You have finally decided to make some wine. You found out that wine-making can also be called home brewing (completely legal in the States and in most parts of the world) and it isn’t made exclusively from grapes – there are other ingredients that can be used too, such as apples, plums, peaches, blackberries, some flowers, other fruits and even vegetables. But the making of wine will never be complete without the proper equipment and materials necessary for the processing and fermenting of the brew.

Here are the basic materials you need before making your first batch of wine:

-Plastic or glass water bottle or jug for primary and secondary fermentation. (If plastic, it should have # 1 or 2 at the bottom of the jug. Having these numbers means that it will not allow for the oxidization of your wine to prevent staleness. If using glass, make sure that it is unscratched from the inside.)

-A plastic or wooden spoon. (Used to thoroughly mix the solution.)

-Airlock. (Used to keep out air, it could be one of three things: a balloon, pvc pipe + vinyl tubing, or a commercial airlock.)

-Bung. (Needed if you use the tubing or the commercial airlock; this is the rubber cork for the airlock to fit in.)

-A large nylon mesh straining bag… or a pair of ladies’ nylons – or coffee filters. (Specifically used for the filtering process.)

-A funnel. (For obvious reasons… to pour liquid into the container to avoid spillage.)

-A siphon. (At least 5 to 6 feet of clear plastic, this is necessary for big batches of wine to leave out the yeast.)

-A large enamel or aluminum pan. (This can be used if the recipe calls for boiling of some of the ingredients.

-A demijohn. (This is a fermenting vessel or jug with a rubber bung and airlock, mostly used for secondary fermentation.)

-Bottles with corks and/or stoppers. (For aging. If you made 1 gallon of wine, you can use 5 wine bottles. Just make sure that the bottles have perfect corks to avoid further oxidization of the wine. If you don’t have bottles, 2 liter-jugs can work best as well. Just make sure that you can secure the top tightly.)

-Cleaning equipment. (Have a bottle brush at your disposal. It is recommended to use an iodine sanitizing solution to clean and remove the smell. Just follow the instructions for use. You can also use bleach, but it really isn’t recommended as much because it isn’t water-friendly – you would need lots of water to rinse it away. If not cleaned properly, you’ll be left with a chemical smell.)

-Other items. (These are useful, but not a must to have: thermometer, acid titration kit to measure the acid level, grape press.)

Tommy Coffler is an avid wine connoisseur and enjoys sharing his thoughts on how to make the perfect wine. You will find his articles at Best Wine Making, a site that provides wine making tips for all wine making beginners out there!