Every supply a first-time winemaker needs — minus the wine itself. Russ has other bundles, but this is the one he hands you on day one.
This is Russ's first bundle — the one he sends to anyone who texts him 'okay, I want to actually try making wine, what do I need?' It's everything to ferment, clean, transfer, and bottle a 6-gallon batch. The only thing it doesn't include is the juice itself, because the juice is the kit you pick separately.
It's not a single box you buy. It's a curated shopping list. Each item links to its own page where Russ has compared a few retailers and flagged the best price he's seen recently.
Skip the screenshot. Get the printable PDF.
Free PDF · 15 items · Russ's Pick #1
Click any item to see the full breakdown and all retailer options.
6.5-Gallon Primary Fermenter BucketWhere every batch actually starts. A food-grade plastic bucket with a lid and a hole for an airlock.
$22Amazon
6-Gallon Glass CarboyThe big jug. Where wine lives between fermentation and bottling.
$48Amazon
3-Gallon Glass CarboyThe small one. For half-batches, top-ups, and second-stage racking.
↳ Optional but Russ-recommended
$35Amazon
Airlocks + Stoppers (3-Pack)The bubbling thing on top. Lets CO2 out, keeps everything else out.
↳ 3-pack — buy spares
$12Amazon
Stick-On Thermometer StripSlap it on the carboy. Read the temp. Done.
$5Amazon
Fermentation Heating BeltFor when your basement is too cold for the yeast to do their job.
↳ Skip if your space stays 68–75°F
$25Amazon
Auto-Siphon + Transfer TubingMoves wine from one container to another without a mouthful of sediment.
$18Amazon
Racking CaneThe rigid clear tube that pairs with your auto-siphon — and your backup when the siphon dies.
↳ Backup for the auto-siphon
$7Amazon
24-Inch Stirring SpoonA long plastic spoon. That's it. You really do need one.
$8Amazon
Hydrometer + Test JarThe glass stick that tells you when fermentation is actually done.
$14Amazon
Bottle + Carboy Brush SetFor getting into the corners no sanitizer can reach on its own.
$14Amazon
Star San Sanitizer (32 oz)The no-rinse sanitizer that prevents 90% of all beginner disasters.
$22Amazon
PBW Cleaner (1 lb)The actual cleaner. For the part Star San can't do.
$18Amazon
Bottle Drying TreeAn upside-down forest of clean bottles, ready for bottling day.
$32Amazon
Italian Floor CorkerCork 30 bottles in 20 minutes without wrecking your wrists.
↳ Or rent one for your first batch
$75Amazon
Best-price column shows the lowest price Russ has seen across the linked retailers. Prices last reviewed November 20, 2025.
Beginners either underbuy (and ruin batch one because they skipped sanitizer) or overbuy (and never use the refractometer). This is the actual middle: nothing fancy, nothing missing.
No juice kit — pick that based on what wine you want to drink. No bottles or corks (those are in the Bottling Day Bundle once you're closer to that step). No gadgets you won't use until batch four or five.
