Making wine at home isn't necessarily easy. There's a lot of work
involved, especially in cleaning and sanitizing, but the sense of
accomplishment the winemaker can get from producing 30 bottles of
extremely drinkable white wine for less than $2.00 a bottle cannot be
understated. Although one could theoretically make wine with nothing
more than grapes, a big barrel, and some young maidens to stomp the
grapes, most winemakers find the following equipment necessary to
produce decent wine on a predictable basis:
* a 30-liter or larger food-grade plastic container (similar in shape
to a garbage can) with a non-airtight lid and a mark at the 23-liter
point
* a 23-liter glass or food-grade plastic carboy
* an airlock and bung (rubber stopper with a hole in it) for the carboy
* a hydrometer to check the specific gravity (s.g.) of the wine
* a long, narrow tube or jar to hold the wine while you're checking its
s.g. (generally the tube the hydrometer comes in works fine)
* a dairy thermometer
* a long piece (at least 1.5m or five feet) of food-grade plastic
tubing
* a long spoon that can fit into the neck of the carboy and reach the
bottom
* a wine thief to remove the developing wine from the carboy without
having to tip it
It is essential that any plastic items that are in contact with the
wine be made of food-grade plastic. Regular plastic can and will leach
polymers into the wine, which will give it an odd plasticky taste.
All of these items will last basically forever, and most wine stores
stock a reasonably priced starting kit. If you decide to brew beer as
well, you can use most of this equipment, but you'll need a separate
30-liter plastic container (as the taste of the wine will remain in the
plastic) and you should make sure your carboy is glass.
Making perfect wines & liquors from home is easy.
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