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Guide

How to make wine from a kit, step by step

How to make wine from a kit: equipment, fermenting at kit temperatures, degassing, stabilizing and clearing, bottling and corking, with sulfite notes.

Updated November 2026 · 7 min read

A glass of red wine on a plain light background
Photo: Davide Restivo from Lenzburg, Aarau, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The short version
  • Learning how to make wine from a kit is mostly following the sheet in the box: kits are built for a 4–8 week timeline.
  • You need a 6–8 gal primary, a 6 gal carboy, a hydrometer, a degassing tool, a siphon, 30 bottles and a corker for a standard 6 gal (23 L) kit.
  • WineMaker’s kit guide: ferment warm (kits often call for 72–77°F, 22–25°C), and degas fully before fining day or the wine will not clear.
  • Kits include sulfite and sorbate packets; add them exactly when the sheet says, and tell sulfite-sensitive guests.
  • Bulk-age or bottle-age a few extra weeks if you can; most kit reds improve with time.

How to make wine from a kit is the easiest question in home winemaking, because the kit does most of the thinking. A wine kit contains concentrated grape juice (sometimes with skins or oak), a yeast sachet and numbered additive packets: usually bentonite, sulfite, sorbate and a two-part clarifier. Your job is clean equipment, the right temperature and patience.

This guide follows the general order printed on most 6 gal (23 L) kits and the technique notes in WineMaker magazine’s kit articles. Your kit’s instruction sheet always wins over this summary; where it gives a day or a gravity, use it. We compare kit instructions, listings and published guides; we did not make these kits.

What you need

Equipment for a 6 gal (23 L) wine kit

ItemWhyNotes
Primary fermenter, 7.9 gal (30 L) or largerRoom for foaming in the first week✓ Bucket with lid and airlock grommet
6 gal (23 L) carboyClearing and aging with little headspace~ Glass, PET or a wide-mouth fermenter
Hydrometer and test jarGravity readings decide each step✓ Essential
Degassing rod or whipKits must be degassed before fining✓ Drill-mounted saves time
Siphon and tubingRacking off sediment✓ Auto-siphon is easiest
30 × 750 mL bottles, corks, corkerPackaging~ Floor corkers take the least effort
Cleaner and no-rinse sanitizerSanitation✓ Use at label dilution

Source: Typical kit instruction sheets; equipment kit listings

An equipment starter kit covers most of the table. Check the listing for what it leaves out: the Master Vintner starter kit, for example, lists a wine ingredient kit and bottles as things you still need.

Choosing a wine kit

Kits differ mainly in juice volume and concentration, whether they include grape skins or oak, and how long they take. Premium kits with skins (such as RJ Spagnols En Primeur, which lists about six weeks) aim for more body; quicker kits are ready in about four weeks per their makers. Read the “includes” line: the Fontana Merlot listing, for instance, names bentonite, sulphite, sorbate, chitosan and kieselsol. Chitosan is shellfish-derived, worth knowing if you pour for guests with allergies.

New to fermenting? A 1 gal (3.8 L) kit like the Craft A Brew Cabernet makes five bottles and uses smaller gear, a low-stakes way to learn the steps before committing to 30 bottles.

How to make wine from a kit: the steps

  1. Clean and sanitize everything

    Clean first, then sanitize with a no-rinse sanitizer at label dilution. See cleaning vs sanitizing.

    Five Star Star San Acid Sanitizer, 32 ozFive Star PBW Alkaline Cleaner, 1 lb
  2. Mix the juice and add bentonite

    Most kits start with bentonite stirred into warm water in the primary, then the juice concentrate and top-up water to the line on the sheet. Stir hard.

  3. Take a starting gravity

    Record the specific gravity; the sheet lists the expected range. You will need it for the ABV calculator.

    SOLIGT Triple Scale Hydrometer & Glass Test Jar Kit
  4. Pitch the yeast at kit temperature

    WineMaker notes kits often call for 72–77°F (22–25°C), warmer than traditional grape winemaking, because they are designed to finish fast. Sprinkle the yeast as the sheet says and fit the lid and airlock.

  5. Primary fermentation

    At the warm end, WineMaker says fermentation may finish in about five days; at the cool end, roughly twice as long. Avoid temperatures above about 100°F (37°C), which can produce off-flavors.

  6. Rack to the carboy

    When the gravity reaches the number on the sheet, siphon the wine into the carboy, leaving the heavy sediment behind, and let it finish.

  7. Confirm it is dry

    Most sheets want a specific gravity just below 1.000 that holds steady over two days before stabilizing.

  8. Degas, stabilize and fine

    Add the sulfite and sorbate packets in the order printed, then degas thoroughly; WineMaker says the only way to get brilliant clarity is to degas fully at or before fining day, keeping the wine warm. Then add the clarifier packets in order.

    Fermtech The Whip Wine Degasser
  9. Clear, rack and bottle

    Leave it undisturbed for the clearing time on the sheet, rack off the sediment, then bottle and cork. Store bottles on their side once the corks have set, per the cork maker.

    North Mountain Supply Portuguese Floor Corker + 100 #9 CorksNomacorc Synthetic Wine Corks, 100 ct
  10. Age and log

    Many kit reds improve with a few extra months. Note dates and gravities in the brew-day log.

A white bucket of fermenting red grape must in a home kitchen
Primary fermentation happens in an open bucket.Photo: Tim Patterson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kit timing and temperatures by the numbers

Temperature landmarks for kit fermentation

From WineMaker’s kit fermentation article

Kit range, low endKit range, low end: 72°F72°FKit range, high endKit range, high end: 77°F77°FOff-flavors likelyOff-flavors likely: 100°F100°FYeast seriously injuredYeast seriously injured: 120°F120°F
Source: WineMaker: Fermenting and degassing wine kits

Typical 6 gal kit timeline (your sheet may differ)

StageRoughly whenCheck
PrimaryDays 1–7Gravity reaches the rack point on the sheet
SecondaryDays 7–14Gravity steady just under 1.000
Stabilize, degas, fineAround day 14No fizz when you shake a sample
ClearingDays 15–28 (4-week kits) or longerWine is bright when held to a light
BottlingWeek 4, 6 or 8 depending on kitRack off sediment first

Source: General pattern of 4–8 week kit instruction sheets; WineMaker

WineMaker also gives a quick test for leftover CO2: half-fill a hydrometer jar, shake it for 60 seconds and compare with an unshaken sample. If the shaken one fizzes or tastes sharp, keep degassing.

Bottles, corks and storage

A 6 gal (23 L) kit fills about thirty 750 mL bottles. Reused commercial wine bottles work if they take a standard cork (screw-cap bottles will not seal with a cork). Soak off labels, clean the bottles, and sanitize them on bottling day; a bottle rinser and drying tree speed this up.

Hundreds of plain natural wine corks
Natural corks need a corker and bottles stored on their side.Photo: Kotivalo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Corks. Size #9 corks are the usual size for standard wine bottles with a floor corker; #8 corks are easier to drive with a hand corker. Synthetic corks resist drying out and taint; natural and agglomerated corks are traditional. Follow the cork maker’s guidance on soaking (many say do not soak) and on how long to keep bottles upright after corking so the cork can expand before you lay them down.

Corkers. Double-lever hand corkers are cheap and portable but take effort for 30 bottles. A floor corker compresses the cork and drives it in one pull, which matters when you are bottling several kits a year.

Storage. Keep bottles cool, dark and steady. Big temperature swings push wine past the cork. Virginia Tech’s home winemaking guide suggests storing finished bottles at 50–60°F, which a basement often manages better than a garage.

Sulfites, safety and the law

The sulfite packet (potassium metabisulfite) protects the wine from oxidation and spoilage, and the sorbate packet keeps leftover yeast from restarting fermentation once you sweeten or bottle. TTB requires commercial wine with 10 ppm or more of sulfur dioxide to say “Contains sulfites”, and FDA uses the same 10 ppm threshold for foods. Home wine has no label, so tell guests who are sensitive to sulfites, often people with asthma.

Sulfites and sensitive guestsCampden tablets and potassium metabisulfite add sulfites. Commercial wine at 10 ppm or more must say “Contains sulfites”; home wine is not labeled, so tell sulfite-sensitive guests (often people with asthma).Source: TTB: sulfite declaration
Chemicals: label directions onlyUse sanitizers, cleaners, acids and salts only at the dilution and contact time on the label. Wear eye protection with acids and powders, add acid to water, keep them away from children and food prep. Star San is EPA-registered (Reg. No. 65001-1) as a no-rinse sanitizer at label dilution.Source: EPA Star San label
Glass carboys breakGlass carboys can break and cut. Use a good carboy handle and always support the bottom when you move a full one; a crate or carrier under the base helps on slippery floors. Never pour hot wort into cold glass. PET and stainless avoid the risk.Source: Craft Beer & Brewing: Homebrew safety

Federal rules let a household make up to 100 gal of wine (including cider and mead) a year with one adult, or 200 gal with two or more, for personal or family use only and never for sale (27 CFR 24.75). See is homebrewing legal for the details.

Common wine kit mistakes

  • Fermenting too cool. Kits are designed for warm fermentation; a cold basement stretches the schedule and can leave gas in the wine.
  • Skimping on degassing. Gassy wine will not clear and tastes sharp.
  • Racking before fining. Kit makers warn that racking off the sediment before the fining step can stop the wine from clearing; follow the sheet’s order.
  • Adding packets out of order. Sulfite, sorbate and the two-part clarifier work in sequence.
  • Topping up with water. It dilutes the wine; most sheets allow a small amount or none.
  • Bottling cloudy wine. Give it more time; sediment in the bottle is permanent.

Which kit should you start with?

Start with a 1 gal kit if you want to learn the steps cheaply or have no space. Pick a 4-week 6 gal kit if you want 30 bottles quickly. Choose a premium kit with skins if you are willing to wait and want a fuller red. Want fresh fruit instead? See how to make fruit wine. Want it sweeter? Read stabilize and backsweeten first. All kits live in the wine, cider, mead and kombucha category.

Know what’s in the glassHomebrew is often stronger than commercial beer. One US standard drink is 14 g of alcohol: 12 oz of 5% beer or 5 oz of 12% wine. Brewing and drinking are for adults 21 and over; never drink and drive.Source: NIAAA: What is a standard drink?

Gear picks for this guide: best wine making kits and best wine yeast.

ABV calculatorWork out ABV from OG and FG with the standard and high-gravity formulas, hydrometer temperature correction,…Printable brew-day log and recipe sheetFree brew-day log: record recipe, water and salts, mash, gravities, yeast, fermentation temperatures,…

Questions

How long does it take to make wine from a kit?
Most kits are designed for 4, 6 or 8 weeks to bottling, per their makers. Many reds keep improving for months after that.
Do I need to degas wine from a kit?
Yes. WineMaker’s kit guide says natural degassing takes an unpredictable time and that full degassing at or before fining day is the way to get clear wine.
What temperature should a wine kit ferment at?
Follow the sheet. WineMaker notes kits often call for 72–77°F (22–25°C), warmer than traditional grape wine.
Can I make wine from a kit without a carboy?
You need a second vessel sized close to the batch for clearing with little headspace. Glass, PET or a wide-mouth fermenter all work.
Is homemade kit wine safe to drink?
Kit wine made with clean, sanitized equipment and the included additives is ordinary wine. Fermentation does not make it “blinding”; see the methanol guide. Drink it like any wine, as an adult of legal age.
Why do wine kits include sulfites?
Sulfite protects against oxidation and spoilage. Commercial wine at 10 ppm or more must be labeled “Contains sulfites” (TTB), so tell sulfite-sensitive guests.

Sources

  1. WineMaker: Fermenting and degassing wine kits (Tim Vandergrift)
  2. TTB: Wine labeling, declaration of sulfites
  3. 21 CFR 101.100: Food; exemptions from labeling (sulfites, Cornell LII)
  4. 27 CFR 24.75: Wine for personal or family use (Cornell LII)
  5. EPA: Star San label (Reg. No. 65001-1, PDF)
  6. Virginia Tech Extension HORT-213: Wine making for the home gardener
  7. NIAAA: What is a standard drink?