There are hundreds and hundreds of wine making recipes, but they all use the same basic ingredients and the same type of equipment.

The basic process of making wine can be reduced to three essential ingredients sugar, water and yeast which are mixed in varying proportions with either crushed grapes, grape juice or a commercially prepared grape concentrate. Sugar and yeast react with one another and ferment, converting the sugar into alcohol. As the fermentation process develops, the alcoholic strength of the wine increases and most of the sugar-sweetness is lost. Even a really dry table wine uses about 2 lb of sugar for every gallon of liquid. Some of the sugar comes from the grapes, while the rest is added to the mix. Some recipes call for yeast nutrient, some call for pectozyme (if certain additional fruits or vegetables are added to the recipe, like peaches or cherries), and many of them include sulfur-based Campden tablets to control bacteria.

Of course if you are going to try your hand at wine making, youre going to need a suitable container for fermenting the wine. There are various containers that you can use. Oak casks are great, but they are relatively expensive and difficult to clean. Instead you can use large glass jars or even plastic buckets or bins with lids. Just be aware if you do use plastic, that some colored plastics contain toxic chemicals that may be absorbed by the fermenting wine. White and transparent plastic is the safest bet, while yellow is particularly suspect.

Other equipment that you will need includes:

a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients,

an 8 oz bottle to activate the yeast,

a large wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together in the container,

a strainer to separate the pulp from the juice,

a funnel for pouring,

flexible tubing for siphoning,

fermentation bags to hold the pulp,

a big enamel saucepan or glass bowls to steep ingredients in,

glass gallon jars,

wine bottles with corks, and

airlocks (although these arent always used).

Then all you need is a recipe!

Al Barker is a wine making and grape growing expert. Al has spent the past 16 years mastering wine making and has developed many wine making recipes.

In Al's many years he has not only made world class wine himself, but has also taught hundreds of people how to make wine by sharing his amazing wine making recipes.

Wе hаνе pulled together tһе best οf gifts for wine lovers: hard to find wines; wine decanters; monthly wine clubs; wine gift baskets; wine accessories; wine books; and more. Yου wіll bе pleasantly surprised how many items you can choose from that аrе ready tο ship today!

We also have lots of great wine gift ideas and articles for you to explore.

All kinds of wine gifts that you need to impress someone just getting into wines or an avid wine connoisseur.