KATHERINE NICHOLS / KNICHOLS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Custom labels from previous customers are on display at Diamond Head Winery to help new winemakes get ideas for their own bottles
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Personal winemaking pleases the palate at Diamond Head Winery
Dal Martin started bottling his own wine at Diamond Head Winery when it opened in 2001, after his wife purchased a gift certificate, and he decided he wouldn't allow it go to waste. "I made a German wine, and it was the best German wine I've had since I left Germany," he said. In the past seven years, he's produced approximately 2,400 bottles.
"I'm not a connoisseur, but I know that I don't drink drug-store wine," he said. And Martin's not fond of typical eatery selections either. "I'll take the $15 (self-made) bottle, and it's better than any $100 bottle of wine you get in a restaurant." Even with the corkage fee, he figures that he comes out ahead.
But it's not just the quality of the wine that attracts him. He and his adult daughter enjoy a picnic while they cork the bottles every couple of months. "We both enjoy the wine tremendously," he said, adding that it also provides uninterrupted time together they rarely find anywhere else.
Every so often, Martin also introduces someone to the winemaking process. It usually works. The guest almost never leaves without making his own barrel.
Diamond Head Winery owner Val Williams came up with the idea during a vacation to Alaska, where she saw the first personal winery in the country. She said her store was the second.
"Most people believe that if they make their own wine, it's not going to turn out," she said. But they are usually as thrilled with the product as they are with the experience of creating it.
Williams believes the best parties consist of about 12 guests, which keeps the 2,400-square-foot shop/winery from becoming too crowded. People often bring their own food, potluck style, or hire a caterer for more special occasions, such as bridal showers, wedding rehearsal dinners or corporate team-building functions. Some organize theme parties, where everyone wears hats, beach attire, or black and white, for instance.
KATHERINE NICHOLS / KNICHOLS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Diamond Head Winery owner Val Williams helps a customer prepare a barrel for the 8-week-long fermentation process.
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Customizing the label and bottle is also part of the fun. For her own wedding recently, Williams designed the invitations, and sent one and a bottle of wine, with a matching foil around the neck, to every guest. For her parents' 65th wedding anniversary, she etched each bottle individually. A Kamehameha Schools class celebrating a reunion hand-painted all of their bottles.
Most customers prefer to personalize their labels using her template, which provides a fresh, professional appearance. But there are ways to include your own photo or three-dimensional accessories as well.
To make sure those special bottles don't get thrown out when the wine has been consumed, Williams encourages visitors to buy lamp oil, a long wick and a small chimney to create a candle. From start to finish, "it's a fun thing," she said. "And customers are amazed at how the wine tastes."