HOT SPRINGS -- What started out simply as a hobby shared between two friends has improved with age, similar to the fine wine they now bottle and sell locally.
Dr. John Brunner, a retired physician, and Randy Fale, a Hot Springs city director and retired hospital administrator, always had an affinity for fine wine, which led them to try their hand at winemaking.
Their goal, initially, was to make wine from grapes they grew, but they quickly learned after their first harvest that the process was a little more involved than they anticipated.
"We planted some grapes on [Fale's] farm and ended up with three grapes come harvest time," Brunner said, laughing.
Although slightly discouraged, the pair persevered and explored other options, eventually discovering winemaking kits. The first two batches were made in Fale's home, but his wife promptly put an end to that, leading them to buy a building at 327 Ouachita Ave. in Hot Springs and open Barrels Unlimited in 2012. They now sell wine they produce, as well as the kits and all the supplies needed to make wine at home, and offer lessons in winemaking.
"We were really surprised at how good a wine we could make. We're in this for the fun. It is somewhat a business, but it started out as a hobby and still kind of is," Brunner said.
The first year, they only sold the kits. Eventually, they decided to start making the wine, as well. After acquiring all the licenses they needed to legally operate, Brunner and Fale recruited a group of friends and started the winemaking process. The first two barrels they made went on to win silver medals in an international winemaking competition.
The pair recognized the potential to turn their hobby into a laid-back business venture, and began educating themselves as potential small business owners. Brunner and Fale even enrolled in a course at National Park College, where they solidified their overall mission and learned essential business development skills.
Today, they sell supplies and kits for people to make their own wine, along with bottles of wine they have made themselves. But, most importantly, they say they offer the winemaking experience itself. The kits containing the juices, skins and stems of premium grapes come from as far away as Australia. The white oak barrels sometimes used in the store are all made locally at Gibbs Brothers Cooperage.
Brunner and Fale guide groups through the winemaking process, ensuring that everything is done to make the best wine possible. They encourage those interested in making their own wine to start off at home and then come to the store for their second batch. Since they opened, some of their customers have made as many as seven large barrels, yielding about 150 bottles of wine per barrel.
The entire process, from wine kit to wineglass, is lengthy. The wine can sit in a barrel between six to nine months and, once it's bottled, Fale recommends leaving it unopened for at least a year. A lot of their regulars have developed a system that allows them to have the wine they made on hand at any given time.
They offer a wide selection of different wines, including reds, whites, blends and fruit blends. Their most popular wine is a blend of Carmenere, Cabernet and Malbec that they make in-house. The red wines get their color from being fermented with the grape skins, while the white wines are fermented without them.
The alcohol content is determined by the sugar content in the grapes. Typically, all of the sugar is fermented out of the wine, leaving it very dry tasting. Individuals who prefer sweeter wines go back after the fermentation process and add sugar.
Some restaurants in the Hot Springs area plan to start selling their product as a house wine, Fale said. A local couple is also in the process of making all the wine for their upcoming wedding themselves. It is a huge leap for the business, and something neither Brunner or Fale saw coming.
"It has grown probably more than what we expected, or even wanted it to. All you really have to sell is your reputation, and we just wanted to have good wine," said Fale.
Patrons can come individually, or in a small group, and start making wine. Two different sizes of barrels are offered, and everything needed from start to finish is supplied at the store. The kits retail for about $160, which produces roughly 30 bottles of wine. The cost of producing an entire 15-gallon barrel, which is roughly 90 bottles of wine, amounts to around $12 to $13 per bottle.
Store hours are Mondays and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., but during the summer months Brunner and Fale take a break from winemaking to enjoy retirement and spend time with their families. They resume business in October, when everything in stock is just about ready to be bottled. It is also when they resume winemaking workshops for the public.
"There is a perception that if you make your own wine, then it isn't going to be any good. We have proved that to be wrong," said Fale.
SundayMonday Business on 06/04/2017