Home Wine Making Equipment

Making your own home-made wine is not only a rewarding pastime as you get to savour the results, it can save quite a bit of cash on buying your wine from a store. You should bear in mind though there is going to be an initial outlay first to buy the necessary equipment. There are some pieces of kit that really are essential to enable you even make the wine and secondly to ensure your homebrew is palatable. Trying to skimp on costs by thinking you can do without some essentials is false economy because you are going to end up throwing away undrinkable slop.

So what home winemaking equipment and accessories must you have to make sure your wine turns out every time? Here is a list and a basic explanation of what is does.

Mixing - Fermentation Bucket :

This is a large container for your must / brewing ingredients to be mixed together and to begin the fermentation process. They are made from food grade plastic and are normally complete with a carrying handle and airtight lid. The lid has a hole to allow the fitting of an airlock for gas escape during the fermentation process. Available in a variety of sizes from about five gallons up.

Hydrometer :

Looking rather like a thermometer but with weighted bulbous lower half and a graduated scale down the slimmer top section. It is used to test the specific gravity of your fermenting brew. In simple terms it allows you to determine how your fermentation is progressing by taking readings from the hydrometer's scale. The measurements relate if fermentation has stopped, needs stopping, the alcohol content or whether any adjustments to the liquid are required.

Long Handles Mixing Spoon :

It might sound silly to add a long handles plastic spoon to the list but many people just happen to have a long handles spoon they can keep stealing from the kitchen! Make life easy and get one as they are needed for stirring the deep liquid must in the fermentation bucket.

Airlock :

During the fermentation process a chemical reaction is taking place. This reaction creates carbon dioxide which has to be ventilated away and it is the airlock's function to allow gas to escape. It does this by being partially filled with liquid to form a barrier which lets gas to flow through and away but prevents airborne bacteria penetrating inside. It's the same principle as the 'U' bend on a washbasin or toilet!

Demijohn and Carboy :

They are basically the same thing. Large vessels with a small narrow neck to allow the fitting of a rubber bung. They are used during secondary fermentation process to hold the liquid syphon from the first primary fermentation bucket. Normally made of heavy glass they are available in much lighter plastic however I personally would always favour glass. They are easier to keep sanitized and are less prone to damage than the softer plastic.

Wine Labels, Bottles, Corks and Bottle Brush:

No less essential are these items. Once your wine is brewed you will want to label it and leave for a while to mature. One of the biggest enemies of the winemaker is contamination and it is vital you wash and sanitize bottles before use. Any hint of poor hygiene can destroy all your hard work.

This and other articles you can find from the menu will hopefully provide an insight into the rewarding hobby of winemaking. To discover everything you could wish to know about growing your own grapes or making your own home made wine take a look at my ebook the vinetowineguide. Its 116 pages explain in full detail all about growing grapes and making any wine.