WINEWORKS
Home Brew Specialists

Wineworks started in 1980 at the start of the home brew boom. The shop was based in the centre of Chesterfield and in those days business was expanding at an alarming rate. This growth in home brew has not lasted, but the good news is we now have the most fabulous range of products as you can see from our website. Making home brew is now easier than ever, and the end results are as good, if not better than commercial equivalents.

We specialise in three sectors in the market today. Firstly each beer kit we offer has been hand picked by Richard from the extensive range which is on offer in the market place. We have a full range of the Muntons beer kits that have dominated the market for last 20 years and look like they will continue to lead the way. Which ever beer making kit you go for, you'll be surprised just how easy it is to brew beer at home that tastes great.

Secondly we have a great wine kit range in stock. This is now the expanding sector of the market as people are drinking more and more wine. With the quality of the wine kits that are available today, people can make anything that they would normally buy from a supermarket. If you're new to wine making, and don't wish to spend too much, then have a look at the Beaverdale Wine Kit range, which is the most popular wine kit in the UK. Alternatively, if you are looking to make the best possible wine, the fantastic Selection Wine Kit range is the one for you.

The third area is spirits and liqueurs which involves some home distillation. You do need to check out whether this is legal as certain countries (like the UK) require you to have a licence to product spirits. The home distillation market has grown rapidly across the world, over the last 10 years, and we have a really superb range of products in this sector.

This possibly starts the mind going and thinking about moonshine. This could not be further away from what we are doing. The quality of the home produced spirit is miles away from the moonshine that was produced years ago. A lot of the commercial alcohol distillation techniques can now used in the home. In fact, most people can't tell the difference between commercial spirits & liqueurs, and their equivalents made using our Stillspirits range of flavourings and equipment.

Wine making over the years has changed considerably as better methods have been used by the factories which now all seem to be in Canada. They now try not to concentrate all of the grape juice which leads to a much better end result. This has resulted in a much fresher taste and a better bouquet, and homebrew wine now compares favourably to commercial varieties,

With the advances in quality, the average price of a wine making kit has gone up quite steeply, but at the end of the day wouldn’t we all prefer something that costs a little more but tasted really great!? Fortunately, whilst the costs of supplies are rising, the end result is still significantly cheaper than commercial wines.

Alongside the development of kits, we have also seen a vast improvement in the quality of wine making equipment that is available. Again a lot of the change has been brought about from the Canadian market which is now the world’s biggest supplier of equipment for the home market.

On the beer brewing side we have seen some changes over the years as well. The Breweries have started to see the potential of the market and to reinforce their brand by allowing people the option of buying a kit made to their own recipe. This acceptance of homebrew beer has raised a few eyebrows in the brewing industry!!!

This change in attitude also brought a lot of credibility to beer making kits, and home brew kits in general. In the past some people have seen our industry, somewhat stereotypically as a case of exploding bottles and extra strong wine. However, the level of sophistication that’s in the market today is staggering and makes a mockery of the way these people have thought about us in the past.

I am really glad you have found our web site because over the years the brewing supplies outlets have got harder and harder to find. I don’t think this is down to the internet but more in the way people pick up and drop hobbies. Brewing supplies however are the most important part of your drink as you do need quality ingredients to produce a great drink!!

Although the internet is a great place to buy your home brew supplies especially if you know what you want. The downside though is there are fewer places where you can go and see the products which are available. We at Wineworks pride ourselves on the fact that when you come to our shop for your homebrew supplies you will always have something new to taste.

If you fancy making a fruit wine from scratch, then we have a wine making recipe to suit. Its great finding some rich fruit like blackberries, or bilberries for example, free from some bush in a farmer's field and then turning this into something special. Don't use a homebrew recipe from a bygone era it's not worth it - take advantage of progress.

If you really get into this then you will need a fruit press to squeeze all the juice out of the fruit you have picked. They are not expensive and will last for years. We have many different types available on the website. The fruit press will crush a variety of fruits that you can pick in the country side.

If it's grapes you have then a wine press is needed. This is the same as a fruit press but the wine snobs want to call it a wine press!!! With the grapes it might be necessary to run these through a wine crusher first. This will break them down before they go into the press.

Once you've built up a good collection of wine the next thing you'll want is a wine rack to store or display your wine. Fortunately we stock a wide selection of racks, so whether you are after a traditional wooden wine rack, a contemporary wrought iron wine rack, or perhaps a made to measure wood & metal wine rack system for your cellar, we have something to meet your needs. At the end of the day, your wine is for drinking, not saving forever, so we also have a selection of glassware, decanters, and several types of cork screw to help you get the maximum enjoyment out of your wine.

As you can see it’s a fair way from the old days of homebrew. The industry has really moved on and whether you are buying from our web site or visiting our shop you will find a great range of homebrew products which I have personally picked and fully recommend. At Wineworks.co.uk, we aim to bring both the wide range of products, and the wealth of experience you would find in a home brew shop right to you at home.