GETTING STARTED
Getting started is easy! You just need to make a few decisions, we can help with the rest.

WHERE?
The first thing you need to do is decide is where you are going establish your winery.
Luckily this doesn’t take much space. Your space may be limited and that’s OK. Many
people start in their kitchens, a spare
bedroom, their basement or even a small closet. A basement is ideal, the temperature remains
fairly constant all year round, and there is easy access to running water. A sturdy table or some
shelving and you have yourself a winery!

EQUIPMENT?
What do I need to get started?
There are a several items you may already have at home, look around your kitchen for:
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Long Handled Spoon
Thermometer—optional
Funnel
Bulb Baster
Scale
Container for storage of sterilizing solution
The rest we can help you with! We offer a
basic wine equipment package to get you started. There are a number of items that are nice to
have depending on what ingredients you plan to use, but they are optional. We can tailor your
package to meet your needs.

PURPLE FOOT WINE EQUIPMENT KIT
Our Wine Equipment Kits includes all of the equipment needed to start making wine; if you decide
to venture into beer making this equipment can be used for that too!

INGREDIENTS?
Next you will need ingredients:
You can make wine from most edible fruits, vegetables, flowers or herbs. The fruit should be in
good condition. If you wouldn’t eat it you probably shouldn’t make wine from it. You may have fruit
trees or bushes right in your own back yard. You can purchase fruit at the grocery store or
farmers market. Grape and fruit concentrates for winemaking are readily available or you can
make your wine from a kit.

The easiest way to start is with a kit wine. Kits offer a wide variety of wines from around the world.
Once you are comfortable with the process try using concentrates and fresh fruits. Then as you
advance try experimenting with blending and creating new combinations.
The possibilities are endless, so the craft is always interesting!

We stock a large selection of Winexpert ® kits, Alexander® grape concentrates and Vintners
Harvest® fruit concentrates. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff can help select the right one for
you. If you want to start with fresh fruit we can help you with recipes and expertise to guide you
every step. We do it all!

BOTTLING & STORAGE?
If you plan to drink it soon you can store it in gallon jugs or bag systems. For long term
storage we recommend bottling and corking.
At Bottling Time You will Need:
1 Bottle Filler Tube
2 Cases of bottles (24-25 Bottles)
Corks & a corker
We can help you here too! We sell new and used bottles. We also sell and rent bottle corkers.
There are several corkers available, try them and decide which one you like.; then purchase the
one you like best.

TIME REQUIREMENTS?
The fermentation process only takes a few weeks. The amount of time you will spend during this
phase is less than an hour per week. However the whole process does take time, most of it is
spent waiting. Some kit wines are ready to bottle within a few months, fully maturing in a year or
two. Wines from fresh fruit and concentrated juices take longer; generally 1 to 5 years to reach
maturity. But the wait is worth it. Start with kits, set a few bottles aside from each batch for longer
ageing. Begin to build up your cellar stock.
                Remember wine gets better with age!

COST?
By now you are wondering how much this will cost. You might be surprised. The cost of the
equipment is less than $100.00 and it will last a lifetime. Depending on the ingredients you
choose, anywhere from $10.00 to $200.00. You could make your own wine for next to nothing or
as much as $8.00 per bottle most likely somewhere in between.
Figure it out – great wine for only $?.00. How many hobbies give back as much as you spend?
This one does. And much more!