Now it's time to start putting some of the ingredients together. We won't use all of them right now, but we will soon!

1. Peel the white label from the top of your Winexpert kit and place it on the instructions in the space indicated. This gives you a record of the type of kit and manufacture date. This information will be required should you have any questions or comments or have a kit that fails.
2. Open the box that contains your wine kit. Be careful to not puncture the plastic bag that contains the grape concentrate.
3. Place the fermenter in a location that will keep the bucket from moving or ask someone to hold the bucket.
4. Pour 1/2 gallon of warm water into your sanitized primary fermenter. Stir the water vigorously and slowly sprinkle the contents of package #1 (bentonite) onto the surface. Stir for 30 seconds to ensure even dispersal, and to break up any clumps. (Alternatively, you can use a blender to mix the bentonite and water. Then pour it into the primary fermenter.)
5. Carefully remove the cap from the large foil bag and empty the contents into the primary fermenter with the bentonite solution. (A bag de-capper makes opening the bag a breeze.)
6. Add 1 gallon of warm water to the bag to rinse out any remaining juice and add it to the fermenter.
7. Top up fermenter to the 6-gallon mark with cool water. This is the lip on the inside of your 7.9 gallon bucket. (Note: If you have a smaller fermenting bucket, you will need to determine the 6-gallon mark by filling your 6-gallon carboy with water and pouring it in your bucket. Mark the 6-gallon mark with a permanent marker on the outside of the bucket.) Stir the must vigorously for 30 seconds. (This is very important. You want to make sure and mix the water and juice to get an even fermentation. If all of the water is on top and the sugar on the bottom, the yeast may not have enough food to multiply.)
8. Check the specific gravity. It should read between 1.055 and 1.120, depending on the kit. The instructions included with your kit will indicate the correct range.
9. If your wine kit contains oak or elderflowers, add them to the primary fermenter now and stir them in. Please note the oak and elderflowers tend to float on top, in the beginning, but by the time of the first racking, most of them will sink to the bottom of the fermenter. In addition, adding the oak or elderflowers before checking SG may result in an inaccurate reading with your hydrometer.
10. Ensure that the temperature of the juice is between 65 – 75°F. Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface.
11. Cover the primary fermenter and place in an area with a temperature of 65 – 75°F. Fermentation should start within 24 – 48 hours. If you have a floating thermometer, place it in the must. Now you have 2 choices as to what to do with the lid. You can either lay the lid on top and cover the hole with a towel or put the airlock in the grommetted hole and snap the lid down. The only advantage of snapping the lid in place is so you can see the bubbling action in the airlock. Oxygen is not a concern at this time.
12. To facilitate racking, try to place the fermenter on a table or workbench that is at least 2 feet off the ground. Racking wine from a high position to a lower position gives you the ability to use gravity to your advantage. If you place the fermenter on a higher surface now, you won't have to move it later, preventing a possible disturbance of the lees (sediment).

Fermentation temperature is important. The yeasts will only do their job in a temperature window of 65-75°. If the temperature of the must is below this range, the fermenting period may take more time or, more importantly, fermentation may not start at all. If the temperature of the must is above this range, the yeast may get too hot and die before they complete their work. Either scenario is not good; so make sure you put the must in an area where the temperature will stay within the specified range.

So far, all of the mixing and fermenting has occurred in the plastic fermenting bucket. Now, as we head into secondary fermentation, we'll be using the carboy and our racking equipment.