Craft winemaking at home

Making wine at home is an enjoyable hobby that offers even greater personal rewards, like being able to say “I made this” when friends compliment you on the wine you are serving. Many winemakers enter their wines in amateur winemaking competitions. For them, the pride that comes with winning a medal is a great feeling.

If you choose to make the wine yourself at home, you just need to make a small investment in an equipment kit (that can be used over and over). All the instructions needed to make great wine at home are included with the wine kit. Your retailer will help you through all the detail and provide you with support throughout the winemaking process. The process takes only about 2 hours spread over 4 to 8 weeks.

Equipment Kit Contents

A good equipment starter kit will include the following:

• minimum 30 litre primary fermentor (pail) with lid
• 23 litre carboy (glass or plastic)
• bung and airlock
• hydrometer (to check specific gravity)
• test jar
• spoon
• racking tube
• siphon hose (about 6 feet)
• thermometer
• sterilizing solution (sodium or potassium metabisulphite)