Thinking about getting started in winemaking? Considering buying a winemaking equipment kit as a gift? The following information may help you make your decision.

There are 3 different products needed to make wine at home.

1.  Equipment Kit

2.  Wine Juice or Concentrate Kit

3.  Bottles 

1. Equipment Kits

The biggest and most important part of getting started is choosing an Equipment Kit. All of Midwest’s equipment kits will provide all of the components needed to make 6-gallon batches of wine. Read each of the descriptions to determine which equipment kit is right for you.

Starter Winemaking Equipment Kit: (8200) $62.95 Making wine is easier to make than beer. You don't need to boil your ingredients and results are very consistent when using wine concentrate kits. It does require more patience than homebrewing. A wait of 2 - 6 months is normal. Two stage fermentation is required for winemaking. Kit includes a 7.5 gallon plastic fermenter with lid, a 6 gallon glass carboy, stoppers for each fermenter, an Econolock, a bottle brush, a wine hydrometer, 8 ounces of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser, a plastic plunger corker, 30 corks, a racking tube, 5 feet of siphon tubing, a bottle filler, a shut-off valve, and equipment instructions. The plastic plunger corker is only capable of inserting #8 sized corks. #9 sized corks are recommended for wine that would be stored on it’s side for extended period of time. (1-2 years+) *If you’re on a tight budget, this equipment kit along with a Vintners Reserve Concentrate Kit will provide the basic components to get started.

Starter Winemaking Equipment Kit with Double Lever Corker upgrade: (8201) $77.95 Double Lever Corker has twin handles that allow for easy corking. Simply place the cork into the chamber, place the corker on top of the bottle, and depress both levers. For best results, have an assistant on hand to hold the bottle still. Features adjustable plunger depth. *The Double Lever Corker works best with #8 corks. With proper soaking, this corker can insert #9 first quality corks.

Starter Winemaking Equipment Kit with Gilda Single Lever Corker upgrade: (8202) $84.95 This corker compresses the cork on all sides allowing the corks to enter with little effort. Adjustable depth setting. This corker requires the least amount of effort for inserting corks of the hand held corkers Midwest offers. Allows you to insert all cork sizes.

Midwest wine equipment kits are found on the wine equipment link.

2. Winexpert Concentrate and Juice Kits

Along with an equipment kit, you’ll also need a juice or concentrate kit. To get started we would recommend a Vintners Reserve concentrate kit. (Priced from $40.95 to $52.95) The industry’s first 28-day winemaking kit contains 100% pure varietal grape juice and concentrate. This wine kit continues to set the standard in its category by yielding wines of excellent quality, flavor and aroma. Vintners Reserve offers a wide range of varieties which allows the winemaker to experience numerous styles and tastes. If you want to start out with the best that wine kits have offer we would recommend Selection Original Series. (Priced from $72.95 to $84.95) The world’s first premium winemaking kit contains 100% pure varietal grape juice and varietal grape juice concentrate. This superb kit combines simplicity and consistency, to produce wine of great flavor, aroma and complexity. Selection Original series continues to break new ground in quality, reinforcing its status as the leading premium winemaking kit. These wine kits have won hundreds of medals in national winemaking contests in recent years. After adding water, both of these kits will produce 6-gallons of wine which equals 30 bottles of wine.

3. Bottles

All juice or concentrate kits produce 29 to 30 bottles of wine.(6-gallons) This requires two cases of 750 ml bottle and an additional 5-6 bottles. For the most part wine bottles have a standard opening. Many winemakers will save the bottles they consume or ask friends and neighbors to save their empty bottles. Just be sure to rinse the bottles after they are emptied. If all of this seems like too much work we would recommend purchasing two cases of 750 ml bottles. (24 bottles) This would still require you to find another 5-6 bottles. All of the bottles that Midwest sells use the same type of cork that are included with our equipment kits. As a rule of thumb winemakers use green glass wine bottles for red wines and clear glass for white wines.

Other winemaking accessories that complement an equipment kit include:

• 6 Gallon Better Bottle (Additional fermenter for clearing out wine)

• Case of Cobalt Blue 750 ml wine bottles. (For special occasions)

• A pack of wine labels. (Personalized wine bottles make great holiday gifts)

• Concorde or QuickSilver Corkscrew. (Uncork wine corks in seconds)

• Book – First Steps in Winemaking (Learn about making wine with grapes)