Wine Making Kits For Beginners

If you are just getting started in wine making, you might be at a crossroads wondering which wine kit to buy.

In this blog post, you will find a wide range of wine kits with detailed specifications and general benefits of each.

The wine kits reviewed in this blog post are as follows:

1. Winemakers Depot 3 Gallon
2. North Mountain 1 Gallon
3. North Mountain 3 Gallon
4. Homebrew Ohio 1 Gallon
5. Homebrew Ohio Upgraded 1 Gallon
6. Master Vintner 1 Gallon
7. Master Vintner 6 Gallon Starter Kit
8. Homebrew Ohio Premium Kit
9. Homebrew Ohio Deluxe Fruit Kit
10. Strange Brew Wine Making Kit
11. Vintner's Starter Winemaking Kit
12. Master Vintner 1 Gallon Starter Kit (My Personal Choice)
13. Winemaking.net’s Wine Making Starter Equipment Kit

My Favorite Wine Making For Beginners

Check out our video below on how to make wine at home in an easy way!

You can find my entire blog post about making wine here: “How Long Does It Take to Make Wine at Home”

Comparing Price, Wine Yield and Missing Equipment

To give you an easy overview, I have taken all the wine kits reviewed in this post and placed them in a table to give you a clear view of their prices, how much wine they yield, and what equipment is missing.

Note: You need to provide your own choice of fruit for all the kits listed, therefore this will not count as a “missing” piece of equipment.

	Price	Yield	Missing Equipment
Winemakers Depot 3 Gallon	~$70	3 Gallons	Ingredients/Bottles/Corks
North Mountain 1 Gallon	~$95	1 Gallon	Bottles
North Mountain 3 Gallon	~$160	3 Gallons	Bottles
Homebrew Ohio 1 Gallon	~$50	1 Gallon	Corks/Corker/Bottles
Homebrew Ohio Upgraded 1 Gallon	~$55	1 Gallon	Corks/Corker/Bottles
Master Vintner 1 Gallon	~$50	1 Gallon	Corks/Corker/Bottles
Master Vintner 6 Gallon Starter Kit	~$145	6 Gallons	Bottles/Ingredients
Homebrew Ohio Premium Kit	~$100	6 Gallons	Bottles/Ingredients
Homebrew Ohio Deluxe Fruit Kit	~$80	1-6 Gallons	Corks/Corker/Bottles
Strange Brew Winemaking Kit	~$160	6 Gallons	Bottles/Ingredients
Vintner's Starter Winemaking Kit	~$120	6 Gallons	Bottles/Ingredients/Corks
Master Vintner 1 Gallon Starter Kit	~$85	1 Gallon	Bottles
Winemaking.net Starter Kit	~$120	6 Gallons	Bottles/Ingredients

This table should now already give you a good idea about which kit is suited for you, and give you a clear answer to what equipment you need to acquire yourself outside the contents of each kit.

Continue reading if you want more detailed specifications about each kit!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prices shown might not correspond with current price. Please take it as an estimation.

13 Solid Beginner Wine Making Kits

There are many different wine making kits, with various amounts of equipment and/or ingredients included.

Below you’ll find many different wine making kits in various price ranges and with various equipment.

Down below the list you can find my personal recommendation and the reasons behind.

I hope you enjoy it!

#1 Simple & Affordable Kit

Includes:

• 3 Gallon Carboy
• 6.5 Gallon fermenter with lid for an airlock
• 3/8 inch hydrometer
• Dual scale thermometer
• 24” racking cane
• 3/8 inch 5 feet Siphon hose
• 3/8 inch Shut off clamp for Siphon hose
• 3/8 Inch airlock
• Sanitizer

PROS	CONS
Price	No instructions
Complete equipment for the price

The first wine making kit is also a rather cheap one. 

The reviews of this kit are very positive, stating that it is a great starter kit for beginners.

This kit does not come with ingredients, but you can buy complete ingredient kits for this purpose, which you can find in a later section of this post!

#2 Most Complete Of Its Range

Includes:

• Step by step instructions
• 2 Gallon fermenter with lid for an airlock
• 1-gallon glass jug
• Metal screw cap for the glass jug
• Auto-siphon
• 5” Siphon hose
• 2 Airlocks
• Nylon straining bag
• 4oz oxygen wash
• 50 Campden tablets
• Pectic Enzyme
• Stabilizer
• 3 yeast packets
• Nutrients
• Acid blend
• Tannin
• Energizer
• Hydrometer + test jar
• Glass wine thief
• Corks + corker
• Shrink caps
• Bottle filler
• Ingredients
• Recipe book

PROS	CONS
Ingredients	No bottles included
Easy to set up	Availability
All you need to start

It has ingredients included making it a great all-in-one kit.

Includes detailed instructions on exactly how to make the perfect homemade wine. It also comes with a recipe handbook which contains over 100 different wine recipes.

This large 30 pieces kit contains many useful pieces for wine making.

#3 Premium 3 Gallon Choice

Includes:

• Step by step instructions
• Recipe book with over 100 recipes
• 6.5 Gallon fermenter + Lid
• 3 Gallon Carboy
• Auto-siphon + clamp
• 5” Siphon hose
• 2 Airlocks
• Straining bag
• 8 oz. Oxygen wash
• 50 Campden tablets
• Pectin Enzyme
• Stabilizer
• 5 yeast packs
• Nutrients
• Acid blend
• Tannin
• Energizer
• Hydrometer
• Wine thief/test jar combo
• 24” Stirring spoon
• Corks+corker
• Shrink caps
• Bottle filter

PROS	CONS
Complete equipment	Unclear instructions
Ingredients	Availability
Gallon size

This kit will provide you with a 3 gallon batch of wine, where all you need to provide is the fruit and bottles.

Brands itself as the “largest and most complete kit available” in their description. As with the other north mountain kit, this kit also comes with detailed instructions as well as a recipe book with over 100 wine recipes.

#4 Most Popular

Includes:

• Easy instructions
• Recipe book
• Ingredient kit
• 2 Gallon plastic fermenter with lid
• 1-gallon jug
• Tubing
• 15” Racking cane
• Airlock
• Straining bag
• 2 oz. oxygen wash
• Campden tablets
• Pectin enzyme
• Potassium sorbate
• Yeast
• Yeast nutrient
• Acid blend

PROS	CONS
Easy to follow instructions	No bottles
Great value for money
All you need equipment

A very cheap kit that supplies you with the essentials needed to make some fine wine at home. It comes with ingredients and instructions as well as a recipe book.

This kit does not come with corks, corker or bottles.

This kit will provide you with 1 gallon of tasty homemade wine with your own choice of fruit!.

#5 Best On A Budget

Includes:

• 2 Gallon plastic fermenter with lid
• 1 Gallon jug
• Mini auto-siphon
• Airlock
• Straining bag
• 2 oz. Oxygen wash
• Campden tablets
• Pectic enzyme
• Potassium Sorbate
• Yeast
• Yeast Nutrient
• Acid blend
• Wine tannin

PROS	CONS
Price	No bottles & corks
Good equipment for the price	Vague instructions

It contains everything you need except corks and bottles, to make your own delicious wine.

#6 Great On A Budget

Includes:

• Winemaker Recipe book
• 2 Gallon plastic fermenter with lid
• 1 Gallon jug
• Airlock
• Screwcap
• Straining bag
• Sanitizer
• Campden tablets
• Pectic enzyme
• Acid blend
• Grape tannin
• Yeast nutrient
• Dry yeast
• Racking cane
• Hydrometer

PROS	CONS
User friendly	No fruit, bottles & corks
Great kit for the value	Hard to follow instructions

Advertised as a kit well suited for making fruit wines that aren’t grape wines. Fruit wines are generally faster to make than grape wine, giving you a tasty wine in less time compared to making grape wine.

All you need is to provide your own fruit, bottles, corks, and a corker. Everything else you need is included in this kit.

#7 High Quality Kit

Includes:

• 6.5 Gallon Fermenter
• Glass or Plastic carboy
• Microfiber cleaning cloth
• Clean bottle express degasser
• Universal drilled bungs
• 2 Airlocks
• Auto siphoning racking cane + tubing
• Bottle filler & tubing
• 24” Stirring spoon
• Carboy brush
• Bottlebrush
• Hand corker and #8 corks
• Thermometer
• Hydrometer + test jar and 3-piece thief
• Sodium Metabisulfite
• Cleaner+sanitizer

PROS	CONS
All you need equipment	Heavy glass carboy
Above-average quality materials	Customer service

The price is a bit higher compared to other kits we have reviewed, which seems to be because the general quality of the equipment is better than the cheaper versions and the quantity is bumped up to 6 gallons.

It doesn’t come with ingredients but is compatible with any wine ingredient kit.

It contains rather advanced equipment, with an auto siphoning racking cane, as well as a hydrometer and thermometer. It also contains some good cleaning utensils, in the form of brushes made to clean carboys and bottles thoroughly.

#8 Great Value For Money

Includes:

• 6 Gallon glass carboy
• 8 Gallon Fermenting bucket
• Twin lever corker
• Hydrometer
• 5” siphon hose
• Bottle filler
• 30 Synthetic corks
• Airlock
• Thermometer
• 4 sanitizer packets
• Auto-syphon

PROS	CONS
Capacity	Reported missing parts
Price	Faulty material

A Homebrew Ohio kit with a bigger capacity and auto siphoning. This kit can make up to 6 gallons of wine per batch.

This kit comes with corks and corker, but no ingredients or bottles, which you have to acquire yourself.

#9 Solid Kit For Large Batches

Includes:

• Hydrometer
• 2 Gallon bucket
• 1 Gallon carboy
• Airlock
• Red wine yeast
• Sterilizer
• Acid blend
• Yeast nutrient
• Tannin
• Peptic enzyme
• Campden tablets

PROS	CONS
Capacity	Reported missing parts
Ingredients included	Availability
Suited for any type of fruit

It comes with most ingredients needed, except fruit. Does not include bottles, corks, and a corker.

Suited for any type of fruit you wish.

#10 Good For Large Batches

Includes:

• 7.8 Gallon Fermenter with lid
• 6 Gallon glass carboy with a rubber stopper
• 3-piece Airlock
• Adhesive thermometer
• Glass triple scale hydrometer
• Auto-siphon with “5 of flexible tubing
• Dual function bottle filler
• 8 packets of c-brite cleanser
• 30 Natural micro-agglomerated corks
• Twin lever corker
• 24” Stirring spoon
• Wine bottlebrush
• Degassing rod

PROS	CONS
Capacity	Vague instructions
Complete equipment	Reported missing parts

Another large gallon kit, which provides you with 6 gallons of tasty homemade wine.

The price is higher due to the higher capacity as well as the amount of equipment that comes with it.

It does not come with ingredients and bottles but comes with corks and corker.

#11 Well Balanced 6 Gallons Kit

Includes:

• 7.8 Gallon plastic fermenter with lid
• 6 Gallon Better Bottle
• Stopper
• Airlock
• Bottlebrush
• Hydrometer
• 4 oz. of Easy clean no-rinse cleanser
• Double lever corker
• 30 #8 X 1 ¾” Straight corks
• Racking cane
• 5 Feet siphoning tube
• Bottle filler
• Shut-off clamp

PROS	CONS
Good quality for price	Availability
Complete equipment
Works for mead

The seller underlines the necessity for secondary fermentation to allow the wine you make with this kit to clear properly.

This kit does not come with ingredients or bottles and corks. You will have to either combine it with an ingredient kit or buy ingredients separately yourself.

#12 My Personal Favorite

Includes:

• Choice of ingredient/recipe kit: Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
• Step-by-step instructions for an easy wine making process
• Little Big Mouth Bubbler Glass Primary Fermenter
• Stopper
• Airlock
• Fermagraf
• 1 Gallon Jug for secondary fermentation with cap, airlock
• Herculometer + test jar and thief
• Mini auto-siphoning & tubing
• 18” Plastic paddle
• Corker + corks
• Bottle filler + tubing
• Microfiber cleaning cloth
• Oxygen wash cleanser
• Sodium Metabisulfite sanitizer

PROS	CONS
Great value for money	Reported leaks glass in fermenter
Complete equipment
Easy to follow instructions

Another great kit that includes both equipment and ingredients needed to make 1 gallon of wine.

The kit comes with a choice of recipe kit where you can pick either Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

The kit also works with any recipe kit you may have yourself or separate ingredients that you have gathered on your own.

It comes with instructions on recipes and the use of equipment for a beginner-friendly wine making process from start to finish.

#13 Well Rounded Large Batches Kit

Includes:

• 7.8 Gallon drilled primary fermenting bucket with drilled lid
• 6 Gallon glass carboy with rubber stopper
• 3-piece airlock
• Adhesive thermometer
• Glass triple scale hydrometer
• True brew fast flow fill kit
• 8 packets of c-brite cleanser
• 30 Natural micro-agglomerated corks
• Twin lever corker

PROS	CONS
Capacity	Reported items missing
Complete equipment	Hard to follow instructions

Makes 6 gallons of wine per batch and is compatible with any ingredient kit.

Contains corks and corker, but no bottles or ingredients which you have to acquire yourself.

What Is the Best Wine Making Kit to Buy?

Phew, that was quite the ride.

I have now gone over 13 different but all very solid wine making kits. Now the question is, which kit is best?

The answer to this entirely depends on what you are looking for. 

There are generally 2 types of winemakers, the complete beginner who has no knowledge about winemaking, and the ones that do some research before diving into it.

If you are a more well-read beginner winemaker, you may just want to make larger batches of wine right away, meaning you would probably pick one of the kits that yield 6 gallons of wine per batch.

Personally, I’d pick the Master Vintner 1 Gallon Wine Making Equipment Starter Kit (Amazon link). The reasoning for this is that I am a beginner winemaker, and this kit simply has the best content for the price.

The kit comes with all the equipment you need, except bottles, making it easy to make your first batch of wine.

For the price it has this kit seems to be the most value for money, and as a rational buyer, this is most likely the kit I’d go for.

5 Solid Wine Making Ingredient Kits

If you end up buying a wine making equipment kit that has no ingredient kit included you can make it easy and buy an ingredient kit to accompany your new wine making equipment kit!

Comparing Price, Type of Wine and Yield

Once again to give you an easy overview of the main properties of these wine kits, you can find a table below that shows the price, which type of wine the kit makes and how much wine it yields.

	Price	Wine Type	Yield
Vintner's Reserve Vieux Chateau Du Roi	~$85	Vieux Chateau Du Roi	6 Gallons
Master Vintner's Reserve Recipe Kit	~$90	Cabernet Sauvignon	6 Gallons
Winexpert's Eclipse Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel	~$175	Zinfandel	6 Gallons
Master Vintner's Tropical Bliss	~$70	Pinot Noir	6 Gallons
Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay	~$100	Chardonnay	2.6 Gallons

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prices shown might not correspond with current price. Please take it as an estimation.

Below you will find some quick and easy reviews of these different wine ingredient kits.

#1 Good Chateau Du Roi Kit

This wine has a rounded and smooth flavor with hints of berries and with a flavor of ripe plum.

Advertised to take around 4 weeks to complete, but I’d recommend aging it in the bottle for a while longer.

#2 Cabernet Savignon Kit

Ingredient kit with top grapes from the world's best regions to give you a quality level homemade wine.

Has a taste of savory dark, dried fruit and with aromas of ripe plum and vanilla.

#3 Good Quality Zinfandel

Using grape skins it creates a spicy french premium oak tasting wine with aromas of berries. It has a dry body full of oaky intensity.

Makes up to 6 gallons of quality Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel.

#4 Tropical Pinot Noir Kit

It has a rather low alcohol percentage compared to normal wines, with an alcohol content of 7.5%.

Has a flavor of blackberry with a cherry/berry spice of Pinot giving it a juicy finish. Recommended to enjoy lightly chilled with either dark chocolates or cheeses.

The seller states that this wine doesn’t require any aging, and can be enjoyed right after making it.

#5 Chardonnay Kit

Ready for bottling in 4 weeks, and can be aged up to personal preference, but recommended aging is at least a month.

My Choice of Wine Ingredient Kit

The choice of ingredient kit is obviously up to personal taste. Recently I really started enjoying wines that have a powerful fruit taste.

For this reason, I would probably choose a rather untraditional type of wine with a very fruity flavor. For this purpose, the best kit for me is the Master Vintner Tropical Bliss Winemaking Recipe Kit(Amazon link).

This kit is relatively cheap and can be used for many types of fruits, making it my own personal choice of ingredient kit.

Make sure to pick a wine ingredient kit that suits your own personal wine preference, or maybe go ahead and explore some types of wines you haven’t tried before.

Read Also: Best Propane Burner For Homebrewing