Wine Kit Tips

 

I'm not a great fan of making wine with kits.  I think it is because I'm basically too cheap or maybe it is because I want to do it "The Old World" way.  Like telling time by the position of the sun.  How many of use do that? 

 

Wine kits do have their advantages.  For a person just starting out they provide a very easy way to get into the hobby.  For the more experienced winemakers, they can save time.  Overall, they are easy to use and usually pretty fool-proof. 

 

Here are a few tips to use when making wine from a kit.

 

Read the instructions -  Different kits have different instructions as to when to add things or the manufacturer has found a better way.

 

Cleanliness - Hey you drink this stuff, so if your equipment is full of crud, your wine will be full of crud.

 

Write it down - keeping track of your wine allows you to see how you made great wine or lousy wine.  I generally write down the ingredients, the date started, original gravity, when racked etc.

 

Keep fermenters full - Pretty much a no-brainer.  Don't put 3 gallons of wine in a 5 gallon carboy and allow tons of space.  That will generally cause oxidation and make a very bad wine.  You can either fill your fermenter with water or I use a watered down peach wine to fill most of my fermenters.

 

Stir well - Juice concentrate and water need to be blend very well.  So stir like crazy and make sure it is thoroughly mixed.

 

Control temperature - Make sure that the temperature where your wine is fermenting is between 68 - 72 degrees F.  Also, try and keep it from doing to extremes.  ie from 60 to 80 in a matter of a few hours.

 

Time - Take your time.  Most kits will be ready to bottle in 1 to 2 months but the wine should age for at least 6 months.

 

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