Best Wine Making Kits: Top 5 Compared

Over the last ten to twenty years there has been a massive resurgence of wine appreciation around the globe. It used to be that expertly produced wine was known to only a select few. But now, great wine is accessible on practically every corner and found in most homes. Fine wine is cheaper and more abundant than ever.

There is a common misconception that great wine has to be produced by master vintners on a perfectly maintained orchard and harvested in perfect weather. The grapes must then go through a painstaking sorting process before being mashed by foot in order for the natural fermentation process to begin. After which the wine is put into wooden barrels to age for years. It sounds like a lot of work, and, luckily for us, home winemakers, simply not necessary to produce great wine! With more good winemaking kits for sale, you can make your own wine at home while saving money and having fun.

Do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists have created a demand in the industry for winemaking kits that are easy to use and produce great wine that can be enjoyed by even the most discerning wine connoisseur. Just as we have seen a huge growth in the homebrewing movement, at-home winemaking is gaining traction too. Although many people want to start making their own wine at home, most people don’t know where to start.

There are a lot of options on the market that can produce great batches of wine, but some that don’t do such a great job either. We did all the research and fermenting for you so you didn’t need to waste any time and can be totally confident that your winemaking kit will deliver the results you would expect.

Grape Wine or Fruit Wine Kit?

Our list of the best winemaking kits includes options for both brewing wine from grapes and wine from fruit. There are advantages to both and both methods will produce great tasting wines. If you want to produce a more traditional wine, you should opt for one of the complete winemaking kits that utilize grapes in the fermentation process. It takes a little bit longer but will produce more familiar results. If you want to be able to experiment more and use extra fruit that you may have on hand from your garden or the market, then go with the fruit wine kits. These kits allow for a wider variety of flavors as you can use any fruit and also ferment much quicker than grape wine meaning you can have something drinkable faster.

In a Hurry? Here are Our Top Picks

Just want the quick low-down? Our absolute favorite is the Winemakers Depot Ultimate Wine Making Equipment Kit. This is the most complete kit you will find for the money and is the perfect gift or long-lasting investment for producing years of great wine at home. If you can’t make up your mind, go with this wine kit and thank us later.

Winemakers Depot Ultimate Wine Making Equipment Kit

This may be the most complete and dependable home winemaking kit on the market. It comes with a 6-gallon glass carboy, an 8-gallon fermenting bucket, a twin level corker, a hydrometer (which almost every kit leaves out), 5 FEET of transfer hose, a bottle filler, corks, stopper, thermometer and everything you need to clean and sanitize after you are done making wine. Between the degassing tool, the Ferrari auto-siphon and other minor pieces, you will be saving yourself a fair amount of money by buying them bundled with this kit.

Every detail has been accounted for down to the gallon markers on the side of the fermentation bucket for easy mixing. We also recommend this wine kit if you are looking to give one as a gift because we know that it’s going to last and continue making great wine batch after batch.

This kit from Winemakers Depot has the highest satisfaction rating out of all the ones we looked at.

Pros

• Totally complete kit saving you any extra purchases.
• Best satisfaction rating overall.
• High-quality equipment that won’t break over time.

Cons

• Drill mixer doesn’t fit into a glass carboy.
• Some customers report being confused by the directions but this doesn’t seem to be widespread.

Strange Brew Deluxe Wine Making Kit

This robust kit comes with all of the equipment you need to make 6 gallons of delicious wine. Every piece of equipment has been hand-selected by their winemakers for quality and durability. And while other kits claim to be “deluxe,” the Strange Brew winemaking kit offers a few extras that other deluxe kits do not. Specifically, an easy to use bottle filler and a ½ inch auto-siphon pump. And because these have been chosen for their quality, it will be a long time before you ever have to replace these pieces.

Strange Brew is not only known for their quality construction, but for their clear and concise instructions. In addition to the written instructions and recipes, you also get a DVD that will walk you through the whole process step-by-step.

Pros

• Clear, well-written instructions and a bonus DVD that you can follow along with.
• The kit comes with everything you need to make approximately 30 bottles of wine.
• Tons of extras included that don’t come with most kits like a bottle filler, siphon, corks, and corker.
• Quality materials that will last a long time without needing to be replaced.

Cons

• The thermometer is a sticker and some people may prefer a floating one.
• The included siphoning tubes do the job but are on the short side.
• The lid on the fermentation bucket does not have a super tight fit.

Master Vintner Wine Making Equipment Starter Kit

Here is another wine starter kit that has won us over with its thorough and high-quality production. In many ways, this is the ultimate wine starter kit as it is compatible with not only any wine ingredient recipe kit that you might buy, but also includes all the tools you need to produce wine from fresh juice when you are ready to take your winemaking to the next level. It’s always appreciated when a product has built-in longevity that can add value for years to come instead of just a few months of fun. Customer satisfaction with this kit is really high, and almost everyone reports making great wine right away and for multiple batches.

More than any other kit on this list, this setup is a completely thought out product meant to really deliver for the consumer. With it you receive exclusive first-class instruction from industry leader Tim Vandergrift in an easy-to-follow DVD. Every tool and piece of equipment included is beautifully designed and packaged perfectly. This kit definitely makes a great gift based on its unique packaging and presentation.

Pros

• The unique design and fermentation process delivers finished wine faster.
• Features their innovative “big mouth” bubbler wide mouth carboy fermenter.
• Makes wine from both an ingredient kit and fresh juice.
• Great instruction manual and DVD.
• Require no extra products for long-term use.
• Responsive customer service

Cons

• 6-gallon carboy when many recipes call for 5-gallon
• Some report that plastic corker is slightly difficult to use.
• The primary fermenter could be a bit larger.

Winemakers Depot Wine Making Equipment Kit

What this particular wine kit lacks in presentation and packaging, it makes up for in the quality of its pieces and equipment and is ideal for someone that want’s to experiment without investing a lot of money. You will simply not find a better deal for the price. The kit is a little bare-bones, but if you are looking for a quick way to get started making wine and the tools to do it, then this is your package. All materials included are food grade and completely sufficient for any beginner. The 6.5-gallon fermenter is large enough to accommodate most standard recipes and the fermenter has a lid that accepts an airlock, which is also included. Best of all, you can use a kit like this for making not only wine but cider and hard lemonade as well.

Pros

• Great price for high-quality equipment.
• Includes all the equipment you need to get started.
• Large carboy for easy fermenting.
• It can also be used to brew beer, cider, and hard lemonade.

Cons

• Does not come with instructions, but are readily available on the Internet.
• May need other items as you learn more and progress.
• Some customers report that a second bucket would be helpful but not required.

Fresh Harvest 3-Gallon Master Vintner Fruit Wine Making Starter Kit

This is the first and original all-in-one fruit winemaking kit, ideal for producing 3-gallons of your own unique and one of a kind wine. This wine kit is a little different from the others in that it is used for only making fruit wine and not wine from an ingredient kit or grapes. You can use any fruit from your own garden making the most out of perishable produce. You can also utilize fruit bases and purees to make distinct wine in a fraction of the time. If you thought that wine was all about the grapes, think again! The list of fruits that you can use is endless. This kit comes with enough supplies to make 15 1-gallon batches, which is great if you want to experiment with different fruit and fruit combinations.

Unlike traditional wine made with grapes, fruit wine matures much faster so you can have your finished product in a much shorter timeframe. If you are someone that constantly has an abundance of fresh fruit from your garden or local farmer’s market, then this kit is definitely for you.

Pros

• Perfect for home gardeners who always have fresh fruit on hand.
• Can make apple mead or other mead variations.
• It comes with everything you need to make 15 batches of wine.
• Finishes in a fraction of the time as traditional wine made from grapes.
• Includes high-quality equipment including a glad “big mouth” bubbler and wine bottler corker.
• Awesome customer support.
• Clear and easy to use instructions.

Cons

• Some report having trouble with the big mouth sealing properly, but this issue is not common.
• Additional carboys may be needed if brewing large amounts of fruit wine.

Master Vintner Fresh Harvest Fruit Winemaking Kit

Another great fruit wine kit that includes everything you need to make great wine totally from scratch in under an hour. This is the cheapest fruit wine kit on our list and is perfect for the casual hobbyist that wants to experiment with making wine and also fill out their wine rack with some interesting additions. This winemaking kit for beginners comes in a beautiful package that is visually pleasing making it a great inexpensive gift for someone in your life that loves wine or do-it-yourself craft/cooking projects.

With this kit, you can use either fresh or canned fruit to produce 3-gallon batches of wine over and over again. Again, this is ideal for someone that grows their own fruit or always has some leftover from the farmer’s market. What better way to get more life out of your garden that by making a batch of delicious fruit wine to share with friends? The kit comes with everything you need including easy to follow instructions and a recipe book that will have your creations becoming a household favorite in no time.

Pros

• The primary fermenter is easy to clean.
• The secondary fermenter is perfect for 3-gallon batches of wine.
• All additives needed are included.
• Beautiful packaging making this a great gift.
• Enough supplies to make 15 1-gallon batches.

Cons

• Nothing included for measuring acidity.
• Some people have found the wine corker a little difficult to use.
• May need a food scale as all measurements are in dry weight.

Midwest Supplies 1-Gallon Wine from Fruit Kit

An extremely small batch 1-gallon fruit wine kit that will let you explore the fun and pride of small-batch winemaking with durable and easy to use the equipment. This kit comes with everything that you need, except for the fruit, of course, to get winemaking right away. This is the smallest capacity wine kit on the list which makes it ideal for someone just getting started or concerned about space and storage.

What we like to recommend with a kit of this size is to use it for testing out different recipes and fruit combinations before moving onto a larger 5-gallon carboy setup. To help you along the way the manufacture provides a nice little recipe book to get the inspiration flowing. With small batches, you can get very creative and make things like wine from bananas, tomatoes, and mead. Once you nail the recipe down, you can move onto a larger scale production without having to have huge wasted batches on your hands.

Pros

• Produces small batches great for experimenting and fine-tuning.
• It comes with everything you need to make wine right away.
• Recipe book included to help you with new ideas.
• 2-part series on YouTube that will help you use this kit.

Cons

• No hydrometer included.
• Recipes, but no instructions are included.
• The tubing could use a little more length but is sufficient for a starter kit.

Winemakers Depot Premium Wine Making Equipment Kit with Auto-Syphon

This is a solid all-around kit that is big on the basics with no filler or fluff, just what you need to get started. Even though it’s incredibly simple, customers are always pleased with this particular kit and it arrives well-packaged and ready to go. The wine-making tools and equipment feel sturdy and well constructed, not flimsy and ready to break and overall it’s a great value for a kit in this price range.

You also aren’t limited to making only wine with it. People have reported great success in making ciders, hard lemonade and several types of mead. The construction is solid and will stand up to the test of time. One buyer has made over 30 gallons with it and it is still going strong!

Pros

• It contains upgraded equipment for easy corking and racking.
• Solid construction makes this kit good for several years.
• a DVD is included for an overview of all equipment.

Cons

• No written instruction but there is a guide on the Internet and a customer service number where someone will talk you through everything.
• You will need to purchase a long stainless steel spoon for stirring if you don’t already have one.

Extra Wine Making Accessories

No kit is 100% complete and there will always be some compromise between what you pay and what you end up getting. If you need any extras, here are the bits and pieces that we recommend after personally testing most of them.

Funnels

Glass Carboys

Airlock & Carboy Bung

Auto-Siphon

Tubing

Sanitizer

Stainless Steel Spoon

Books to Help with Your Wine Making Skills

No collection is complete without a good thorough book. The documentation that comes with most of these kits is good but obviously can’t compare to a full-length book on the topic.

Below are a few of the most well-known:

Our Final Thoughts

We know that if you buy any kit on this list you will be totally satisfied and well on your way to becoming an expert winemaker. It’s an incredibly rewarding hobby and a great way to deepen your knowledge of wine.