Equipment
The fundamental winemaking equipment can often be found from the most
unlikely sources. Examining the list of essential equipment, it can be seen that many of them are instantly available in the home.
Most houses, even student digs, can usually boast such things as a kettle,
a bucket, a large saucepan and a measuring jug, and every student house I have ever visited owned a collection of empty wine bottles. If your home does not boast even these, try and convince your housemates that they should pay for such useful items.
Beyond this things get a bit more tricky. A length of stolen hosepipe almost makes an adequate siphon tube, a milk carton could possibly be used for measuring. Use your initiative.
The other option is to try family and friends. Every family can boast an
ex winemaker. These people usually take the form of Dads, Uncles or
Grandfathers. Such people can become a never-ending source of demijohns,
airlocks and the like. Another good place to ask is the lecturers in your
department. They were students once.... The golden rule is to ask everyone.
After this one has to grit one's teeth and go visit the shops to complete your store of vital bits and bobs.
Essential Items
Here follows a couple of lists of things that it would be simpler to grit your teeth and buy. Re-usable items can be kept as long as you keep reasonable care of them, disposable items are essentially one use.
Reusable Items
- Demijohns
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- These are standard 1 gallon glass jars. As many as you can lay your hands on.
- Airlocks
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Simple plastic bubblers. One for each demijohn, plus a bored bung to go with them.
- Siphon Tube
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Thin plastic tube. Ridiculously cheap. About six foot.
- Sieve
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Or mesh bag, the finer the better.
- Hydrometer
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Just too damn useful to be a luxury. See sugar
- Bucket
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Bigger the better. As with everything in winemaking, avoid metal.
- Kettle
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Thing what boils water.
- Wine Bottles
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Can't have too many.
- Corks
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Plastic or cork. If you chose cork, get a corking machine.
Kettles and hydrometers are a touch pricey but the rest is pretty cheap, if not free with a bit of scrounging and begging.
Disposable Items
Shops of the winemaking persuasion sell a vast array of exciting chemicals that you can add to wine. Such pots of powder
can also sit on your shelf and look dead impressive, saying things like 'pectolytic enzyme'.
The following is not the bear minimum you require, but I would recommend using all of them.
- Campden Tablets
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Small, white and impossible to dissolve.
- Yeast Zapper
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Known in the trade as wine stabilizing compound.
- Wine Finings
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- Vital for speedy clearing.
- Citric Acid
- White crystals, avalible in lemon and orange flavours. See acid.
- Tannin
- Liquid, powder or tablets. Tablets are better because they fizz dramatically when dissolving.
- Pectic Enzyme
- Prevents pectin haze. Boring white powder or curious brown liquid.
- Wine Yeast
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- So essential it has its own section.
- Sugar
![Popup piccie](/wine/images/piccie_icon.png)
- As essential as yeast.About a kilo per gallon.
This lot should not set you back more than a few quid.
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