A good investment for any new winemaker is a home wine making kit. While some beginners browse over a small amount of information regarding making wine at home, and the go out and buy what they think they need, most times they end up getting lost. A home wine making kit not only contains the equipment you need to start making your own wine, it usually comes with instructions.

This is very important for beginning wine makers. Having a wine making kit to start with can be the one thing that makes the difference between a good batch and a bad batch of wine. A good wine making kit will come with all the pieces you need, such as

• Carboy

• Fermenting bucket with lid

• Spigot

• Bottle filler

• Tubing

• Stopper

• Siphon tube

• Airlock

• Hydrometer

• Sanitizer

• Thermometer

These are the basic pieces of equipment need to start making wine. The carboy is the glass jug usually used for wine after the primary fermentation, and or is transported in before bottling. A fermenting bucket is also for, you guessed it, fermenting the wine. The spigot for filling the bottles, and a bottle filler to put the correct amount of of wine into bottles. The stopper, airlock, and lid to keep oxygen out of the process. The hydrometer basically measures the weight, or gravity,  of a liquid in relation the weight of water; used to measure sugar in the must. Sanitizer to ensure clean equipment. And a thermometer to monitor temperature.

Many home wine making kits also come with the ingredients need to start making wine. Fruit concentrate, yeast, nutrient, pectic enzyme, acid blend, tannin, and campden tablets. With these you can start making wine right away. If not, fortunately, there is usually a wine making supplies store not far away, and the internet is also a good place to get ingredients.

One of the largest mistakes people make when winemaking, is using regular household equipment. While some items in the kitchen or basement may resemble pieces used to make wine, chances are they will have a negative effect on the wine. See Common Problems Making Wine.

Instructions are what makes the difference between success and failure. Home wine making kits typically come with instructions. Having the instructions to use the equipment you have is vital. It should be obvious, the company that produces the wine making kit should know exactly how to use it. And if one doesnt come with instructions, there are many good books available that describe in detail the process of making wine; and they can be adapted to just about any wine making kit.

And home wine making kits are usually small. They can fit in virtually any space in your home, be it the cellar, pantry, corner of the living room, etc.

As for bottles, well, they are very easy to come by. There is no need to go and buy brand new expensive wine bottles. Most restaurants throw out their empty bottles every night. If you go in and talk to a manager, chances are they will be happy to set aside some empty bottles for you, free of charge. And when you buy wine for your home, save the bottle after drinking.