Winemaking Terms Defined: Winemaking Equipment

Here are a few definitions for equipment used by winemakers during fruit preparation and fermentation. These definitions are for home winemak­ing only; commercial wineries use larger, more sophisticated equip­ment, though the process and principles are the same.

air lock  a clear plastic device partially filled with water or sanitizer. It attaches to the top of a carboy and allows air to exit a container, but does not allow air or microbes to enter. Also called a fermentation lock or trap.

bung  a rubber stopper to close the opening of a carboy or jug. Those with holes drilled down the middle are used to attach air locks.

carboy  a very large jug made of glass or food-grade plastic. Com­mon sizes are three, five and six gallons.

crusher/destemmer  a device that prepares grapes for pressing by pre-crushing the fruit and removing stems.

hydrometer  a floating device that reads the density of a liquid com­pared to water. Most hydrometers have three scales: specific gravity, potential alcohol and Brix. When combined with previous readings and some math, you can get the estimated alcohol and sugar content of wine.

hydrometer jar (or cup)  a tall thin jar that the hydrometer should fit in vertically with room to spare so it will float when wine is added to the jar.

primary the container the wine is started in. The wine stays here during the initial, most active stage of fermentation, which takes 3-21 days. It should have plenty of head space to allow for the foaming that occurs. At this stage the wine needs some oxygen exposure, so the primary will be either a large food-grade plastic pail with a vented cover or a carboy or steel tank with no airlock. Also called fermenter.

racking cane  a cane-shaped rigid plastic tube that connects to a siphon hose, to make racking easier.

secondary  wine is transferred here after it is done in the primary. This could be a glass jug, a carboy, a steel tank or an oak barrel. It should have an air lock on it because at this stage the wine needs to be protected from oxygen.

siphon hose  a pliant food-grade plastic tube used to siphon wine from one container to another. Also called racking hose.

wine press  a device used to squeeze the juice out of fruit. These are the most common types:

basket press  crushed grapes are placed in the wooden basket, then a hand-powered screw forces a plate down to press the fruit.

bladder press  crushed grapes are placed in the large metal drum, then a rubber bladder inside the drum is filled with water or air to press the fruit against perforated sections of the drum. This type is faster but more expensive.

wine thief  a long rigid plastic or glass tube used to remove a small amount of wine from its container for testing or tasting. Dip the thief in the wine, seal its top opening with your thumb, hold it over another container and remove your thumb.

Sources: winemaking.jackkeller.net; morewinemaking.com; and www.winepros.org.