How to Make Wine at Home: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Making wine at home is one of the most rewarding things a Canadian household can take on. You'll produce 30 bottles of genuinely good wine — at a fraction of the retail price — in as little as four to eight weeks. This guide walks you through the full process from start to finish, using a standard wine kit.

What you'll need

Before you start, gather your equipment. A complete starter kit typically includes:

• Primary fermenter — a food-grade 30L plastic pail with a lid
• Glass or plastic carboy — 23L, for secondary fermentation
• Airlock and bung — to seal the carboy while letting CO2 escape
• Hydrometer — to measure specific gravity and track fermentation
• Siphon and racking cane — for transferring wine without disturbing sediment
• Bottle filler — a spring-tip wand for clean, spill-free bottling
• Bottles, corks, and a corker — 30 standard 750mL bottles per batch
• No-rinse sanitizer — the most important item of all

You'll also need your wine kit. For beginners, we recommend starting with an entry-level kit such as the RJS Original Series or the Vineco Original Series. These kits are designed to be forgiving, ferment reliably, and produce consistently good results.

Step 1: Sanitize everything

Clean equipment is the single most important factor in making good wine. Before touching anything that will contact your wine, sanitize it thoroughly. Mix no-rinse sanitizer (like Chempro SDP or Star San) according to the package directions, rinse all equipment, and let it drain — no rinsing required. Any bacteria or wild yeast left on your equipment can spoil the batch.

Step 2: Mix the juice

Pour the wine kit concentrate into your sanitized primary fermenter. Add water to the 23-litre mark, stirring well to blend the juice and water. Most kits include an oak sachet or additives at this stage — add them as directed in your kit’s instructions. Take a hydrometer reading and record it. This is your starting specific gravity (SG) — usually between 1.080 and 1.100 for most kits.

Step 3: Add the yeast

Check the temperature of your juice — it should be between 20°C and 24°C. Too cold and the yeast won’t activate; too warm and you risk off-flavours. Sprinkle the yeast sachet over the surface of the juice, stir it in, and secure the lid loosely. Place the fermenter somewhere with a stable temperature.

Step 4: Primary fermentation (Days 1–7)

Within 12–24 hours you should see active bubbling and foaming — fermentation is working. Leave the wine alone during this phase. After 5–7 days, take a hydrometer reading. When the SG drops to around 1.010 or below, you’re ready to rack to the carboy.

Step 5: Rack to the carboy

Siphon the wine from the primary fermenter into your sanitized carboy, leaving the sediment (lees) behind. Top up with water if needed and fit the airlock. Move the carboy to a cool, dark location. Fermentation continues slowly for another 1–3 weeks.

Step 6: Clear and stabilize

Once fermentation is complete (SG stable at 0.996–0.998 for two consecutive days), add the fining and stabilizing agents from your kit. These prevent oxidation, stop re-fermentation in the bottle, and clear the wine. Stir vigorously for 1–2 minutes after adding finings to degas the wine. Leave undisturbed for 8–14 days to clear completely.

Step 7: Bottle

Hold your carboy up to a light. The wine should be brilliantly clear. If it’s still hazy, give it more time — bottling cloudy wine is one of the most common beginner mistakes. When clear, siphon into sanitized bottles using a bottle filler. Cork immediately, label, and store.

When can you drink it?

Entry-level kits are drinkable immediately after bottling, though most improve with 2–4 weeks of rest. Premium reds can age 12 months or more. This is one of the great pleasures of home winemaking — you can lay down bottles and watch the wine develop over time.

Common questions

How many bottles does a kit make?

A standard 23L wine kit makes approximately 30 bottles (750mL).

Can I make sweeter wine?

Yes. After stabilizing, back-sweeten by dissolving sugar in a small amount of warm wine and stirring it back into the batch.

Does it need refrigeration?

No. Properly sulphited wine stores well at room temperature, away from heat and light.

Questions about your first batch? Call or email us — we’re based in Toronto and happy to help you get started.