friends to make their own.

The couple said they don't know much about wine, but they're trying to learn. "Dedicated amateurs," Stanton said.

"This is a fun way of learning," Phinney said.

Fressola said she has wanted to own her own business for a while, and she wanted it to be something she enjoyed. "This is fun," she said, as the store bustled with customers yesterday. "This is a lot of fun."

David Eccles, CEO of the franchise, was there for the grand opening yesterday. Even in a tough economy, he said he's looking to double the size of the franchise in three years. He called the business "recession-proof," saying, "people still drink."

The store will be open every day until the end of the year, except for Christmas and Thanksgiving, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m