Home Wine Making Equipment

You are encouraged to get a few necessary pieces of wine making equipment that will make homemade wine making easier.

As you become more obsessed with wine making, you will want to get additional pieces of equipment to really simplify the process and make it quicker to complete certain steps.

After you have reviewed this list and made sure you have the wine making equipment necessary, we will go to the "How To" step by step instructions for homemade wine making.

Below are listed the "Must" haves and a "Wish" list.

Must Haves:

Primary Fermenter – 26 Litre (7US gallon) plastic pail with a tight fitting lid that has a hole in the center. Used to make and ferment the wine "must".

Secondary Fermenter (Carboy) - 23 Litre (6 US gallon) glass carboy. Used in wine making for clearing the wine after fermentation.

Air Lock – fits in the hole in the lid of primary fermenter. The airlock is filled with water to let the natural gases escape your wine and keep any outside contaminants from entering your “must”.

Rubber Bung – has a hole in the center of it for the air lock and fits into the mouth of the glass carboy. These come is various sizes so be sure it fits the mouth of your carboy snugly.

Long Handle Spoon – plastic about 2 feet long, has a paddle looking end with holes in it. Stirring your wine allows air bubbles to escape so homemade wine may clear properly.

Siphon Hose and Clip – clear plastic hose 3/8” diameter about 5 ft long. Siphon is used in wine making to transfer wine from one fermenter to another, then to transfer wine into bottles. Clip holds siphon in place – attaches to carboy.

Potassium Metabisulfite" – used to sanitize all your utensils. The sulfite acts as an anti-oxidant when making wine, preserves the color of your wine, and encourages development of esters that give wine a smooth flavor. Dissolve ½ tsp in a quart of water. You can save this and reuse again. Keep it in a tightly sealed container.

Hydrometer and Test Jar – 10” or 12" with 3 scales is sufficient. Critical piece of wine making equipment used to check Specific Gravity (SG) of your wine as it ferments. As homemade wine reaches certain SG you can proceed to next step. Learn about using a hydrometer here.

Acid Test Kit - used when making fresh fruit wines. Used to test the acid levels for fruits.

Wine Thief (or a Turkey Baster) – You will be glad you add this to your list of wine making equipment. It is invaluable when checking specific gravity of your wine. Draws wine out of carboy into test jar to take hydrometer reading.

Wine Bottles and Corks – for a 5 gallon batch of wine you will usually take 24-25 750ml bottles and corks. Bottles are sold in dozens or just save some used bottles and be sure to clean and sanitize thoroughly. Have a few extra corks on hand in case you break one.

Green Bottles – for red wines (they are light sensitive)
Clear Bottles – for white and blush wines

40# Monofiliment line 10” long – inserted in bottle prior when corking to allow air to be released from bottle.

If making fruit wine, you will also need:

Nylon Straining Bag - used to contain fresh fruit in your primary fermenter.

Acid Testing Kit - used to test fruit for acid content so that proper amount of acid blend can be added.

Wish List:

As you progress, you will want some additional wine making equipment. These will make your homemade wine making more proficient.

Wine Corker – a hand held wine corker will work but a floor model wine corker is really ideal. It holds the bottle in place for cork insertion.

Bottle Filler – about 18 inches long attaches to siphon hose with a tension tip. Press down and wine fills bottle. Release and it stops flow, allowing you to move to next bottle. Disperses exact amount of wine into bottle. This piece of wine making equipment should really be in the list of must haves but you can work around it.

Bottle Washer and Bottle Rinser – not necessary but nice to have.

Ready to get your “wine making starter kit”? We have a 1 gallon or 5 gallon kit for you here. They include the necessary basics for you to get making your own wine.