Wine Not International FAQ's

Each Wine Not International franchise is a fully operational winery equipped with our exclusive, state-of-the-art winery systems. We make exceptional wines continually throughout the year using the finest ingredients with far less cost, time and risk than traditional wineries. "We are full service wineries without the cost and uncertainty of a vineyard."

A Wine Not International Custom Winery estimated initial investment starts at approximately $150,000. A Wine Not International with Bistro estimated initial investment starts at $340,000.

Part of what makes Wine Not such an exciting business opportunity is that acquiring a Wine Not franchise is like entering into a partnership agreement. The success of a franchise operation depends on the skills, experience, know-how and ability of both parties. With your enthusiasm and ambition and our proven management system and world-class products, we make an unbeatable business team. Unfortunately, as in any other business venture, there are no guarantees. Your success and profitability will depend on your commitment, your location, your business sense and retail abilities combined with the market conditions. Investing in a Wine Not franchise is an attractive alternative to starting your own independent business. It gives you the freedom to exercise your skills and abilities in the running of your own business while reducing much of the risk involved.

The initial term is ten years, after which the agreement may be renewed. Renewal is subject to the approval of Head Office, current franchise terms and conditions, and renewal fees.

The royalty fees are five percent of your gross monthly sales, the lowest in the industry, and are exclusive of any sales tax.

No experience is necessary but an appreciation of wine is beneficial. Wine Not International has a full training program for our franchisees.

All aspects of wine making and the art of producing the best tasting wines possible, is integral to our education program. Our trainers will guide you through all aspects of wine making, tasting, customer service, marketing, purchasing procedures, inventory control and day-to-day operational procedures during an intensive training program. After graduating from the first phase of training, we will provide you with the Wine Not International confidential Operations Manual detailing all that you have learned. Phase two of training takes place at your winery. This segment of instruction utilizes your winery systems and equipment and is conducted by the manufacturer’s representative. You are taken through a complete venting cycle referencing your phase one wine making education. You will learn the critical wine making procedure required to produce high quality wines every time. Our team of experts will provide on-going support to ensure the success of your business.

To facilitate those who may require outside financing opening their franchise, we will guide you to an independent business consultant who prepares your business plan for submission to the Small Business Administration (SBA) plan authorized by the Federal government. Further, Wine Not can assist in securing a lease for the tank system. We recognize every franchisee has different financing needs and each application is customized to reflect individual requirements.

Yes! Your exclusive territory is dependent on the demographics of the area you choose to operate in. We are available to assist you in locating a site for your winery that will provide the best demographics and profitability. And our professional staff is also available to assist in the lease negociation and to aid in the preliminary layout and design. But inevitably the final decision is yours. You also have the ability to open multiple units and smaller wine boutiques (where law allows).

Fabulous! Wine Not International wines command a selling price of $14-$25 USD a bottle. Since it’s made from the best international juices sourced by one of the largest winery companies in the world, the wine is of the highest quality.

A Wine Not International franchise has access to over 225 brands including the extremely popular fruit wines, ports and ice wines.

Assuming full production, a typical Wine Not International Custom Winery will make approximately 45,000 bottles of wine per year. The largest Wine Not International system in one of our Bistro wineries can produce 429,000 bottles of wine at full production.

Depending on construction, it will normally take 6 months to open your winery.

No. Every state has individual laws and requirements unique to them but usually they only require a simple application and reasonable amount of processing time (roughly 2-6 weeks).

Yes! With our unique program, we can ship aged wine for immediate retail sales, where applicable.

You will have total support via our Help Line Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 5:00 (Eastern Time). Our franchise liaison is also available to assist you.

No. We have sourced the finest suppliers of juices, equipment and other supplies. You order everything you need from our approved suppliers through our order desk and receive "economy of scale" pricing. This saves you both time and money.

The ideal size is for a Wine Not International is 1,500 – 3,000 square feet. A Wine Not International with Bistro requires 2,500 - 4,000 square feet.

Wine Not International is the pioneer of this new and exciting industry. Our winery systems (tank system) and equipment are manufactured by engineers using only the highest quality materials and craftsmanship. Our tanks are built to last fifty years, providing the opportunity to amortize your winery system over a long period of time. The system also comes with a guarantee and the peace of mind that comes with knowing the professionals who manufacture the equipment are also available to train and support you.

No, all parts are included which means you do not have to order individually, saving you time and money. A partial list of equipment includes:
Insulated fermentation tanks that are built to run complete wine cycles all year long, temperature control system, glycol chiller and piping, water filtration system, degassing equipment, pump, complete transfer and filtration system, all hoses, connections, fittings, cleaning chemicals and more. As well, on site installation and training are included. Our certified technical coordinator will travel to your winery over three trips to install the system and train you and your staff on how to make quality wine using your tank system.

Our all inclusive wine systems are customizable. We have 275 L, 550 L, and 1,100 L capacity systems that are available in any combination of five different packages. We work with you to determine what your projected output of wine will be and help you choose the package that is right for you and your winery.

Wine Not International has worked with our juice manufacturers to develop raw materials that work specifically with our winery system, ensuring the best possible wine made in the most cost effective and efficient way in the industry. In addition, Wine Not International is proud to be the only franchisor that can offer drum packaging of our juices. Bulk packaging means better juice pricing, lower shipping costs, and huge time savings at the start of the fermentation process.

Wine Not will supply you with our exclusive “Wine Management System” (WMS) customized computer software. This unique program is designed to assist you in day-to-day management, customer point of sale, inventory purchasing, tracking and control, tax calculations, customer history and winery production information as required by federal and state authorities.

Wine Not was established in 1993 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the clear intention of providing consumers with the highest quality product, service and skill possible to make the wine making experience simple, fun and affordable. Since that time Wine Not has specialized in franchising wineries in North America, producing consistently superior wines that have made us one of the leaders in the industry.