Learning to make wine at home can be confusing. Here we try to give you the best home-making wine tips and explain some of the terms and words you will run into when you get started.

There is some term that we use in wine-making at home that needs some explanation.

I will tell you about the main ones and later I will dig a little deeper into my reviews.

Acetic acid.

This is a natural product in wine but can give a wine a vinegary taste if there is too much.

Bentonite

Looks a little like clay and is used to pull the proteins from your must and clear it faster.

Pectic enzyme

Helps break down the cells of the fruit and release the flavors. Also helps clear the wine.

Sparkelloid

Stops the wine from fermenting again by stabilizing it.

Yeast

Organisms that are used in winemaking to ferment the fruits.

What do we need now to get started with making wine at home?

First, there is a little explanation about the process of winemaking.
There are a few steps in the wine-making process that have to be followed, and some equipment we have to use. 

Equipment you need and will come in your wine making kit

• Primary fermenter
• Secondary fermenter
• Air lock
• Rubber bung
• Long handles spoon
• Siphon hose
• Hydrometer and test jar
• Acid test kit
• Bottles and corks

Steps to take for homemade wine

1. Create the “must”
2. Ferment
3. Rack
4. Bottle
5. Cork and label
6. Drink and share it

Create the must

• Add about 4 inches of water to the fermenter and stir the water while adding the Bentonite to it.
• Pour the fruit juice you bought or ordered and all the residue into the package.
• Add more water till you have 6 gallons and keep stirring.
• Heat up the “must” between 65 and 75 degrees. Fahrenheit.
• Read the gravity and make sure it is 1080 or higher. If it is below keep stirring and take another reading.
• Sprinkle the yeast in there and place the airlock
• Keep the must between 70 and 80 degrees and check this with a thermometer.

Fermenting

Now the must will start to ferment and this can make some funny noises.
Most fermenting will take about two weeks and you should check the gravity every couple of days.
The gravity should be down to 1000 or lower. 990 is perfect. 

Racking

Racking is clearing the wine and ending the fermenting.
By adding potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate (these come with the package)
The color will be preserved and give it a smooth flavor. 

Second racking after two weeks.

The wine should be clear now and ready to be racked into another container (carboy) without the sediment.

In another 2 weeks, the wine should be crystal clear. Now we are almost done.

Now the part of bottling our wine starts

Sterilize your bottles and use some metabisulfite solution that you used for sanitizing in the first part.
Sanitize all your bottle with some of this solution.
Fill the bottles about an inch from the top and put the cork on them. We wrote a short post on how to cork a wine bottle to help you.

You will understand that this is just a short and far from a complete description of the wine-making process. When you buy a wine-making starter kit like the Master Vintner kit you see it comes with everything you need including a full manual.

Just make sure to order from a store with a good reputation. My advice is to buy online to save on gas and sale tax. There are many stores, but we have some recommendations in the side bar of this post or just click on the link here.

On aspect about wine is to keep it fresh after opening with one of the many wine preservers that are specially made for that purpose.

Storing your wine

You have now spent a lot of time making a batch of wine and now it is time to start to think about how to store it at the right temperature.

A kitchen fridge is not the best place but if this is all you have for right now than you have to go that way.

The best option, however, is to think about a special wine fridge. I know that they come with a steep price, but look at it this way.

You spend a lot of money and time on making you own wine and storing it under the right circumstances is almost a must to keep it on the right temperature and humidity.

I did wine cooler reviews of all major brands and you will be able to find one here that will fit your needs and budget.

Wine Making Regulations

Although I am not a lawyer and can not give any legal advice, to the best of my knowledge you can not sell any of your wine. You can however give it away. But there is a change that your friends will ask you for more.

I hope that this little article helped out in your search for the best home wine making kits.
You can also download our free How to make wine PDF here.

Come back here and let me know how the results are.
Comments and remarks are welcome. All comments are monitored and spam or non-related comments will be deleted.

Eddie McVay

Eddie McVay is a passionate home brewer and an enthusiastic amateur connoisseur, He has been crafting his beers and wines for over a decade. His journey began with a simple home brewing kit and has since evolved into a deep understanding of the intricacies of brewing. With a knack for making complex brewing techniques accessible to beginners, his articles offer a blend of practical advice, DIY tips, and insights into the art of fermentation. Read more about Eddie Mcvay here.