From The Vine – 4 week wine kit

The Fresh Kit…That’s Big on Taste!

Welcome to Home Wine Making made easy the Musca Wine Way! By following our step by step instructions, we will assist you in learning how easy it is to make our own High Quality Fine Wines at home. For optimal results, please remember to read the instructions carefully before you start. If you should require any assistance, we recommend you contact your nearest retailer. Cheers!

Equipment:

– 25L Primary Food Grade Plastic Fermentor with lid
– 23L or 19L Glass Carboy
– Syphon Hose
– Airlock and Stopper
– Hydrometer & Test Jar
– Spoon

Please Note: All equipment should be washed and sterilized with a metabisulphite solution (dissolve 50 grams of metabisulphite for every 4 or 5 Lt. of water). Remember to sterilize all equipment that will be coming into contact with your Concentrate or wine.

Step 1: Primary Fermentation

1. Pour the concentrate from the 5L pail into your Primary Fermentor.
2. Rinse any remaining concentrate from the 5L pail with warm water and empty into your Primary Fermentor.
3. Fill your Primary Fermentor up to 23L mark with lukewarm water. Take hydrometer reading. S.G. reading should be between 1.070 and 1.080, depending on wine style.
4. Mix contents thoroughly.
5. If your kit contains Oak Chips, soak them for 20 minutes in a cup of cold water and add to the Primary Fermentor.
6. When the contents of the Primary Fermentor reach room temperature (70 – 74 °F or 21 – 24 °C), you should sprinkle yeast on top or dissolve dry yeast in 2 oz. of warm water, NOT HOT (104 – 109 °F or 40 – 43 °C). Let stand for 15 minutes then stir well to suspend all yeast; add to must and stir.
7. Please ensure that the Primary Fermentor has an airtight lid fitted with an airlock and stopper. Remember to fill your airlock ½ full with tap water.
8. For best results, constant temperature of 70 – 74 °F or 21 – 24 °C should be maintained throughout the entire fermentation process.

Step 2: Secondary Fermentation

1. When the specific gravity of 1.010 or less is achieved (10 to 14 days approximately), you can then syphon the wine from your Primary Fermentor into a clean, sterilized 23L glass carboy, discarding sediment.

Once again, make sure your equipment is clean and sterilized!

2. Remember, your wine will continue to ferment for an additional 10 – 15 days (approximately), so a temperature of 70 – 74 °F or 21 – 24 °C should still be maintained until specific gravity of .994 or less is achieved.
3. Syphon your wine into a clean, sterilized 23L glass carboy, leaving behind the sediment. Top up with water to within 2” – 3” of bottom of stopper. Proceed with stabilizing and clearing your wine.

Step 3: Stabilizing and Clearing

1. Now that your wine has finished fermenting, you may now stabilize and clarify your wine.
2. Remove 1 cup of wine from the 23L glass carboy and add Package #1 (Stabilizer & Clarifier) to it. Mix well and pour back into the 23L glass carboy and stir slowly.
3. Move glass carboy to a cool area (60 °F or 15°C), if available. Place your glass carboy on a table top or counter. This will facilitate your racking.
4. Allow your wine to sit for 10 – 15 days (approximately) for clearing. Remember, the colder the temperature, the faster your wine will clear.
5. Once your wine is clear, it is ready to be racked and bottled.

Step 4: Bottling and Storage

1. Remember to bottle your wine only if it is crystal clear. Never bottle a cloudy wine. Filtering your wine is optional and will improve your wine’s clarity. Filtering your wine is recommended, especially for those wines you would like to bottle age for more than six months.
2. If you are using Musca Wine Corks, soaking and sterilizing is not required.
3. When inserting corks into your bottles, it is recommended to keep your bottles upright for 24 hours and then place them on your wine rack on their sides.
4. Please store your wines in a cool (60 °F or 15°C), dark area.

Please Note: All wines will improve with age. Cheers!