Solomon Grundy 30 Bottle Kit Instructions

PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING

  • Make sure all your equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sterilised before starting.
  • Use any good home brew steriliser and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

STARTING FERMENTATION

  • Pour 5 litres boiling water into a 25 litre fermenter.
  • Add 3 kilos of white sugar for White and Rosé wines, and add 4 Kilos of white sugar for Red wines, and stir to dissolve.
  • Once dissolved, add the large bottle/can of concentrate (do not add the specially concentrated wine compound at this stage) then rinse out any remains with cold water.
  • Top up to 22.5 litres with cold water, then add sachets of Wine Yeast and Yeast Nutrient.
  • Stir well until the yeast particles disappear, then fit bung and airlock (half fill with cold water).
  • Transfer fermenter somewhere warm between 24º-30ºC to ferment for 5 days.
    Fermentation will take several more days to complete at lower temperatures, but will produce a better quality wine.
  • You must have a hydrometer if you want to make your wine in 7 days, if the hydrometer reads below 995 then you are ready to proceed.
  • If you do not have a hydrometer, wait until the airlock stops bubbling and taste the cloudy wine to make sure it is dry before adding the sachets referred to below.
  • Do not continue until you are sure fermentation is complete.

END OF FERMENTATION

  • Once fermentation is complete, add the sachets of Stabiliser and Wine Finings A (and sachet of Sweetener if making medium sweet wine kit).
  • Stir vigorously for at least 2 minutes to remove all gas (this is important for rapid clearing), then leave to stand for 1 hour.
  • All stabilisers give off gas when added to wine, do not inhale this.
  • It is now important that the wine is fully de-gassed before continuing, this is important for rapid clearing.
  • The best way of de-gassing your wine is to use a Degasser drill attachment.
  • Or transfer the gassy wine from bucket to bucket 10 times, the action of pouring will remove the gas.
  • Alternatively, the wine can be stirred vigorously - but make sure this is done for long enough to remove all the gas (usually takes at least 5 full minutes of stirring).

WHAT TO DO 1 HOUR LATER

  • Add the sachet of Wine Finings B and stir gently for 30 seconds, then leave to stand for a further 1 hour.

WHAT TO DO AFTER ANOTHER 1 HOUR

  • Add the sachet of Wine Finings C and the sachet of Wine Compound and stir well for a further 30 seconds.
  • Leave to stand somewhere cool, this will normally take 1 day.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR WINE IS CLEAR

  • Carefully syphon the clear wine into another 25 litre container, taking care not to disturb the sediment.
  • You are now ready to sweeten your wine, the information below gives recommended sugar additions.
  • We suggest you add only 2/3 or 3/4 of these amounts to begin with, stir fully to dissolve, then taste.
  • More sugar can then be added in small additions until your preferred level of sweetness is found.
  • Remember, you can always sweeten your wine further, but can never make it drier!

RECOMMENDED SUGAR ADDITION PER 22.5 LITRE

  • Chardonnay - 112g
  • Piesporter - 180g
  • Blush - 400g

WHAT FERMENTATION TEMPERATURE?

  • Aim for between 21-26ºC for optimum quality, higher temperatures will result in a lower quality wine because more off flavours are produced.
  • Temperatures down to 15ºC can be used, but will extend the fermentation time.

Shop for Solomon Grundy 30 Bottle Wine Kits and homemade wine kits

All of these varieties are available in 6 bottle versions including a range of country fruit wines.

Magnum Wine Kits is a fantastic alternative to the Solomon Grundy range, both needing sugar and offering similar results.