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
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