As a family owned and operated business, we are committed to helping you and your family keep traditions alive through the generations. Whether meals, rituals, stories, amongst other things; we know how important traditions are. An important tradition amongst families is wine making!
The wine making tradition is an involved process that requires hard work and patience. We bring in a wide variety of wine grapes and juice every year for this custom. We get our grapes from a family farm in California who we have been doing business with for over 35 years! The grower has a specific process too when it comes to picking grapes. Our grower leaves the grapes on the vine to allow the sugar to continue to develop in the fruit. The sugar in the fruit is vital to the alcohol content that will be found in your homemade wine. Once the sugars and quality reach his standards, they begin the harvesting process and the grapes leave California and head for us!
Not all grapes are created equal. While many fruits can be fermented, only grapes contain the perfect balance of sugar, acid, and tannins to consistently produce stable, high-quality wine. The grape variety, or varietal, is one of the most important factors in a wine’s final flavor and character.
- Cabernet Sauvignon: A full-bodied red wine grape known for its dark fruit flavors like black currant and its prominent tannins. It’s the most widely planted wine grape in the world.
- Merlot: A softer, more velvety red wine that matures faster than Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s often blended with other grapes to add a smoother texture.
- Pinot Noir: A delicate and notoriously difficult-to-grow red grape. It produces light-bodied wines with flavors of red cherry and raspberry, and earthy, floral notes.
- Chardonnay: A versatile white grape that can be made in a variety of styles. Its flavor profile can range from crisp and mineral-driven (unoaked) to rich and buttery with notes of vanilla (oaked).
- Sauvignon Blanc: A refreshing white grape known for its vibrant acidity and distinctive herbal, citrus, and sometimes tropical fruit flavors.
If you want to keep up the tradition of homemade wine or start a new family tradition, but need an easier route, we also offer wine juice! We get Italian wine juice as well as juice from California.
We have tons of supplies for your wine making get togethers. From corks to bottles to pressers, we have the crucial tools you need to get your wine making process underway. We sell wine grapes out of our warehouse located in Carol Stream and have some varieties in our Elmwood Park and Addison stores.
Everyone has their traditions down to a science– from the process to the grape combo to what’s added! Let us know how Caputo’s is involved in your family traditions. Comment down below with some of your family traditions or email us at events@caputomarkets.com with pictures and stories!
Feeding Families and Their Traditions from Generation to Generation