Instructions for Belvino wine kits. The instructions are the same for
all the Belvino kits
1. Start
A. First clean and sterilize
all your equipment, especially the fermenter, with a proper
homebrew cleaner/sterilizer, and rinse thoroughly. Washing up
liquid, campden tablets or similar will not do the job properly.
B. Empty the dried fruit pack into your
fermenter, add 4 kgs (8.8 lbs) of sugar
(5 kgs/11 lbs for dessert wine, fermentation will take longer).
Then add 3 litres (100 fl oz) of boiling water (not for glass
fermenters) and stir well to dissolve all the sugar. Add sachet 1e (enzyme) and stir well,
then leave for one hour. Top up to 23 litres (6 US gallons, 5
Imperial gallons) with lukewarm water, ideal water temperture is 25-30
C (77-86 F) and then add sachet 1c
(citric acid). Mix well and take a hydrometer
reading. Although you can skip the hydrometer reading, it is good
to have it for troubleshooting, calculation of alcohol etc.
C. Make sure that the liquid
temperature is below 30 C (86 F), then sprinkle (evenly over the
surface to avoid clumping ) sachets 1
(wine yeast) and 1d (bentonite)
onto the surface. Leave for 15 minutes then mix well.
D. Leave the brew to ferment at
room termperature, ideally 22-25 C (72-77F). Lower temperatures
may increase the fermentation time. Do not use an airlock - the
fruit may block it. Just put a clean cloth over the normal
airlock hole. Place the fermenter on a chair, table etc. to
simplify racking off later. Always consider the risk of a leak,
frothing etc. when you choose where to put the fermenter.
Fermentation should commence within 1-2 days and as a result you will
see foam on the surface.
2.
Fermentaion 5-6 days (10-15 days for 5 kgs of sugar)
Leave to ferment for 5-6 days (10-15
if you added 5 kgs of sugar) at room termperature, ideally 22-25 C
(72-77F). At the end of the period: check that fermentation is
over - no visible activity, same hydrometer reading 2 days running
(below 1000) and the wine should taste dry. If in any doubt wait
a few days to be on the safe side.
3.
After Fermentation
When you are absolutely certain that
fermentation is over:
A. Rack off your wine, pouring
it through a clean sieve or straining bag into another cleaned and
sterilized vessel, and remove the fruit.
B. Taste the wine to check the
sweetness. If your wine is dry it is now time to add sachet 2 (stabiliser). Then
remove CO2 from your wine by shaking or stirring vigorously for several
minutes (even better is to transfer it from one bucket to another
several times). Leave the wine for an hour, then repeat the
degassing. If some CO2 still remains, clearing will become more
difficult and in some cases fail altogether.
C. When all CO2 is removed
: Add sachet 3 (finings A)
and stir it in for 30 seconds. Leave until the next day.
4. One day
later
Add sachet
4 (finings B) and stir it in slowly for 30 seconds. You
should now stir up the sediment gently. Do not rack off between
finings A and finings B and do not try ot remove any CO2 at this
stage. Leave to clear in a cool place if possible. Place
your fermenter at a height suitable for racking off.
5.
Finally - time to bottle
When your wine is clear - normally
1-2 days after finings B has been added - it is time to bottle.
If you feel brave you can siphon it straight into bottles, but a safer
way is to rack off into another clean and sterilized vessel first and
then bottle it. Use wine bottles and good quality wine corks
which will improve the maturing. Your wine is now ready to drink
and it will improve and mature with further ageing in bottles.