| Making wine at home can be a more enjoyable | | | | mark at the 23-liter point |
| task than you think, especially with the home | | | | · · A 23-liter glass or food-grade plastic |
| winemaking equipment kits available today. Many | | | | carboy |
| times you could already have some of the | | | | · · An airlock and bung (a rubber |
| equipment necessary. There are many beer and | | | | stopper with a hole in it) for the carboy |
| wine making stores popping up in most areas, so | | | | · · A hydrometer to check the specific |
| a quick searchin the yellow pages will find you the | | | | gravity referred to as 'sp. gr.' of the wine |
| winemaking equipment store nearest you. You | | | | · · A long, narrow tube or jar to hold |
| can purchase a winemaking kit to go with your | | | | the wine while you're checking its specific gravity |
| wine equipment kit from these stores and then all | | | | (generally the tube the hydrometer comes in |
| you will need are the bottles and the time it takes | | | | works fine) |
| to be ready. Sounds good! | | | | · · A dairy thermometer |
| To find out what you will need to make your | | | | · · A long piece (at least 1.5m or five |
| wine at home, if you take a look on the Internet, | | | | feet) of food-grade plastic tubing |
| you should be able to see what is contained in a | | | | · · A long spoon that can fit into the |
| home wine making equipment kit. After you get | | | | neck of the carboy and reach to the bottom |
| your list of what is in the wine making equipment | | | | · · A wine thief to remove the |
| kit, check through your cupboards, you may have | | | | developing wine from the carboy without having |
| some of the items on the list already. Remember, | | | | to tip it |
| anything plastic you use must be food safe | | | | You will also need apart from the grape juice or |
| quality, that's very important. Often times it is | | | | whatever you have chosen to make you wine |
| better to purchase the full wine making equipment | | | | with the following: |
| kit so that whatever you need to use to make | | | | · · Good quality water, this normally |
| your wine at home, will be used for your wine | | | | means filtered water, not the chlorinated water |
| making and that alone. | | | | from many town water supplies. |
| Wherever you purchase your wine making | | | | · · Wine Yeast, this is best tailored for |
| equipment, ask if there is a recipe book that | | | | the type of wine you want to produce, use bread |
| comes with the kit, the store owner for good will, | | | | yeast only if you can't get the wine yeast. The |
| may just give you one to get you started, never | | | | results with bread yeast are generally not as |
| hurts to enquire, but if not then find out if they | | | | good. |
| can recommend a good one to you. You could | | | | · · A wine 'settler', you can use sterilized |
| end up with many wine recipe books over a | | | | bentonite or isinglass and they should be readily |
| period of time, they are very much like | | | | available from the winemaking stores. |
| cookbooks, there is always a better recipe in the | | | | · · Potassium sorbate, to stop |
| book on the shelf, there is that old saying about | | | | fermentation, you can get this also at the |
| green grass. When you are starting out with your | | | | winemaking supply store. |
| winemaking, then these wine making recipe books | | | | · · Bottles and corks |
| will never go to waste. You will get into your way | | | | · · Campden tablets, these are used to |
| of making your own wine. | | | | help kill all the naturally occurring wild yeasts and |
| Here is a list of home wine making equipment you | | | | undesirable bacteria in must, but they can also be |
| will need. | | | | used to make a sanitizing solution. |
| · · A 30-liter or larger food-grade plastic | | | | Winemaking can be such a satisifying experience, |
| container (similar in shape to a garbage can|like a | | | | get your winemaking equipment together and get |
| plastic garbage can) with a non-airtight lid and a | | | | going. |