Winemaking is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can venture into.  As hobbies go, winemaking is a relatively inexpensive and very rewarding.  A home winemaker can produce wines that are regarded as much better than commercial wines.  As a winemaker, you will reap great rewards from making your first batch and every batch thereafter.  All you need is some basic equipment and an understanding of some key factors you should be aware from the start of the process that will carry through to the final product.

Key Factors:

1- Sanitize everything that will touch your wine

2- Ferment at relatively stable temperatures

3- Keep air out

4- Keep out of sunlight

5- Store in cool dark place

6- Patience is the most important ingredient in winemaking

Basic Equipment for making a six gallon batch of wine:

The purchase of the Vintners Best Equipment Kit is a great way to begin.  This kit contains: a 7.9 gallon primary fermenting bucket with a lid (equipped with a hole for an air-lock, that is included in the kit).  A six gallon glass carboy (bottle), a 5' length of siphon hose, bottle filler, racking cane, hose clamp, bottle brush (for cleaning bottles), sanitizer, air-lock, hydrometer (to measure specific gravity, or suspended sugar content), rubber stopper (for inserting into carboy with attached air-lock), and a bag of 30 count first quality corks for your first batch of wine. You will need a long plastic spoon for stirring your, wine which we carry.  As with any hobby, there are other equipment available that augments ease or quality of your hobby.

Additional equipment you will need approximately 30 days after starting your first batch of wine is about 30 wine bottles.  You can recycle wine bottles or select from a variety of bottles we normally stock. You will also need a corker.  They are available in various hand styles and quality as well as floor models.  If you are confident that you will continue with your hobby as a winemaker, an economical floor corker is available and highly recommended.

Wine Concentrates:

There are a wide variety of wines for you to select from.  They range in price and quality; however, no matter what variety or quality level you choose, you will make a wonderful wine that will provide for you endless hours of enjoyment and discussions with your family and friends.

The concentrates are sold in 7.5 liters kits, 15 liters, and 16 liters kits as well.  Each level increases in price and quality.  Most of the concentrates are from vineyards in California.  There is also an International Selection Series that come from vineyards in Italy, France, Australia, Chili, Germany and elsewhere.  All of these kits typically yield six gallons of wine; however, there are a few select wine kits that yield 3 gallons of wine.  These are Port, Sherry, Ice wine, and Late Harvest Vidal.  Please see the wines section for all available products, including a variety of fruit concentrates for you country wine making.

Getting Started:

As with anything, the time spent preparing is worth its weight in gold.  This holds especially true for winemaking.  Even more importantly, proper preparation will prevent error and spoilage.

There are some important things to remember to make quality wines.  First and most important is sanitizing everything that will touch your wine.  A good way to begin is to sanitize your work area.  Wash your countertop or table with Clorox and water or a solution of sanitizer, rinse twice and let air dry.  This will give you an area where you can lay down your equipment.

SANITIZING - Take one tablespoon of One-Step sanitizer and put into the bottom of your primary fermenting bucket.  Add one gallon of warm tap water and stir with your long handle plastic or stainless steel spoon.  Once the sanitizer is dissolved, take a clean washcloth and thoroughly wash the entire inside surface and rim of your bucket several times.  Sanitize your spoon from top to bottom also.  Contact time for proper sanitizing with One-Step is approximately 30 seconds.  Keep this in mind while sanitizing your equipment.  Next sanitize your lid, especially the underside that may come in contact with the wine.  You may place this on that sanitized countertop or table, topside faced down.  Insert your hydrometer and air-lock at this time and let soak for 30 seconds or so.  Take out and let drip into the bucket, then place on sanitized surface top or on your lid.  Give one more swipe inside the bucket with washcloth and solution.  Pour out the sanitizing solution and keep some in a dark container to utilize for checking your  SG readings during the first week.   Let sanitizing solution drip out well into sink.  You can now place upside-down on you sanitized surface top as well.

Stage  One

Open your wine kit and read through the direction once over.  This will give you an idea of what will be expected.   Your wine kit will contain everything you need to make the batch.  Identify all packets included.   Set aside packets marked #2, #3, #4, and smaller foil package if your kit included one.  NOTE: IF YOUR BUCKET DOES NOT HAVE A 6 U.S. GALLON MARK ON IT, FILL IT WITH 6 GALLONS OF TAP WATER AND MARK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUCKET ALL AROUND THE BUCKET WITH PERMANENT MARKER, THEN POUR OUT.

 Always use good quality tap water or preferably spring water to make your wine.  Should you choose to use tap water, make sure your water does not contain high levels of iron or chlorine, or your wine may not taste very good.  Do not use distilled water because all of the minerals have been stripped out and these minerals are good for you and your wine.  If you purchased a 7.5 liter of concentrate kit, you will need approximately 4 gallons of room temperature water.  If your kit has 15 or 16 liters of concentrate, you will need approximately 2 gallons of room temperature water.

1]     Take approximately half a gallon of water and pour into your now sanitized bucket.  Open packet #1 carefully.  While stirring the water in the bucket, slowly sprinkle the contents of packet #1 into the water.  This is  Bentonite, which is a clearing agent.  Bentonite attracts positively charged particles and will eliminate haze or cloudy wine.  Continue stirring until completely dissolved and no lumps are evident.  

2]     With the foil bag contained in the box kit, give it a shake.  Carefully remove the cap on the large foil bag, and pour the concentrate into the Bentonite solution in your bucket.  Be careful not to splash it onto yourself.  Refill the now empty foil bag and fill with approximately half a gallon of your water, cap and shake.  You want to get all of the goodness out.  Pour this out into the bucket.  Repeat if necessary.  Now fill your bucket with water all the way up to the 6 gallon mark.  Stir the must (that's what this is now called) vigorously for a few minutes.  This is the only time during your winemaking that you want to aerate you wine.  The yeast you will be adding momentarily will really like this.  So stirrrrrr well.

3]     Take a hydrometer reading now.  Insert your hydrometer and let it float.  Give it a spin, so you ensure it reads  accurately and there are no air bubbles sticking to it affecting its reading.  Read the specific gravity (SG) and write it down.  This is your original or starting SG reading.  Check your instructions for the correct SG range for your particular kit.  You should be there.  Take a temperature reading at this time as well.  You want to ensure your must temperature is between 65-75 deg. F for red wines, and between 60-70 deg F for white wines.  These are ideal temperatures; however, your wine should still ferment without any problem unless the temperature goes below 60 deg F or above 78 deg F.  In which case you may get a stuck  fermentation due to the yeasts inability to work.  These are just guidelines for the temperatures.  In actuality, yeast strains vary and may act differently under various conditions.  More important than the actual temperature during fermentation, is that your temperature remains relatively constant.  Fluctuating temperatures does more harm than  a 2 or 3 degree variation in overall fermentation temperature.

4]     Add any oak or elderflowers that might have come with your kit at this point.  Give a light stir to ensure saturation.  Pitch the entire packet of yeast.  Give another light stir.  Put the lid on the bucket with the air-lock inserted into the hole.  Once the lid is on tightly, place bucket on a table or shelf at least 3 feet off the ground.  This will ensure you are in a ready position to siphon when the time comes.  Fill the air-lock half way with water.

In 24 to 48 hours, you should see bubbling activity in the air-lock.  This will continue for 3 to 5 days.  The yeast feeds on the sugar and nutrients and converts it to alcohol and Carbon dioxide (Co₂).  The alcohol stays in the wine and the Co₂ blows out of the air-lock.  Thus displacing the air and protecting your wine from oxidation.  When the bubbling slows substantially, (on or about the 5th day), sanitize your hydrometer and take a second reading.  Your instructions will guide you on what the reading should be (usually 1.01 or less).  If your must is on target, sanitize your 6 gallon carboy, siphon hose, rubber stopper, air-lock and racking cane, just like you did on day one with the bucket and other equipment.  Once again, let carboy drip dry and place on floor in front of your table.  You are now ready to siphon.

Stage Two

SIPHONING - Siphoning (sometimes called racking or transferring) works by gravity.  There are several ways to siphon.  The first way is to insert the hose onto to bent end of your racking cane and insert into the bucket, being careful not to touch the bottom.  Suck the opposite end of the hose and watch the wine flow down the tube.  If you hold the tube end above the liquid line of your bucket, you will stop the flow.  You can do this to maintain control.  When ready, quickly insert hose into bottom of the carboy.  You want to rack silently (no splashing).  The racking cane can now slowly be lowered to the bottom of the bucket.  The racking cane is equipped with a cap on the straight end therefore; the lees (sediment on the bottom of the bucket) will not be siphoned into your carboy.  The second way to siphon is to completely fill the racking cane and hose with water.  With your clean finger on the hose end, insert the racking cane into the bucket and lower the hose end below the liquid level line.  Let the water spill out into a container then raise the hose end up to stop flow.  You can now insert hose down into the bottom of the carboy and transfer the wine.  Lastly, you can purchase the Auto Siphon and use it.  Insert the Auto Siphon mid-way into your carboy.  With the hose on the bottom of your carboy, give one pump and the wine will flow.  This works really well and is one of the best additional pieces of equipment you can use to simplify racking.  

Put your rubber stopper with air-lock on the carboy.  Fill the air-lock half way with water.  Place on the table or shelf and let sit for 10 - 12 days.  You probably have some air space at the top of your carboy, because you left the lees behind and lost some volume.  That's OK at this stage.  Your wine will continue to ferment for several days more, and the Co₂ will push out the air once again, and your wine will be fine.  You will now take another SG reading with your sanitized hydrometer.  Refer to your directions once again for the preferred SG reading (usually .998 or less).  If you have met the desired reading, it is now time to move onto stage 3.  Stabilizing and clarifying.  

Stage Three

Stabilizing and Clearing - Locate packets #2, #3, #4 and F-pack (if provided with your kit).  Packet #2 is usually potassium sorbate.  Potassium sorbate is a yeast killer.  It will stop fermentation.  Packet #3 is usually sodium metabisulphite.  Sodium metabisulphite is a preservative.  This is necessary to make your wine last long enough to let your wine age without spoiling.  Packet #4 is usually chiosan.  Chiosan is a clarifier.  This will help your wine turn crystal clear.  

Your wine looks relatively clear and there will be noticeable lees on the bottom of the carboy.  There are two schools of thought.  If you rack first, you will need to either rack into a clean and sanitized carboy then proceed with the following step. or just proceed to the following step.   Racking first then proceeding will require additional topping of the carboy.

In a half cup of warm water, empty packets 1 and 2 into cup.  stir to dilute.  Add this mixture to your carboy and stir for 2-3 minutes.  Your wine will probably foam a bit.  At this stage it is critical that you drive off suspended Co₂.  Next add packet 4 and stir for another 2 minutes.  If your kit came with an F-pack, remove enough wine from the carboy into a sanitized bottle to ensure there is enough room to add the F-pack.  Add to carboy.  Top with the wine you removed if needed.  Stir again.  Still driving out the Co₂.  Your wine will need to be topped at this stage.  Topping with a similar wine is a good way.  If there is not much air space, you can top with some additional water.  If you need to add too much water, try this instead.  Get glass marbles and sanitize them.  You can drop the sanitized marbles into the carboy to take up the additional volume.  This works really well.  Now just let your wine sit for 3 weeks.  

It will now be beautifully clear and time to bottle.

Stage Four

Bottling - Begin by sanitizing all of your bottles, tubing, racking cane, and bottle valve.  A bottle tree will come in handy to let your bottles drip.  Use a mixture of sanitizing solution in a spray bottle and spray down your bottle tree to ensure you maintain sanitary conditions.  Insert your sanitized racking cane with hose attached, into your carboy, the same as before.  Begin siphoning.  When wine begins to flow, raise the hose above the liquid line in your carboy.  Now attach your sanitized bottle valve.  Fill each bottle and cork.  Depending on the wine you made, you will want to age it after bottling at least 1 month and 5 to 6 months for 15 and 16 liter reds.  You will quickly learn patients is the hardest part of winemaking.  Drink no wine before its' time.

Stage Five

enjoy it - Drink and share with your family and friends.  There is nothing like getting compliments on the wines you make.  And believe me, you will.  Salute'!  Start thinking about what wine you want to make next.  

Remember, you can make wine all year round and you should plan ahead for different seasons and special events and occasions.