A Fontana kit gives you the ingredients. You supply the equipment, water and a warm spot. Here's everything, and why you need it.

In the kit

• Grape juice concentrate
• Wine yeast pak
• Pak A: Bentonite (helps clear the wine)
• Pak B: Potassium metabisulphite (protects the wine)
• Pak C: Potassium sorbate (stabilizes the wine)
• Pak D: Kieselsol (clearing agent)
• Pak E: Chitosan (clearing agent)
• Step-by-step instructions

The kit is non-alcoholic as sold. The wine is made when you ferment it at home.

Equipment you need (not included)

1. Primary fermenter: a food-grade pail with a 23 L (6 US gal) mark and room for foam, plus a loose lid or a lid with an airlock. This is where fermentation starts.
2. Carboy with rubber stopper and airlock: glass or PET. You move the wine into it on day 14 to stabilize and clear.
3. Hydrometer: measures specific gravity (SG) so you know when fermentation is done. Medium-bodied kits start around 1.080 to 1.100 and must read below 0.996 before you stabilize.
4. Siphon and tubing: moves the wine off the sediment without disturbing it.
5. Long stirring spoon: for mixing on day 1 and stirring hard to degas on day 14.
6. Cleaner and sanitizer: clean and sanitize everything before it touches your wine. The instructions use B-Brite.
7. Bottles and corks, or wine bags: about 30 bottles of 750 mL per kit. If you use corks, you'll also need a corker.

You'll also need

• Drinking water: 3 L warm water to start, then top up to 23 L.
• A warm spot: keep the wine at 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F) for the whole process.
• About 4 weeks: day 1 fermentation, day 14 stabilizing, day 15 clearing, rack around day 28, then bottle once the wine is crystal clear.

Questions and tips

For winemaking tips and answers to common questions, visit QuestionsCentral.com. Still stuck? Contact us.

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