Time to Make Wine
You enjoy drinking wine and take the time to gain knowledge about its origins and attributes. You’ve visited wineries and are intrigued by the experience. You deliberate whether you can make wine employing the knowledge and skill commercial winemakers apply.
Why yes you can, feel free to jump in!
First on the list with your winemaking journey is a guidebook. There are numerous books about home winemaking with detailed process descriptions and recipes. There are also local winemaking retailers who are happy to guide you through the process.
Check our References Materials page for several suggestions. Online resources are also helpful and readily available, as in the curated sources contained within this website.
Next is determining whether you start with grapes, fruit, or juice. Convenience often rules the day.
An excellent fresh fruit source is those grown close to you. Local wineries and growers are a great resource. Even if they don’t sell to the public, they can often point you in the right direction.
Another resource is local winemaking supply shops that bring in seasonal grapes.
In addition, your local winemaking shop may have winemaking kits. Think juice in a box with the ingredients necessary to make wine. Kits can also be ordered online. Beginning with a kit is a great and easy introduction to the process. All you’ll need is the equipment, which is not terribly expensive for the amount of wine you’ll be making. The equipment is a one-time investment, which can be reused for subsequent batches. Kits typically result in six gallons of wine translating to 30 bottles ready to drink in 4 to 12 weeks—kit dependent.
This block details the winemaking process using kits, and fresh grapes. Several sources provide the information you need to make your first (and subsequent) batches of wine and are targeted at beginners. Greater detail regarding each winemaking step is provided in subsequent blocks on this website, covering the crush to bottling.
Importantly, you’ll find information about equipment sanitation throughout this topic block. Like the well-known real estate adage location, location, location—there is another common adage to winemaking—clean and sanitize, clean and sanitize, clean and sanitize. It can make or break the process.
How to Clean and Sterilize Winemaking Equipment (Wine Kits USA)
Making wine at home can be a wonderful experience and a source of great pride. However, most vintners don’t talk about the less glamorous side of winemaking: How to clean and sterilize wine making equipment.
How to Make Wine from Grapes (Midwest Supplies)
Winemaking has been around for thousands of years. In its basic form, wine making is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Mother Nature provides everything that is needed to make wine; it is up to humans to embellish, improve, or totally obliterate what nature has provided, to which anyone with extensive wine tasting experience can attest.
How to Make Fruit Wine (Adventures in Homebrewing)
It seems as though when we think of home winemaking, we think of grapes. What about wines made from fruits other than grapes? Since the development of home winemaking as a hobby, it has become very easy for the individual home wine maker to make wines from affordable fresh fruits of the garden variety. And, don’t equate these wines to back-shed hooch!
Best Wine Making Kits for Beginners (Wine Kits USA)
Choosing the best wine making kits for beginners can be tricky. There are a lot of confusing options to choose from. It can be hard knowing if you will have all the materials you need to make great tasting homemade wine. This guide will help you understand the three basic types of wine making kits, what’s included in each kind of kit, and which ones are best for beginners.
We Tested Three DIY Winemaking Kits for Beginners (WineEnthusiast)
Ever wonder about how your favorite Cabernet, Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio gets made? You’re in luck! There are an array of winemaking kits to help you learn how to craft your own wine from the comfort of your home. No vineyard required.
How to Make Wine from a Kit (Midwest Supplies)
If you’re looking to make wine, it’s actually quite easy to get started with wine recipe kits. Using wine kits is the best place to start your wine making journey because kits simplify the wine making process from grape to glass. Wine kits allow you to create amazing wine with much less wine making equipment and work.
Guide to Cleaning and Sanitizing Winemaking Equipment (WineMaker)
We can probably all agree that readying equipment for winemaking is not exactly a carboy of fun; nevertheless, it is an absolutely crucial aspect of winemaking. Reports of wine gone bad and, sadly, accidents resulting from improper washing and sanitizing of equipment and handling of chemicals are all too common.
How to Make Wine with a Kit (Austin Homebrew Supply)
Nice short overview video providing instructions for fermenting, clarifying, and bottling a 6-gallon boxed wine kit. The winemaking kits yield 30 750mL bottles, which can be available for drinking in 8 to 12 weeks. Similar to wine made from grapes, kit wine remains drinkable for several years.
Wine Making with Tim Vandergrift (Master Vintner)
The Master Vintner® Wine Starter Kit is the most comprehensive winemaking starter kit on the planet—equipped with all the tools you need to make top-quality wine in a fraction of the time. The crystal-clear Big Mouth Bubbler™ PET Fermentor instantly shows you how your primary fermentation is progressing. Graduated gallon markings give you accurate volumes without ever taking a measurement.