Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe,
10110 Hyatt Hill, Dundee, NY 14837
HOURS: We are open all year round! We have
always been closed on Mondays.
Free catalog, mail order of supplies but not grapes and juices.
We
welcome you to the timeless art that is winemaking! With these easy step-by-step
instructions, you can produce top quality wines in a reasonably short time –
and at little cost. If this is your first batch, rest assured that you will soon
be serving wine as delectable as the vintages you used to buy at the store. It’s
as simple as following the steps that are clearly laid out for you. If you have
made wine before, you will note that our process varies little from standard
winemaking procedures.
Please
read the instructions carefully before you begin.
Important:
Please
Read All Instructions Carefully Before Proceeding
Before
you begin, the importance of sanitation in the winemaking process can not be
stressed enough. Everything that touches your wine (all equipment) must be
sanitized with a recognized sanitizing solution. Just as important is thoroughly
rinsing off all equipment after the sanitation procedure. Please use the
following instructions as outlined taking care to measure the specific
gravity. This allows the wine to tell you when to proceed to the next step. If
you have any questions beyond these instructions please contact your local
winemaking supply store or call our help line.
Now,
let’s begin!
Required
Equipment
Primary
Fermenter: Food-grade
plastic container ( 27-46
litre) with
cover. Fermenter should be well marked at the 23
litre (5 imp
gal/6 US gal) level. To do this, fill Carboy with water, pour into Fermenter,
mark
water level on outside of Fermenter.
Carboy
– 23 litre (5 imp gal/6 US gal): Either
glass (recommended) or food-grade plastic.
Airlock
& Rubber Bung: One-way
valve to seal Carboy at neck. Airlock must be half-filled with water and
attached
to Carboy when it is filled with wine.
Siphon
Assembly: 4
feet of food-grade plastic tubing attached to a rigid acrylic rod.
Hydrometer
& Test Cylinder: Measures
specific gravity to monitor fermentation & sugar levels.
Spoon:
Food-grade
plastic, approximately 28in./70cm. long.
Package
of Cleaner
Package
of Sulphite
Suggested
Equipment
Measuring
Cup: 2
cup/500 ml.
Floating
Thermometer: Tracks
fermentation temperature.
Wine
Thief: To
remove wine samples from primary or carboy.
30
Wine Bottles: 750
ml.
30
Wine Bottle Closures: Synthetic
or high grade corks are recommended to maintain the integrity of the wine.
Corker:
Used with
corks only. This can be bought from a retailer.
Bottle-filling
Wand
Additives
(included in kit)
Package
1: Bentonite Also
in Kit:
Package
2A: Sulphite
RJ Spagnols wine yeast
Package
2B: Potassium
Sorbate (may contain 2 packages) Oak Chips (optional)
Package
D1: Kieselsol
Package
D2: Chitosan
NOTE:
Your kit may
include any of the following: oak infusion bag, oak powder, sweetening blend,
finishing blend, dehydrated fruit or Süss Reserve. Do not use or substitute
additive packages from other wine kits!
Brand:____________________
Wine
Style:________________
Product
Date Code: (on box
label)____________
Primary
Fermentation (Specific
Gravity 1.074-1.110)
DAY
1 Date_____________________ SG______________________
1.
Clean and sanitize Primary
Fermenter, Lid, Wine Thief, Test Cylinder & Spoon. Make
sure everything is well-rinsed before you begin.
2.
Add 4 litres
of warm water
to the Primary
Fermenter. Stirring
constantly, slowly add Pkg.
#1 Bentonite to
water until dispersed.
3.
Empty contents of juice/Concentrate
Bag into
mixture in Primary
Fermenter.
4.
Rinse Bag with
hot water and
add to Primary
Fermenter.
5.
Add cool
water to Primary
Fermenter up
to the 23 litre
(5 imp gal/6 US gal) mark. Check to make sure the water temperature in Primary
Fermenter is
between 20-25°C/70-80°F.
Stir
vigorously.
NOTE:
Some wine kits
may contain Oak powder/chips.
Oak
powder/chips – If your wine kit does, open it and add it now. Stir vigorously.
Dehydrated
fruit – If your wine kit does, re-hydrate in hot water and add mixture to
primary fermenter. Stir vigorously.
Oak
chip infusion bag (resembling a tea bag) – If your wine kit does, soak it
submersed in 1 cup of hot water for 10 min. Do not open infusion bag. Add water
and infusion bag to primary fermenter.
6.
Using the wine thief, fill the test
cylinder. Record
specific gravity (S.G.). For a table wine it should be 1.074-1.110
(depending on
the wine kit).
7.
Sprinkle yeast
over the
surface of the juice. Do not stir.
8.
Place cover (or lid with Airlock
and Rubber Bung)
onto Primary
Fermenter. If
Airlock and bung are used fill the Airlock half-full of water or mild sulphite
solution.
9.
Place Primary
Fermenter in
a warm, raised area about 3-
4 feet high,
where it will be undisturbed.
NOTE:
Within 2 days the
wine will show signs of fermentation (bubbling or foaming). If this does not
happen, call your retailer
NOTE:
For makers of
Cellar Classic Barolo, Shiraz and Bella Bianco kits only – Your wine will have
a final S.G.between 0.999 and 1.004. This is normal. If within this range
proceed to STABILIZING AND CLEARING.
Stabilizing
& Clearing (Specific
Gravity 0.998 or lower)
DAY
14 (approx.) Date_____________________ SG_________________
1.
Clean and sanitize siphon
hose, carboy and mixing spoon.
2.
Siphon wine into a sanitized 23
litre 5 imp gal/6 US gal) carboy or primary bucket (optional).
Discard sediment in primary fermenter.
3.
Add Pkg.
#2A Sulphite to
the carboy
and stir
vigorously.
4.
Add Pkg.
#2B Potassium Sorbate (if
your kit contains 2 packages add both) to the carboy
and stir
vigorously.
5.
If your wine kit includes finishing blend or sweetening blend, please refer to
label instructions and add now.
6.
Degas wine
vigorously for 5 minutes by stirring with the handle of a spoon or with a drill
mounted stirring device. INSUFFICIENT
STIRRING WILL PREVENT THE WINE FROM CLEARING ADEQUATELY.
7.
Add Packet D1 (Kieselsol) to wine and stir for 1 minute. Then
add D2
(Chitosan) and stir well. Important:
Do not reverse the order of Kieselsol and Chitosan.
Degas wine for 5 minutes by stirring vigorously.
8.
If in primary bucket, rack back into carboy. Attach bung and airlock.
9.
Top up to within two inches of the airlock. Attach bung and airlock.
10.
Let wine stand until Day
42 in an
elevated cool area (15-19ºC/59-66ºF).
OPTIONAL:
After
approximately 10 days optional racking may be done. Simply rack the wine into a
fresh, clean sanitized carboy, top up if necessary and discard the sediment.
Bottling
& Corking
DAY
42 Date___________________ SG__________________________
NOTE:
Only crystal
clear wine is suitable for bottling. If wine is cloudy, wait an additional few
days for wine to clear. At this point you may wish to filter (polish) your wine
prior to bottling.
1. Clean and sanitize the Primary Fermenter, Siphon Assembly and Wine Bottles. Make sure everything is well-rinsed before you begin.
2.
Siphon the wine into Primary
Fermenter. (Filtering
optional)
3.
If ageing past 6 months we suggest adding an extra 1/4
teaspoon of
sulphite to the Primary Fermenter to prevent premature oxidation of the wine.
4.
Insert Corks
using proper
corking machine.
5.
Keep Wine Bottles upright for 1 day. Then age Wine Bottles on their sides to
keep Corks moist.
6.
Keep your wine in a temperature-controlled environment (less
than 16°C /60°F) out
of direct light, for 2-3 months prior to consuming.
Enjoy!
QUESTIONS
OR COMMENTS?
Please
contact your local home winemaking shop or in
Canada
and the United States or call our toll-free help line
1-800-663-0954
or
fax us toll-free at
1-888-557-7557