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schneemann · 08-05-2008, 02:09 AM

I'd like to get into making some wine, but I feel in the dark about what, exactly, it takes to make it.

I have the equipment for making beer:
2 6.5 gallon carboys
3 5 gallon carboys
1 bottling bucket

I purchased a 6 gallon carboy upon hearing that I'd need it.

Is there anything else I'd need? I keep seeing all this other stuff like filters and stuff.

k1v1116 · 08-05-2008, 02:17 AM

wine and mead making even more so than beer is as simple or complicated as you want to make it. you can make wine with little more than a garbage can a length of tubing and some old wine bottles and corks, but in addition to the stuff you have I would recommend an hydrometer and a wine thief for taking samples. I would also get a good sanitizer plus some campden tablets, new corks for bottling, maybe a wine clarifier (sparkolloid is my favorite). good ingredients are more important than most equipment though. what kind of wine are you looking to make?

***Yooper*** · 08-05-2008, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schneemann

I'd like to get into making some wine, but I feel in the dark about what, exactly, it takes to make it.

I have the equipment for making beer:
2 6.5 gallon carboys
3 5 gallon carboys
1 bottling bucket

I purchased a 6 gallon carboy upon hearing that I'd need it.

Is there anything else I'd need? I keep seeing all this other stuff like filters and stuff.

I don't filter any of my wines, so I would say you don't need anything like that. I think that in many ways, wine is "easier" than beer. You just need to have more patience!
What are you hoping to make? A wine kit generally has everything you need for 6 gallons of wine (a 6 gallon carboy is really a necessity for that, though) and makes pretty darn good wine. You'd need a corker of some sort (your LHBS may rent them) and that's about it. If you want to make "country wines', check out some of my recipes. I often use a one gallon jug (like a Carlo Rossi wine jug, with a #6 stopper and airlock) to make one gallon batches of different wines. Aside from a few assorted recipe items, you should have everything you need, if you have some racking tubing and a hydrometer.

My favorite winemaking website seems to be down right now, but I'll post a link when it is back up. Winemaking is like anything- it can be simple, or it can be very complex. A simple country wine, though, like my apple juice wine, can be easy and drinkable quickly.

DutchK9 · 08-05-2008, 02:36 AM

Check out this link and scroll down to the how to for wine kit making.

http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=74778

**Yuri_Rage** · 08-05-2008, 02:39 AM

I made my first batch of wine with a one gallon Carlo Rossi jug, a #7 stopper, and an airlock.

schneemann · 08-05-2008, 12:48 PM

Thanks for the responses everyone. It looks like I have everything I need for the most part

**JVD_X** · 08-05-2008, 03:13 PM

You will love making wine... the only suggestion I have is to spend the money and buy the best wines kits you can afford. The least expensive kits produce un-memorable wines... drinkable but only so-so. The more expensive kits make good wines and some come right in the plastic bucket fermenter to be used.

jameswardpeterson · 08-05-2008, 11:17 PM

from what I've seen, you need alot less equipment to make wine. I still only vaguely understand all the steps beer must go though and the equipment you need to use.