New to Wine Homebrew, Missing Instructions

[DrDarwin]

Hey all, some of you may know my handle from the beer side of these forums, but I've got a wine question today. My dad has a wine making kit that he's only used once, and apparently he has misplaced the directions for his next kit. He brought it over to brew today, and I'm trying to find some step-by-steps for us to follow.

The kit is a World Vineyard Vignoble du Monde home wine kit, and he appears to have all of the ingredients, yeast, etc... he's just missing the instructions.

Any help you can provide would be a weekend-saver!

 

[Yooper]

Hey all, some of you may know my handle from the beer side of these forums, but I've got a wine question today. My dad has a wine making kit that he's only used once, and apparently he has misplaced the directions for his next kit. He brought it over to brew today, and I'm trying to find some step-by-steps for us to follow.

The kit is a World Vineyard Vignoble du Monde home wine kit, and he appears to have all of the ingredients, yeast, etc... he's just missing the instructions.

Any help you can provide would be a weekend-saver!

You should be able to find them on the manufacturer's website, but I can give you the general idea.

First, see if you have a package #1 called something like "bentonite". There should be other packages, too, labeled #3, etc. See what you have and if you could post back with what you have, I can help with more detail and when to add them.

Take the #1 bentonite package and cut it open. In your sanitized fermenter (at least 6 gallons, an ale pail is perfect), add 1 gallon of hot water (from the tap is fine, it doesn't have to be that hot). Stir in the bentonite with a sanitized spoon. Stir it up well, until completely dissolved and no chunks remain. Then open the juice bag and pour it into that. Top that up to 6 gallons with cool water. If there is a package of wood chips (more like sawdust) stir that in, too. Stir well, and check the SG. It'll be around 1.085-1.100. Add the yeast, and cover and airlock. That's pretty much it for this step!

 

[DrDarwin]

I dug a little deeper and was able to find a pdf of the instructions.

Thanks for the short how-to, Yooper!

Since this thread's already up, what are some things that I can do to make this wine even better? I'm assuming since it's still a yeast gig, that fermentation temperatures are also critical in wine makeing, so I'll be throwing my dad's batch into my chamber, but what else can an advanced beer brewer do to make good wine?

 

[Yooper]

I dug a little deeper and was able to find a pdf of the instructions.

Thanks for the short how-to, Yooper!

Since this thread's already up, what are some things that I can do to make this wine even better? I'm assuming since it's still a yeast gig, that fermentation temperatures are also critical in wine makeing, so I'll be throwing my dad's batch into my chamber, but what else can an advanced beer brewer do to make good wine?

You know, wine kits are "Betty Crocker" simple. In a good wine kit, following the instructions actually makes the best product, so unlike beer kits!

The ONLY thing I'd consider changing is keeping the beer in the carboy (topped up) a bit longer than they directions say to go to bottle, and to add some sulfites at bottling, if aging. (It's in the "optional" area of the instructions, but it's important to do if aging, to prevent oxidation and help preserve the wine).

 

[DrDarwin]

Good stuff! Thanks again.

I noticed that the instructions use terms like, "warm," "hot," and "65-75" deg F. Are there specific target temperatures we should be going for here? Is there a more specific target range for these temps? The yeast pack doesn't even have an ideal range on it (thought I assume it falls in that 65-75 range.

 

[Yooper]

Good stuff! Thanks again.

I noticed that the instructions use terms like, "warm," "hot," and "65-75" deg F. Are there specific target temperatures we should be going for here? Is there a more specific target range for these temps? The yeast pack doesn't even have an ideal range on it (thought I assume it falls in that 65-75 range.

Wine yeast tends to have a HUGE temperature fermentation range but room temperature (under 78-80 or so) is fine, say 65-75 degrees, would be perfect!

 

[DrDarwin]

Excellent. I've got some beers fermenting away at 68... The wine will fit in nicely.

What about the warm and hot? Is it really insignificant enough that they don't need to specify temps?

 

[Yooper]

Excellent. I've got some beers fermenting away at 68... The wine will fit in nicely.

What about the warm and hot? Is it really insignificant enough that they don't need to specify temps?

Yes, I guess so! Even the "hot" water for the bentonite doesn't say boiling, not boiling, not near boiling, etc. It's just hot. And warm seems to be just warm!

But in my opinion, even though some wine yeast show a tolerance of up to 95 degrees, you create a much nicer wine at under 80 degrees, and even better at 75 degrees or less.

 

[DrDarwin]

I've got some follow on questions: Does wine benefit from a short period of heightened fermentation temperatures for "clean-up"? Also, would cold-crashing it be a good thing, bad thing, or would it cause no noticeable effect?

 

[Yooper]

I've got some follow on questions: Does wine benefit from a short period of heightened fermentation temperatures for "clean-up"? Also, would cold-crashing it be a good thing, bad thing, or would it cause no noticeable effect?

No need to ramp up any temperatures, as by that time you'll have been in secondary where the wine finishes.

Cold stabilization is very commonly done in wine, generally after clarification. I'm not sure it'll benefit a kit wine, but you could do it if you choose after all of the steps are done, including degassing, but before bottling.