Essential Wine Making Equipment

According to Wine Spectator Magazine, more and more Americans are making wine. If you dream of joining the legions of Americans doing this, first make a list of this basic equipment to get you started. To make a 1 gallon batch of wine, you'll need to purchase the following from any homebrewing or home winemaking supply shop. 1. Large nylon straining bag 2. Food-grade pail with lid (2 to 4 gallons) 3. Cheesecloth 4. Hydrometer 5. Thermometer 6. Acid titration kit 7. Clear, flexible half-inch diameter plastic tubing 8. Two one-gallon glass jugs 9. Fermentation lock and bung 10. Five 750 milliliter wine bottles 11. Corks 12. Hand corker It is essential that the equipment is sanitary. Wash all of your equipment thoroughly with hot water, boiling what you can. It's a good idea to arm yourself with a strong sulfite solution to rinse any equipment that comes into contact with your wine. To make it, add 3 tablespoons of sulfite powder (potassium metabisulfite) to a gallon of water and mix well.