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.
- Demijohns. These are standard 1 gallon glass jars. As many as you can lay your hands on.
- Airlocks. Simple plastic bubblers. One for each demijohn, plus a bored bung to go with them.
- Siphon Tube. Thin plastic tube. Ridiculasly cheap. About six foot.
- Sieve. Or mesh bag, the finer the better.
- Hydrometer. Just too damn useful to be a luxury. See sugar
- Bucket. Bigger the better. As with everything in winemaking, avoid metal.
- Kettle. Thing what boils water.
- Wine Bottles. Can't have too many.
- Corks. Plastic or cork. If you chose cork, get a corking machine.
Shops of the winemaking persuation 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 - Small, white and impossible to dissolve.
- Yeast Zapper - Known in the trade as wine stabilizing compound.
- Wine Finings - Vital for speedy clearing.
- Citric Acid - White crystals, avalible in lemon and orange flavours. See acid.
- Tannin - Liquid 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. - So essential it has its own section.
- sugar - As essential as yeast.About a kilo per gallon.
This lot should not set you back more than a fiver.
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