Winemaking 101 - Part 1a, Equipment

So you think you’d like to take up home winemaking? Go for it! It’s not difficult, and for the casual vintner it doesn’t take a lot of exotic equipment. Today I’ll be going over what items you’ll need to get a batch of wine going through the primary fermenting stage. Equipment will vary somewhat depending on how much wine you’re making and what you’re making your wine from.

Once you have your fruit you need to prep it for the primary fermenter. For grape and berry wines, you need a means of crushing the fruit to release the juices and colors. The skins must be broken, but you want to be sure not to crack the seeds as that will release unwanted flavors in your must, the initial combination of fruit, juices, water, sugar, and other ingredients. For batches under a couple of gallons, just use your hands, they work fine. For 5 gallon batches of my raspberry and currant wines where I am crushing 12-15 lbs of fruit I use an old-fashioned food mill, or the fruit strainer attachment on my Kitchen Aid. Of course, the time-honored foot stomp is still an effective method for soft fruits and berries (and requires no purchase), just make sure your feet are immaculately clean.

For hard fruits such as apples and pears, I core the fruit to remove the seeds, and shred it in a food processor if I’m pressing the juices out, or run it through a heavy-duty juice extractor. For smaller batches a juicer works fine, and I have an antique lard press that I’ll use to squeeze out larger batches of shredded fruit, or grapes that are not being fermented on the skins. You’ll need a mesh bag to hold shredded or crushed fruit if you’re using a press. If you get to the stage where your making in excess of 50 gallons of wine per year you may want to invest in a commercial crusher/destemmer and a moderate size basket press.

Once your fruit and/or juice is prepared for primary fermentation, the first stage, it needs to go into a primary fermenter. This can be almost any type of container large enough to hold your must and that can be covered to keep dust and especially fruit flies out. You’ll want something with a wide opening to make filling easier, and to allow access for stirring your must as it ferments. You’ll need some head room in your container as the fermentation process will produce foam and a “cap” that will rise to the top.

In the past, glazed crocks were used for primaries, and are still a good choice as long as the glazing is intact inside. Stainless steel pots are fine, but avoid aluminum or other metals that would react with the acids in the must. By far, the most commonly used primaries for home winemakers these days are plastic. Plastic containers are available in many shapes and sizes but it’s crucial that you use only containers made from food grade plastic as acids in the must can leach chemicals out of other types. Sterilite brand containers are cheap and good for 1-2 gallon batches. Food grade 5 gallon buckets are perfect for a 3-4 gallon batch. I have a 10 gallon food grade plastic “garbage” can that is my standard primary for 6-7 gallons of must.

At this point you’re ready to put together the other ingredients you will need in your must. For this you’ll need measuring spoons, a kitchen scale, and a large spoon or paddle for mixing everything together in your primary. There is some specialized equipment you may need at this point depending on your commitment and skill level such as a pH meter or pH test strips, and an acid test kit, but I wouldn’t be too concerned about those when you’re just getting started.

One thing you definitely should have is a hydrometer. This is a device that looks kind of like an oversized glass thermometer, and is used to measure the sugar levels in your must. The amount of sugar in the must determines the amount of potential alcohol, the level of alcohol produced if all the sugar in the must is completely fermented, in the finished wine. Too little alcohol and your wine will not be stable and will spoil, not to mention the lack of desired effect. Too much and your wine will be unbalanced and “hot”. You use the hydrometer to measure the level of natural sugars in your must, and if necessary add sugar and retest until you reach the desired potential alcohol level. Fruit and berry wines and even some grape wines will need added sugar to bring the potential alcohol to where it needs to be. Now it’s time to add the remaining ingredients (I’ll cover that later) and your yeast, and get that party started.

Clockwise from lower left: Food mill, Sterilite container, 10 gallon food grade plastic primary fermenter, digital kitchen scale, hydrometer.