First Time Making Wine: Equipment, Kit Sizes & Getting Started
New to home winemaking? Start here to choose your first Crafted Series wine kit, check your equipment and understand what the numbers on the box mean.
1. Choose your wine style
Start with a style you enjoy drinking. Browse Crafted Series wine kits, then check the individual kit's body, sweetness, potential alcohol and finished yield before ordering.
2. Understand 5.3 L versus 23 L
On our 11.5% Cabernet Sauvignon kit, 5.3 L is the juice/concentrate pack size. Following the kit instructions brings the batch to 23 L of finished wine, approximately 30 standard 750 ml bottles. Other kits may have different pack sizes: always check your own product and instructions.
23 L divided by 0.75 L is about 30.7 bottles before losses. Transfers, sediment and sampling can reduce the amount you bottle, which is why the stated yield is approximate. Add water to the instructed total batch volume; do not add 23 L of water to the concentrate.
3. Check your reusable equipment
An ingredient kit and an equipment kit are different purchases. For the Cabernet Sauvignon kit linked above, equipment is sold separately. Before starting, compare this checklist with the instructions supplied with your kit:
- A food-grade primary fermenter with room for the specified batch and fermentation activity.
- A suitable carboy, correctly fitting bung and airlock.
- A siphon assembly for transferring wine.
- A hydrometer and test cylinder to track specific gravity.
- A thermometer, wine thief or sampling tool, measuring cup and stirring spoon.
- Appropriate bottles and closures; a compatible corker if using corks.
- Suitable cleaning and sanitizing supplies, used according to their labels.
- A notebook to record dates, temperature and specific-gravity readings.
Inspect and reuse suitable equipment you already own. Bottles, closures and equipment must be compatible and in good condition. Decorative labels and shrink caps are optional finishing touches.
4. Follow the instructions for your actual kit
Read our wine-kit instructions overview. Keep the instructions supplied with your kit beside you: packet names, temperatures, timing and specific-gravity targets can differ. Your kit's instructions take priority over a general guide.
5. Keep your first-batch budget clear
Separate the ingredient-kit price from reusable equipment, bottles and closures, cleaning supplies, delivery and tax. For a later batch, reuse appropriate equipment rather than buying it again. To estimate ingredient cost per bottle, divide your actual kit cost by the number of bottles you expect to fill; this does not include the other costs listed above.
If something does not look right
Record your kit name, batch start date, current step, temperature and hydrometer readings. If fermentation appears to have stopped or wine remains cloudy, check the instructions before adding anything or moving to bottling. Airlock activity alone does not replace the readings your instructions require.
Do not bottle until the kit's fermentation, stabilization and clearing requirements are met. Contact Crafted Series for help with your readings and a photo of the kit instructions or packet labels.