Hello, everyone.
I've been reading through this ng as well as other websites (links to many of which I got from here) and now I'm anxious to plunge into the world of wine making and to go ahead and buy the equipment and a kit to start off.
I can't find any home brewing shops nearby so I will probably be making my purchases online and think I will decide from among these starter equipment kits:
necessary basics. But what do I know :-) so I wanted some expert advice.
I did notice that all of the equipment kits I could find online were at about this price range, which is significantly greater than prices I have seen mentioned on this ng. Given that they were older posts, are these prices ($80~$100 US) about what I should be paying nowadays?
I am kind of leaning towards the kit with the 5 gal carboy because of the posts I've read about the benefit of being able to rack off the excess into a smaller jug when making kits and using that later when topping off. Any comments?
Also, should I also be looking into getting other supplies/equipment that might not be included in wine kits or that I might need for cleaning my equipment or at other stages of the process (bottling for example)?
And finally, last but not least, I know it's been asked so much, but any recommendations for a kit to start off with? I was thinking a white or a Merlot, but I'm sure any would be an interesting first experience/experiment.
Wow. That got a little longer than I anticipated. But thanks to all for your insight!
-- Sun