Speaking from being from a beer background, the most important to your
enjoyment is to start at a level comfortable to you. You'll have plenty of
complex batches. I just started my first wine batch and have enjoyed and
learned a great deal just from the kit with minimal equipment. Could i
improve the wine? Of course, but thats where the fun comes in. I would
suggest fro the basics you take a look at
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/produ...p?category=160 this will
make a great wine and then add on all the little things. For about $50
you'll get a great deal of enjoyment. From there you can add an infinite
amount of processes and equipment to further improve your wine.

Most of all - ENJOY

Jason
"Tom S" > wrote in message
m...
>
> "Steve Gibson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hello everyone,
> >
> > I have been interested in making wine now for over a few years now, and
> this
> > year I have decided that I am going to do it, now I have been doing some
> > reading on the net and some magazines. There is so much information out
> > there about wine making. I am asking you guys (the experts) if you
could
> > possibly give me a list of equipment I will need to acquire before
diving
> > into this. I am very excited to get started, and any other hints or
tips
> > you could give me would be greatly appreciated, thank you very very much
> and
> > happy new year to all, thanks
> >
> > Steve in PA
>
> Pennsylvania, eh? I guess you're probably not _that_ Steve Gibson (the
> internet security dude).
>
> To tell what you need to buy depends a lot on the batch size you're
> comfortable working with, how much disposable income you have and the type
> of fruit or kit you plan to attempt.
>
> I started small, with about 150 pounds of fruit (Chardonnay), a couple of
> carboys, some miscellaneous "gear" (later on that) and a new 7½ gallon
> Demptos barrel (which is a French oak barrel, in case you didn't know
that).
>
> The following year, I moved to 228 liter barrels and haven't done much
else
> since.
>
> Assuming you wish to start at the 5-15 gallon size, beginning with clear
> grape juice, you'll need the following "gear" right away:
>
> 1) One or more fermenters. This can vary from a number of glass jugs (1
> gal) to carboys (3, 5 or 6 gal) to pony kegs (7½ gal) to kegs (15 gal) or
> even to oak barrels. Whatever size you aim for, you'll need a collection
of
> the smaller sizes too (1 liter and smaller). There's always just a little
> extra wine that needs to be put somewhere - besides your glass!
>
> 2) A racking cane and plastic tubing. This is used for siphoning the
wine
> or juice from one container to another. A good racking cane is a cane
> shaped piece of plastic tubing with a little plastic gizmo on the end of
the
> straight section that helps you to avoid sucking up the sediment on the
> bottom of the container you are siphoning from.
>
> 3) A hydrometer and jar. Get a nice one with a thermometer and a
> temperature compensation scale built in. The Brix range should extend to
> about 30 or so. The jar is for floating the hydrometer in when you're
doing
> a measurement.
>
> 4) A turkey baster. This is your "wine thief". You use it for pulling
> samples from a carboy for tasting.
>
> 5) A selection of several sizes of plastic funnels.
>
> 6) White gum (good) or silicone (best) stoppers for the carboys and/or
> barrel. Get some solid and one hole versions for each container.
>
> 7) Fermentation locks. You need these to keep air out of the fermenter,
> but let gas escape.
>
> 8) Potassium metabisulfite (1 kilo). That'll last you awhile, but keep
it
> _very_ tightly sealed. Air exposure decomposes it.
>
> 9) Tartaric acid (2-5 lbs)
>
> 10) Plastic bucket(s) and tubs. I like to have several sizes of buckets,
> from 1 to 5 gallon capacity. A dishwashing tub is handy to have too.
>
> 11) Bottle brushes. Several different shapes, for both inside and
outside.
>
> 12) Access to a pH meter is *highly* advised.
>
> 13) You'll need a balance (scale), calibrated in grams. It should have
0.1
> g resolution, and at least several hundred grams capacity.
>
> If you plan to make red wine, you'll also need a wide-mouth plastic drum
to
> ferment in, something to stir/punch down the grapes with, and a press
(which
> I'd suggest you rent - at least at first). Some plastic collanders and
> strainers are also handy to have.
>
> I also recommend that you get some cultured yeast and yeast nutrient. Ask
> about this at your homebrew shop.
>
> That's all that comes to mind for openers. Later on, you'll need bottles,
> corks, fining materials, a bottle filler, lab chemicals and labware etc.
> That can all wait awhile.
>
> Tom S
>
>