Start up costs

So I'm making my first batch of wine soon at a hobby shop. But if I wanted to start at home, how much would equipment cost? My experience is this: I've brewed one batch of Kombucha lol. So, I have no experience really should I just pay the money to do it at a shop? Or start on my own?

Also I'd love to know the best brands of Reisling before I brew!

summersbluepits said:

So I'm making my first batch of wine soon at a hobby shop. But if I wanted to start at home, how much would equipment cost? My experience is this: I've brewed one batch of Kombucha lol. So, I have no experience really should I just pay the money to do it at a shop? Or start on my own?

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The thing about wine making is you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. If I were to go out and buy all of the things I feel are necessary it would be a few hundred dollars...but the bare necessities are under 100 at a lhbs.

The beauty of wine making is it's a hobby that is frequently started and dropped so the used market is flooded with equipment.

The bare minimum basics for wine are not that different then they are for beer:
A Fermentation bucket with lid and airlock
A secondary container (carboy) with stopper and airlock
A spoon
A hydrometer
A test jar for the hydrometer
A Corker
Corks
A syphon tube
Sanitizer and cleaning solutions

Additional equipment is more helpful than required:
An Auto syphon
Bottling bucket and bottling wand
A nicer corker/bench corker (If you end up doing large/many batches, this is really helpful)

The carboy is the most expensive part of this (except, maybe the optional bench corker). If you decide to go with country/fruit wines, then you will need a collection of additives, which ones depends on the recipe and fruit you are using.

Don't forget pH meter. so2 tester and acid tester. Not a cheap hobby by any means!

that basic equipment looks about right. I bought my kit used for I think $50 off CL. Had to pick it up. It had a bucket, a carboy, stoppers, hydrometer, corker, syphon tube and that was about it. - might hav ebeen some things like sanatizer or something. Anyhow if you just do kits, that is about all you will need and should be able to get it for <100 either at LHBS or IHBS, or Creaiglist. IF you start doing your own from scratch, then you might need more equipment. - oh and empty bottles, try your friends.

My wife like the green apple reisling by Island mist.

Sammyk said:

Don't forget pH meter. so2 tester and acid tester. Not a cheap hobby by any means!

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But, those pieces are not immediate requirements, and actually not needed if you make kits.
Many people make wine and never use them, plus you can use a $15-20 pH meter (like that used in hydroponics, pool testing)--I have used my eBay cheapo since I started in 2010 with no issues. The acid test kit is $6-10, and it costs about $5 to replace the reagents. I really should add the SO2 test kit this year, it is time. What I REALLY want is a refractometer so I can easily determine the Brix of fruits/juices & that is $25-35.

Sammyk said:

Don't forget pH meter. so2 tester and acid tester. Not a cheap hobby by any means!

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Even all those are pretty inexpensive...I'd say all in all wine making is a really cheap hobby.

Of course the others are right, if you make kits you don't need the extras. Although one kit I did I wished I had the extras.

I make mostly fresh fruit recipes and a few kits like the mist type kits and some ports.

SO2 is important so you will know if you have enough kmeta for storage and those are very expensive.

Most will come out to around $3.00 a bottle and you cannot buy a decent wine for that amount.
I make wine during my slow time in my business as a way to pass time.

Does anyone make organic wine here?

I get a headache from read wine but am told that making my own would solve that. I love the flavor.

summersbluepits said:

Does anyone make organic wine here?

I get a headache from read wine but am told that making my own would solve that. I love the flavor.

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To what exactly are you attributing your red wine headache from? Some people have triggers from sulfites, tannins, tyramine, histamines, prostaglandins, etc.

I don't know

summersbluepits said:

Does anyone make organic wine here?

I get a headache from read wine but am told that making my own would solve that. I love the flavor.

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Your symptom could be consumption related!

Find a light body red like a Pinot Noir and see if you get the same headache.

Inner10 said:

Even all those are pretty inexpensive...I'd say all in all wine making is a really cheap hobby.

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I heard a guy talking about beer making and he said a similar thing. "Look if you have a hobby, beer making is good, because atleast you don't have to buy any when you are done. You do golf, the equipment might be the same price or hire, and greens fees might be comperable to ingredients - or higher, but when you finish, you have a beer and when golfing pay for it at the 19th hole"

Same thing for wine, when you are done, you actually have something left over to use/drink.

saramc said:

To what exactly are you attributing your red wine headache from? Some people have triggers from sulfites, tannins, tyramine, histamines, prostaglandins, etc.

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Well a good test on the sulfites is to find other foods that contain them - usually dried fruit - and see if you still have the problems after that. I supose histamines are causing a sinus presure which could be controled with otc allergy meds and then see if that helps or not.

After figuring out what is the most likely cause perhaps methods of mitigating it can be found.

Oh what about white wine, does white wine cause headaches? (this also helps rule out sulfites, and points towards tannins since whites have less tannins).

In the summer, I make organic wines from the fruits in my yard. I drink all my wine young, as soon as they clear. It is bottled and put in the wine refrigerator. I try to have them timed to come out of the secondary as soon as we drink the previous five gallons. I am by no means a conniseur. I like nice fruit juice with a punch. These folks are exceptional at what they do. I am mediocre at best, but I have never had a complaint, that I can remember....and sometimes I get a headache when my timing isn't right and my wine isn't as clear as it should be!!!

Do they taste hot? could be fusel alcohols.

I stumbled across this thread because I've been brewing beer for a while and some friends of mine who are bigger wine drinkers than beer drinkers were demanding I start making wine. I like wine too, so I've been considering it. I have buckets, carboys, tubing, auto siphon, bottling bucket and wand, hydrometer, and pretty much all the standard brewing stuff. So basically I'd need a corker, bottles, and a kit?

MzAnnie said:

In the summer, I make organic wines from the fruits in my yard. I drink all my wine young, as soon as they clear. It is bottled and put in the wine refrigerator. I try to have them timed to come out of the secondary as soon as we drink the previous five gallons. I am by no means a conniseur. I like nice fruit juice with a punch. These folks are exceptional at what they do. I am mediocre at best, but I have never had a complaint, that I can remember....and sometimes I get a headache when my timing isn't right and my wine isn't as clear as it should be!!!

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I kind of mispoke on this, my wines are not totally organic because I use regular cane sure, not organic. Sorry, I should have said, quasi-organic.

bds3 said:

I stumbled across this thread because I've been brewing beer for a while and some friends of mine who are bigger wine drinkers than beer drinkers were demanding I start making wine. I like wine too, so I've been considering it. I have buckets, carboys, tubing, auto siphon, bottling bucket and wand, hydrometer, and pretty much all the standard brewing stuff. So basically I'd need a corker, bottles, and a kit?

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Yup, unless you just want to put it in beer bottles and cap em.

bds3 said:

I stumbled across this thread because I've been brewing beer for a while and some friends of mine who are bigger wine drinkers than beer drinkers were demanding I start making wine. I like wine too, so I've been considering it. I have buckets, carboys, tubing, auto siphon, bottling bucket and wand, hydrometer, and pretty much all the standard brewing stuff. So basically I'd need a corker, bottles, and a kit?

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yeah basically, although as Inner said, you can put them in bottles and cap - although that depends on the # of bottles you have for beer and wine. I have both. I got most of my bottles by saying "hey save me some" ...

The only catch with wine kits is they come in 2 sizes 6 gal and 3 gal. (usually the smaller ones are desert wines). Your 6.5 bucket might be hard pressed to be of service. I don't think you get a keurusan like with beer, but I could be wrong. You might need to get a bigger primary.

If you don't go kit, you can usually find per gallon recipies - that is 'use 4lb of blueberries per gallon of wine along with sugar etc' This alows you to scale from smaller to larger.

Wine making is dang easy, even if you have to degas. In terms of work, I found beer is all(85%+) up front, but wine is over the entire ferment. (rack, degas etc). And I found my knowledge of wine making and mead making has given me insight on beer making particuarly as it comes to yeast.

ACbrewer said:

Your 6.5 bucket might be hard pressed to be of service. I don't think you get a keurusan like with beer, but I could be wrong. You might need to get a bigger primary.

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I'd been wondering the same thing. I guess adding a 7.5 gallon bucket to the "things I need to buy" still keeps it pretty reasonable. Thanks for the great info.

bds3 said:

I'd been wondering the same thing. I guess adding a 7.5 gallon bucket to the "things I need to buy" still keeps it pretty reasonable. Thanks for the great info.

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the bigger bucket is shorter but wider - and it is 7.9 (why 7.9 and not 8? or 7.5? haven't a clue). You also want to match your 2ndary -which with wine you do - with your reciepe so a 5 gal or 6 gal acording to how much you make. If you read around the wine threads enough, you will get to the 'top off' occasionally - that is you racked to a 2ndary and are a bit short what to top off with.

I've not had the problem, either I A put an extra .25 to .5 gallon in or B the kits don't have the problem....

ACbrewer said:

the bigger bucket is shorter but wider - and it is 7.9 (why 7.9 and not 8? or 7.5? haven't a clue). You also want to match your 2ndary -which with wine you do - with your reciepe so a 5 gal or 6 gal acording to how much you make. If you read around the wine threads enough, you will get to the 'top off' occasionally - that is you racked to a 2ndary and are a bit short what to top off with.

I've not had the problem, either I A put an extra .25 to .5 gallon in or B the kits don't have the problem....

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I have both 5 gallon and 6 gallon carboys, so I think I'm set for secondary. If/when I start this wine endeavor, I plan on getting a wine-specific (bigger) primary, but strictly out of curiosity, has anyone used a 6.5 gallon bucket for prmary? Someone earlier said they didn't think wine made a big krausen, so if this is true is there any reason 6 gallons of juice can't be fermented in a 6.5 gallon bucket?

I'll put it this way I love to ride mountain bikes, I have around 15grand invested into 2 bikes. But at the same time I could just go to walmart and buy a $100.00 bike and still ride. It really all depends on how far and how good you want the experience to be, try and stay away from pre-maid kits they are a rip off just go onto mid west and get your basics, and do research don't buy sanitation stuff and Campden tabs, just buy some campden and make your own. Stuff like that will save you money also buy bulk, on stuff for example fermaid k@10grams at midwestsupplies.com is around 2 bucks for another three bucks you can get fermaid k@80 grams. But to start from scratch just get this stuff

2-Fermentation buckets
2-airlocks
1-hydrometer (also check out wine theifs not really a must have but really nice to have)
2-sticky thermometers
6-feet of siphon tubing
1-auto siphon(makes things easier but not a must have you could also use a racking cane but don't forget clamps!)
1-Pail opening tool
1-stir spoon

as for additives for the wine check out these

-sodium metabisulfite (campden tabs, look at the powder form you get more for your money)
-Go Ferm rehydratation nutrient(helps alot)
-FermaidK yeast nutrient( you can use this with sugar water and make alcohol I highly recommend)
-Super-Kleer ( it's fast pretty cheap and does the job, there are other alternatives but nothing at this price point for the amount of time it takes)

As for anything else honestly you don't need it unless you are making production quality wine, but I think I pretty much covered everything

The best part about this list is that it comes in around $100.00 and only includes things that will actually be used!