IMPORTANT: Ensure that your primary fermenter is large enough for the juice bladder with space for foaming during fermentation. The number of weeks required to make your wine is indicated on the front of your kit box.

Winexpert Private Reserve Wine Kits

What's in Your Kit

  • Wine Base — unlabelled large bag consisting of grape juice concentrate
  • Reservoir (if included) — smaller bag
  • Grape Skins Bag — smaller bag
  • Muslin Bag — to hold grape skins
  • May contain Oak (granular, chips or cubes)
  • Yeast Pack (up to 2 packages)
  • Bentonite (up to 2 packages) — helps yeast activity and removes proteins
  • Sulphite/Sorbate Package — used to prevent oxidation and inhibit yeast growth
  • Fining Agents — Kieselsol and Chitosan — removes suspended particles, resulting in a clear stable wine

Specific Gravity (SG) by Stage

Day 1 S.G. Day 14 S.G.
1.080–1.100 <0.996

Equipment Needed

  • Primary Fermenter: Food-grade plastic container up to 30L (8 US gal)
  • Carboy: A glass or plastic carboy to hold 23L (6 US gal) fitted with a fermentation lock and stopper — see our 23 Litre Glass Carboy or 25 Litre Glass Carboy with Basket
  • Racking Tube & Tubing: Rigid, food-grade flexible tubing with a rigid plastic syphon rod and anti-sediment tip — see our Fermtech Auto Syphon 23L
  • Fermentation Lock & Stopper: Fits into the carboy and is half-filled with sulphite solution. Allows CO₂ to escape and prevents oxygen and spoilage organisms from entering the wine — see our Fermentation Airlock
  • Mixing Spoon: Food-grade plastic stirring utensil 70cm (28")
  • Solid Bung: Fits into carboys. Prevents oxygen and spoilage organisms from entering the wine once wine is fully degassed
  • Hydrometer: Used to check specific gravity at different stages — see our Wine & Beer Hydrometer with Glass Trial Jar
  • Wine Thief: Used to take samples from the primary and carboy
  • Bottle Filler: Automatically dispenses liquid when inserted into a bottle and stops liquid flow upon removal
  • Wine Bottles: 28–30 x 750ml (26 oz) bottles and corks

Step 1 — Day 1: Primary Fermentation

  1. Clean and sanitise all equipment to be used. Bring all kit components up to room temperature.
  2. Pour 2L (8 cups) 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 contents of the juice base bag into the primary fermenter. Rinse out bag with water and pour into fermenter.
  4. Top primary fermenter up to 23L (8 US gallons) mark with good quality, cool drinking water.
  5. Add Grape Skins: Sanitise the included muslin bag by dipping it into your sulphite solution. The included Sulphite/Sorbate packet is not used for this purpose. Open the zip of the muslin bag and add to container with the muslin bag. Open grape skin cap or cut along the bottom of the bag and squeeze grape skins into the muslin-lined container. Rinse out grape skin bag with 250ml (1 cup) of water and add to container. Pull the sides of the muslin bag up and tie with a single knot. Place bag of grape skins in primary fermenter along with any juice left in the container. GRAPE SKIN BAG MUST BE PUNCHED DOWN (SUBMERGED DAILY) UNTIL STEP 2.
  6. Stir vigorously for 3–4 minutes and take SG reading immediately. If SG is not in range, wait 10 minutes and repeat stirring. See General Information for details.
  7. If your kit contains Oak Chips and/or Granular Oak, add now and stir well. If your kit contains oak cubes, they will be added at a later stage.
  8. Sprinkle Dry Yeast on top of juice base (if your kit contains two packages of yeast, add both now).
  9. Place loose fitting lid, or primary lid with airlock filled halfway with sulphite solution on primary fermenter. The airlock is not used for this purpose.
  10. Keep fermentation area warm (20–25°C or 68–77°F) for the entire winemaking process.

Step 2 — Day 14: Stabilising/Degassing

  1. Check chart for required SG reading. Measure the SG. If wine is not in range, check again in 48 hours. If in range, record the number.
  2. Using sanitised spoon, carefully remove the grape skins bag from the fermenter. Gently press the juice out of the bag and into the fermenter. Discard bag.
  3. Using sanitised equipment, carefully syphon (rack) wine into a clean/sanitised carboy leaving sediment behind.
  4. Add contents of Sulphite/Sorbate package directly into the carboy of wine.
  5. Agitate wine using a sterilised stirring spoon. Vigorously stir wine, changing direction intermittently for 10 minutes. Alternatively, wine can be degassed using a drill with degassing attachment for 2–4 minutes at medium speed reversing direction every 30 seconds. See General Information for more detail on degassing.
  6. Stir in Kieselsol. If your kit contains two, add one package now. The other will be added at a later stage.
  7. Fit airlock filled halfway with sulphite solution into the neck of the carboy and leave for 24 hours.

Step 3 — Day 15: Clearing

  1. Stir in Chitosan(s).
  2. If your kit contains a second Kieselsol, stir in one hour after Chitosan addition.
  3. If your kit contains Oak Cubes, stir them in now.
  4. If your kit contains Reserve(s), stir in now.
  5. Replace airlock and leave wine to sit in a warm (20–25°C or 68–77°F), 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 clearing process according to the chart below.

Clearing Timetable

Wine Kit Polishing Rack Day Bottling Day
6–8 week Up to 54 days 56

Step 4 — Days 26–54: Polishing Rack/Aging

  1. Wine should be perfectly clear. If not, leave wine for another 7–14 days to finish clearing.
  2. Carefully rack wine off of sediment (and oak cubes if present) into a clean and sanitised carboy fitted with a solid bung.
  3. Allow wine to sit undisturbed a minimum of 2 days to allow settling.
    • Optional: If aging 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.
    • If filtering wine, do so at this stage. NEVER FILTER CLOUDY WINE.

Step 5 — Bottling (Clear Wine Only)

  1. Carefully syphon your wine into clean and sanitised bottles.
  2. Cork bottles and leave upright for 3–5 days allowing cork to expand. Invert or store on side to keep cork moist. Store wine at 11°C to 18°C or 52°F to 65°F. If choosing to carbonate wine, top up with a similar style wine and fit with a solid stopper. Bottle aging is the preferred method.

General Information

  • Clean and sanitise ALL equipment (bottles, hoses, primary fermenter, carboy, stirring spoon, etc.). Cleaning and sanitising is a two-step process:
    • Cleaning: A winemaking cleaner is required (not included). Rinse thoroughly after use.
    • Sanitising: Use a metabisulphite solution (not included). Rinse thoroughly after use. The Sulphite/Sorbate package is NOT for this use. For instructions to make a sulphite solution, visit winexpertathome.com.
  • When taking Day 1 specific gravity (SG) reading with a hydrometer, ensure that primary fermenter contents are well stirred. Take the SG reading immediately after stirring. Juice and water naturally want to separate and the juice base will sink to the bottom. This will not affect the fermentation but will skew the Day 1 reading. If the original SG is below the starting range, it is recommended to wait 5–6 hours, stir the primary fermenter vigorously and take another reading. Sugars from the grape skins need time to dissolve into the juice. For hydrometer tips, visit winexpertathome.com.
  • To ensure your wine is degassed:
    • Taste your wine. Remove a small sample from the carboy after degassing. If the wine is gritty on the tongue, repeat the degassing step. At this stage it will not taste as it will at bottling.
    • Fill a test jar halfway with degassed wine and give it a good shake with your hand covering the opening. If there is a big pop, then repeat the degassing step. If the popping sound is small then the wine is sufficiently degassed.

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