Testimonials
A little praise from some of our customers
This product is awesome. I can control the flavor of the oak in each demi . You can make the wine have your own unique flavor. The barrels are to much work, but the WineStix® has it beat. I recommend this product highly, reason is that I win in wine competitions and I like that Gino Pinto has these products for me.
— Frank
Across three vintages now we have being using Peter DeVivi's wonderful Winestix® product. Thanks to Peter's work, gone are the days when oak staves are an inferior product to barrels. Peter's commitment to purchasing the highest quality wood leads to a product that is uniform and consistent in quality. We've also found it to be indistinguishable from oak barrel aging in tasting trials. Indeed, a comment we received from a professional tasting panel regarding our 2012 Cabernet Franc was "good oak integration." Using Winestix® has saved us thousands of dollars on purchasing and maintaining oak barrels. We will continue to use Winestix® across our portfolio and are grateful for the cost savings these products allows us while maintaining high quality standards. Conner Galliger, Winemaker Song Hill Winery, Finger Lakes New York.
— Conner Galliger
I have been both experimenting with and producing estate vinifera wines with WineStix® over the past 3 years with exciting results. Of particular interest was a 2012 Pinot Noir trial in which 4 wines were produced using French oak Carboy sticks in the light, medium, medium plus and dark toasts. After 12 months, each toast was distinctively different in its offering, The light toast added very delicate tannins and structure while enhancing the fruit. Medium and medium plus toasts were well suited for mid palate structure while the dark toast had well integrated roasted and toasted aromas with nice dark fruit flavors that persisted through the finish. Favorable results have also been achieved using WineStix® segments during primary fermentation. I really enjoy the flexible convenience of creating custom blends of toasts and species with a well engineered product. WineStix® customer service is second to none.
— Justin Paolicelli, Winemaker 3-Brothers Winery, Finger Lakes, New York
I have worked with several oak alternative products over the years but now use WineStix® exclusively. I feel the unique design helps deliver more integrated flavor and mouth feel. WineStix® have become an integral component of our Chardonnay and all of our dry reds.
— Shawn Kime, Winemaker at Thirsty Owl
I essentially can produce wines with flextanks and Wine Stix® that are indistinguishable to wines made with cooperage at a substantial cost savings." He went on to say " Amortizing the flextanks for five years (as that is how we do it, knowing they last longer that that) and using Wine Stix® Oak cost less that $1.00 per gallon of wine. Buying a good French Oak barrel amortized 5 years costs $5.00 per gallon (knowing they last longer) makes it a no-brainer for me.
— Dave Breeden, Winemaker Sheldrake Point Winery Finger Lakes, New York Winemaker of the Year Back to Back Winery of the Year
We started to really use WineStix® extensively this past vintage (2013), and we were quickly converted. Red and white wines treated with WineStix® compared very favorably with wines that were aged or fermented in barrels, and at a fraction of the cost and turnaround time. Additionally, we’ve found that WineStix® suit our appetite for experimentation very effectively, allowing us to try a myriad of different oak treatment techniques and combinations, while keeping the economics of these experiments very attractive. Traditional cooperage will always have a role in the wine world, but with a product like WineStix® available, its role in our winery is quickly becoming a predominantly aesthetic one.
— Phil Plummer Winemaker, Montezuma Winery and Idol Ridge Winery
I have used Winestix® oak in many different applications of wine making, as well as different oak species and toast levels. Each and every time, I have been very pleased in the over all quality of the end product after using Winestix®. They have continuously added great depth and complexity to the mouth feel and great aromas and flavors to the wines made. I have and will continue to include Winestix® as part of my production of future vintages".
— Darren Bowker Winemaker Serenity Vineyard
I've been using Winestix® for the past year on 20 different carboys. In the past I used med and heavy toast. I just stocked up on a bunch of med toast Winestix®. This is a great product. In the past I was using the used stix for smoking on my grill but in the future I am going to follow Winestix instructions for second time use and use them on wines I want lightly oaked.
— Dan Wolfe
Last year was the first year trying your WineStix® and they were great!! Left them in for 6 months, thinking I needed to maximize the oak flavors and we got great oak taste. Thanks and we’ll be buying more this season – my friend was impressed as well!
— Mark
Got my Winestix®, med toast for the carboys, man these smell great..nice product!! Thank you.
— Bill Surrette
I've used WineStix® for 2 years, trying all toast levels and finding noticeable difference in each providing options for blending. The WineStix® are easy to use in carboys, and especially easy to remove when necessary. Easy to adjust oak levels as exposure is next to barrel aging, slow and subtle. Great product!
— Sam Chiodo