We Tested Three DIY Winemaking Kits for Beginners

What’s inside: Glass carboy, funnel, racking cane, rubber stopper, transfer tubing, tubing clamp, airlock, grape juice, yeast, any applicable additives, five cork stoppers, no-rinse sanitizer and an instruction booklet

Options: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

Makes: One gallon of wine

As Craft a Brew puts it, “Consider this kit a pool floaty for the beginner winemaker: It helps you jump in without fear.”

This is ideal for those who want more of a hands-on home winemaking experience without a big investment of time.

Day one: Fermentation

I was a little intimidated when I started prepping my Pinot Grigio. But the included instructions are broken down into such a simple manner it allows one to “jump” into the winemaking process with confidence.

The entire fermentation process took me about 30 minutes. The longest part of the process was making sure the necessary equipment was properly sanitized, which is vital in preventing unwanted microbes from spoiling the wine.

Once everything is sanitized, you add warm water and bentonite, a clay that helps prevent your wine from clouding.

After that, it’s just a matter of adding the juice, any applicable additives and some water to reach the one-gallon mark. Then, you pitch the yeast and seal the carboy with the airlock cap and stopper.

It’s important to keep your wine stored in a dark area, so I kept mine in a kitchen cabinet.

Day 14: Clarifying and degassing

Clarifying and degassing my wine took me about 40 minutes and was the longest part of my process. But it’s an important step to ensure your wine is clear when it comes time for bottling.

The instructions don’t call to sanitize your equipment, but I did just to be safe. To start, you need to siphon the wine into a clean container. I used a stockpot that I already had. If you can, practice siphoning water from one container to another, since it can be difficult. However, the Craft a Brew instruction booklet provides a very helpful illustrated guide.

Once the wine has been removed and your carboy rinsed, the directions call for siphoning the wine back into the jug to stir in any needed additives. I found it easier to keep my wine in the pot, add everything I needed and then pour the wine back into the carboy through a sanitized funnel.

Day 30: Bottling

The kit comes with five caps, which only fit standard, cork-finish bottles, so be sure to save your empties while your wine is fermenting. The whole bottling process took me about 30 minutes.

Once you’re done, you can enjoy a celebratory glass of homemade wine right away or leave bottles in the fridge for up to six months.

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What’s inside the ingredient kit: Wine base, reserve (if applicable), oak (if applicable), bentonite, potassium metabisulphite/potassium sorbate, yeast, instructions and fining agents

Makes: 30 750-ml bottles

Options: Australian Chardonnay, California Cabernet Sauvignon, Chilean Merlot and more

What’s inside the winemaking kit: 8-gallon fermenter, 6-gallon carboy, racking tube and tubing, fermentation lock and stopper, mixing spoon, solid bung, hydrometer, corks, wine labels and a bottle corker

Price of winemaking kit: $120

This Global Vintners Inc. kit is perfect for those who want to jump right into a more intensive home-winemaking process. Aside from the bottles and no-rinse sanitizer, their kit provides the essentials to getting started.

Day one: Primary fermentation

Before you start fermentation, make sure all your equipment is properly sanitized and mix the grape juice with applicable additives. The process took me about an hour.

You’ll need to monitor your wines’ specific gravity over the coming weeks. The instructions provide a helpful log where you can record both the date you began each step in the process and the specific gravity measurement at the time.

I found it helpful to refer to their online resources, which explain everything from how to use equipment to general questions about winemaking.

Day 14 and 15: Stabilizing, degassing and clearing

Unlike the other kits, these steps are split into two days. Make sure you have enough no-rinse sanitizer to clean your equipment and block out enough time on day 14 to properly stir your wine.

Days 26–56: Polishing, racking and aging

The type of wine you’re making will determine when you can bottle and drink your beverage. When it comes time to bottle, make sure you have 30 sanitized and ready to go.