Essential Equipment for Home Winemaking

You don't need much to get started with home winemaking. In fact, one of the joys of the hobby is how simple the kit is. Here's what you actually need — and what you can safely skip until later.

The Essentials

Fermentation Bucket (Primary Fermenter)

A 10–15 litre food-grade plastic bucket with a tight-fitting lid. This is where your wine starts its life. You can get these from any homebrew shop or online for around £5–8. Look for ones with a tap at the bottom — it makes straining much easier.

Demijohn

The iconic glass or plastic one-gallon (4.5 litre) vessel where secondary fermentation happens. Glass is better — it doesn't scratch and harbour bacteria, and it lets you see exactly what's going on inside. You'll eventually want two or three so you can rack between them.

Airlock and Bung

The airlock sits in the neck of your demijohn and lets CO2 escape while keeping air and bacteria out. Fill it with water or cheap vodka. Bungs come in different sizes — make sure yours fits your demijohn.

Hydrometer

Absolutely essential. The hydrometer measures the sugar content (specific gravity) of your must, which tells you where you started and lets you calculate your final alcohol content. A basic plastic one costs around £3–5. Don't skip this.

Trial Jar

The cylinder you float your hydrometer in. Usually comes with the hydrometer.

Long Spoon

A 30–45cm plastic or stainless steel spoon for stirring your must. Don't use wooden spoons — they harbour bacteria.

Siphon and Tubing

For racking (transferring wine from one vessel to another without disturbing the sediment). A basic auto-siphon is worth the extra few pounds over a simple tube — it's much easier to use.

Bottle Brush

For cleaning demijohns and bottles properly.

Chemicals You'll Need

• Campden tablets (potassium metabisulphite) — for sterilising and protecting your wine
• Yeast — wine yeast, not bread yeast
• Yeast nutrient — feeds the yeast for a healthy fermentation
• Pectolase (pectic enzyme) — breaks down pectin in fruit to help clearing
• Potassium sorbate — for stabilising before bottling

A decent homebrew shop will sell all of these. Wilko, Balliihoo, and The Homebrew Company are all good UK sources.

For Bottling

• 750ml wine bottles (buy new or save your empties)
• A corker (a hand corker costs around £15)
• Corks

What You Can Skip (For Now)

• A wine press — useful later, not essential
• Finings — Pectolase and time usually do the job
• A heat mat — helpful in winter, not critical
• An acid testing kit — useful when you're more experienced

Starter Kits

Many homebrew shops sell complete starter kits for around £25–35. These are good value and get you everything in one go. Wilko used to sell one that was excellent value. Balliihoo and CJ Berry's supplier sites all have good options.

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