Wine ‘n Suds nominated for the Excellence in Innovation award Terrace

Robert Broome, owner of Wine n Suds is an expert when it comes to explaining the complexities and subtleties of wine and its flavor. Simply put, wine gets its flavor from three different places: the grape itself, the climate where the grapes are grown and the winemaking process.

To further decant the chemistry of wine flavor much research has focused on the role of acids, tannins and sugars. This is where Robert’s innovation flourishes as he is always trying new and different recipes. Take for instance his award-winning port; begin with a ruby port add chocolate half way through the fermentation process and then finish it off with a hint of blueberry. Or perhaps his light and refreshing wheat beer with coriander and orange zest will tempt any palette. This type of creativity and forward thinking has built a company that focuses on new ideas, quality, price and convenience.

An avid fisherman, Robert has a great love and respect for the river and the environment. He has made it a priority to utilize an eco-friendly sanitizer in his production process rather than the standard chlorine, sulphur or iodine-based sanitizers. The product is called Bioxy S and it generates peracetic acid, organic peroxide in water. At the end of the day the active ingredients will break down into water, oxygen and vinegar. Now that’s a simple and practical tip for a healthier and greener sanitation process.

Between the recipes and the sanitation falls the innovation in the brew process itself. It happens in a temperature-controlled room, with proper airflow in and out and the yeast is always kept in the dark.

As with most small business, ongoing challenges are a factor. As Robert says, ‘Owning your own business is great – you are your own boss but you might be the worst one you ever had’. With an 85% overhead, the ongoing costs of running this type of business is a tough reality with slim profit margins. This means that he’s got to sell, sell, sell and in this region the population size is just large enough to sustain one brew shop.

Passion, dedication and excellent customer service are all synonymous with Wine n Suds. For an investment of one and a quarter hours on the customer’s part plus a six to ten week period for the brew process, it really is worth the wait for gold.