Vineco Original Series Instructions

Gather Your Equipment

Before you begin making your VineCo Original Series Wine Kit, you'll need to gather some basic wine making equipment.

You'll need at least 2 x fermenting vessels, such as a plastic fermenter and glass carboy, along with a stopper and airlock.

You will also need a thermometer, hydrometer, and some siphoning equipment.

For an all-in-one, bundle check out our wine making starter kit which includes a plastic fermenter and all other basic equipment.

If you opt for our bundle please bare in mind you will need another fermentation vessel the cheapest option being a bucket.

The number of weeks required to make your wine is indicated on the front of your kit box.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY (S.G.) BY STAGE
WINE KIT DAY 1 S.G. DAY 14 S.G.
4 Week 1.070 - 1.097 < 0.996 
6 Week 1.080 - 1.100 < 0.996 
8 Week 1.080 - 1.100 < 0.996 

Wine Kit Instructions

STEP 1 DAY 1 - PRIMARY FERMENTATION

  1. Clean and sanitize equipment to be used, and bring all kit components up to room temperature.

  2. Pour 2 L of hot tap water into the bottom of the primary fermenter and stir in Bentonite, mix well.
    It is normal for Bentonite to not fully dissolve in water.

  3. Pour the contents of the juice base bag into the primary fermenter. Rinse the bag with water and add to the primary fermenter.
    If there are two bags, use the larger one now. The reserve (small bag) is not added at this step.

  4. Top primary fermenter up to 23 L mark with good quality, cool drinking water.

  5. If your kit contains Oak Chips or Granular Oak, stir in now. If your kit contains oak cubes, they will be added at a later stage.

  6. Stir well. Use a hydrometer to measure and record the Day 1 Specific Gravity (S.G.) in the chart provided in these instructions.

  7. Sprinkle Dry Yeast on top of the juice base (if your kit contains two packages of yeast, add both now).

  8. Place a loose-fitting lid, or primary lid with an airlock filled halfway with a sulphite solution, on the primary fermenter.
    The included sulphite/sorbate packet is not used for this purpose.

  9. Keep the fermentation area warm (20 °C to 25 °C) for the entire winemaking process.

STEP 2 DAY 14 - STABILIZING/DEGASSING

  1. Check chart for required S.G. reading. Measure the S.G. If wine is not in range, check again in 48 hours. If in range, record the number.

  2. Using sanitized equipment, carefully syphon (rack) wine into a clean/sanitized carboy, leaving sediment behind.

  3. Add contents of Potassium Metabisulphite/Potassium Sorbate directly into the carboy of wine.

  4. Agitate wine using a sterilized stirring spoon. Vigorously stir wine, changing direction intermittently, for 10 minutes.
    Alternately, wine can be degassed using a drill with degassing attachment for 2-4 minutes at medium speed, reversing direction every 30 seconds.

  5. Stir in Kieselsol. If your kit contains two, add one package now. The other will be added at a later stage.

  6. Fit an airlock filled halfway with sulphite solution into the neck of the carboy and leave for 24 hours.

STEP 3 DAY 15 - CLEARING

  1. Stir the contents of the Reserve(s) into the carboy, if included.

  2. Stir in package Chitosan(s).

  3. If your kit contains a second Kieselsol, stir in one hour after the Chitosan addition.

  4. If your kit contains Oak Cubes, stir them in now.

  5. Replace the airlock and leave the wine to sit in a warm (20 °C to 25 °C), an undisturbed area away from direct heat and light.

  6. After 5 days, give the carboy a twist (without lifting) to allow any sediment stuck to the walls of the carboy to drop.

  7. Continue the clearing process according to the chart below.

    Topping up the carboy during the clearing process is not required. If choosing to top up, use a similar style of wine, water is not recommended.
CLEARING TIMETABLE
WINE KIT POLISHING RACK DAY BOTTLING DAY
4 Week 26 28
6 Week 40 42
8 Week 54 56

STEP 4 DAY 26-54 - POLISHING RACK/AGEING

  1. The wine should be perfectly clear. If not, leave the wine another 7-14 days to finish clearing.

  2. Carefully rack the wine off of sediment (and oak cubes if present) into a clean and sanitized carboy fitted with a solid bung.

  3. Leave wine to sit undisturbed for a minimum of 2 days to allow settling.

    Optional Steps:

    a) If ageing your wine longer than 3 months, add 1.5g (1/4 tsp) of potassium metabisulphite to the wine at this time to help preserve flavour and colour.

    b) If filtering wine, do so at this stage. NEVER FILTER CLOUDY WINE.

Should you have a particularly stubborn wine many home brewers have found great success using a Vinbrite Filter Kit.

STEP 5 BOTTLING (CLEAR WINE ONLY)

  1. Carefully syphon your wine into clean and sanitized bottles.

    If you are in need of clear wine bottles or green wine bottles please check out our website.

  2. Cork bottles and leave upright for 3-5 days, allowing the cork to expand.

    Invert or store on the side to keep the cork moist. Store wine at 11 °C to 18 °C.

    We offer a variety of wine corks, wine bottle corker and if you are looking for a professional finish check out our bottle seals.

    If choosing to carboy age wine, top-up with a similar style wine and fit with a solid stopper. Bottle ageing is the preferred method.

Shop for Vineco Original Series and homemade wine kits

Winexpert Classic Wine Kits is a fantastic alternative to the VineoCo Original Series range offering the same amount of juice and procedure.

If you are looking to make a wine with more depth and flavour we suggest trying Winexpert Reserve Wine Kits