Being able to make your own wine at home is a very exciting thing; and wine making kits make it easy to create wines which are every bit as good as many of the offerings available at your local shops. While its not that difficult to make your first batch of homemade wine following the directions given with your wine making supplies and following a recipe to the letter, there are ways to make your homemade wines turn out even better.
You can improve your results without having to make a significant investment in upgraded wine making equipment; you can use some simple accessories to get the most out of your wine making efforts. These accessories arent terribly expensive and theyre also pretty easy to use; keep reading to learn a little more about some of the equipment which can help you to make your wines even better.
Brix Scale Hydrometers
Hydrometers have a long history of use for a wide variety of applications. These instruments measure the specific gravity of liquids as compared to that of water. In winemaking, a hydrometer is used to measure the sugar content of the wine as it is being fermented knowing how much residual sugar is left behind in the wine is essential to knowing when the wine is ready for the next step of the process.
The Brix scale is designed specifically to measure sugar content, which makes it ideal for wine makers. Its not an absolutely essential piece of equipment, but it can help you to make better wine at home and it can help you to avoid ending up with wine which has been allowed to ferment too long (too much alcohol and too little residual sugar) or has not been allowed to ferment long enough (not enough alcohol and too much residual sugar).
Thermometers
A thermometer is something that isnt normally included in wine making kits, but definitely has its place in every home vintners set of wine making supplies. You can think of making wine as a bit like cooking temperature is critical to the success of the process. When the temperature is too low or too high, the fermentation wont go as planned and youll be left with wine which is either undrinkable or something which you really wouldnt apply the term to at all.
AccuVin Quick Tests
If you make your own wine, then AccuVin Quick Tests are something which you should look into using. These test kits include tests for malic acid, residual sugar, L-lactic acid and pH levels, all of which are handy to know if youre serious about making great wine at home. If youve already made a few batches of wine successfully with your own wine making supplies, these test kits are well worth picking up to help you get a little more control over the quality of your creations.
