Testing & Measurement Upgrade Shopping List
Stop guessing. Hydrometer, refractometer, pH, SO2, acid — the instruments that turn a hobby into a craft.
Every problem in winemaking — stuck ferment, off flavors, browning, harshness — has a number behind it. These are the tools that read the numbers.

What's on the list
Grouped by store aisle so you walk the shop in order — in and out without backtracking.
Sugar & Density
- Hydrometer + test jar
- Refractometer
pH & Acid
- pH meter
- pH test strips (backup)
- Acid titration kit
Sulfite
- Vinmetrica SO2 analyzer
Sampling
- Wine thief
- Digital scale
Who it's for
- Batch-two winemakers ready for the next instrument
- Anyone aging wine longer than 6 months
- Hobbyists who want repeatable results
Why you'll love it
Buy in order, not all at once
Refractometer earns its keep on batch two. Vinmetrica earns it on batch ten.
Backups for the meter
pH strips never let your dead-battery meter cost you a batch.
Sample without contamination
Wine thief means you taste at month 6, 9, 12 without opening the carboy.
Print it. Fold it. Take it to the shop.
We email you the PDF so you have it on every device — phone in the car, printer at home.
More shopping lists
View all
Beginner Supply Shopping List
The exact 15 items Russ hands you when you say 'okay, I'm actually going to make wine.'

Bottling Day Shopping List
Bottle, cork, capsule, label — the assembly line, in the right order, with nothing missing halfway through.

Premium Red Aging Shopping List
Built around an Amarone or Cab kit you plan to age 12+ months. Get the oak, the SO2, and the corks right.

Cleaning & Sanitation Starter Shopping List
The $40 shelf that saves your batch. Cleaning is not sanitizing — you need both, and this list spells out which is which.

Fresh Juice Pail Shopping List (Fall)
When you skip the kit and ferment a 6-gallon pail of California juice, this is what you add to your beginner setup.

Big-Batch Mass Production Shopping List
Four batches a year, forty pounds at a time. The upgrade gear that makes scale work without losing your mind.

White & Rosé Summer Shopping List
A lighter setup for whites and rosés you'll drink within a year. Cooler ferments, synthetic corks, less oak, more refreshment.

Gift Bundle Shopping List: For a New Winemaker
What you actually buy a friend who said 'that sounds fun.' Enough to make wine, not so much it scares them off.