Instructions for Making Your Wine

Day 1:

PRIOR TO STARTING, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR BOX HAS BEEN AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS.

1. Take one of the bags marked “sterilizer” and pour it into a container containing 1 liter (4 cups) cold water. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside. This is your sterilizing solution. All equipment used in the process must be rinsed with this solution and drip dried for 2 minutes. (The mixed sterilizing solution will last for several months, if stored in a sealed container. We recommend using one of the wine bottles with one of the corks to hold your sterilizer throughout the process. This will insure that you always have sterilizing solution when you need it. It can be re-used.)
2. Take the plastic collapsible container (cubitainer) and form it into a cube (this can be accomplished by either pulling on the opposite side or filling the cubitainer with clean water and emptying the water out).
3. To avoid spilling the concentrate, carefully remove the cap holding the bag upright by the spout and pour the contents into a clean container (bowl, stainless steel pot etc.) that will hold a little more than 2 gallons
   (8 Liters) of liquid (do NOT fill the cubitainer yet).
4. Add 1.7 Liters (7-1/4 cups) of filtered or bottled water to the empty grape juice pouch. Shake well and empty into container with the concentrate. Stir the mixture well.
5. Take the envelope marked “Lalvin” (yeast) and tear open the envelope. Sprinkle the yeast onto the juice and wait 10 minutes without stirring. After 10 minutes stir well to ensure a proper mixture.
6. Transfer the juice into the cubitainer. You can use the sterilized siphon hose or a sterilized household funnel. To start a flow with the siphon hose you place the end with the white tip in the juice and suck on the other end with your mouth to start a flow. The container you are emptying into must be lower than the container you are siphoning the liquid from by at least 4 inches. Once the flow has started place that end of the tube into the container you are emptying into.
7. Take the cap and airlock assembly and screw the cap onto the cubitainer tightly. Open the plastic cover on airlock and fill airlock half full with water. Replace plastic cover securely over air lock. Fermentation is best achieved between temperatures of 20º-22ºC (68º-72ºF). Your temperature can be as high as 78º, but the closer you can get to the recommended range, the better your fermentation will be. Do not ferment in an area below the 68º as you could get a stuck fermentation and your wine may not finish. Keep this in mind when choosing a place to keep your cubitainer for the fermentation process.

Day 7:

Fermentation of the wine should be almost complete by this time.

1. Remove the airlock (empty out the water in the airlock and rinse the inside of the airlock with clean water) and carefully siphon wine into a clean sterilized container that will hold a little more than 2 gallons (8L) of liquid. When siphoning make sure to keep the end of the siphon hose about 1 inch from the bottom of the cubitainer, this will ensure that you are transferring only the cleanest part of the wine. If you do get some sediment, do not worry, we will remove it later.
2. Once you have completed the transfer, clean your cubitainer with hot water (throwing out any sediment left behind). Make sure the cubitainer is clean, and siphon the wine back into the cubitainer. Replace the airlock and fill it back up to the halfway mark with water. Replace the plastic cover on the airlock.

Day 21: STABILIZING

Note: Taste your wine. If your wine is still sweet, wait a few days keeping the cubitainer in a warm place. Taste it again. When the wine is no longer sweet(dry), proceed to the next step.

Follow step 1 of day 1 to sterilize your equipment

1. Rack the wine once more as in Step 1 and Step 2 of Day 7. This will aid in stabilizing and clearing the wine.
2. Take the package marked Potassium Metabisulfite and dissolve it in 1/4 cup of cold water. Add to the cubitainer and stir.
3. Take the package marked Potassium Sorbate and dissolve it in 1/4 cup of cold water. Add to the cubitainer and stir.
4. Replace the airlock and fill it back up to the halfway mark with water. Replace the plastic cover on the airlock.

Day 23: CLEARING

1. Cut the top of the plastic vial marked “Siligel”. Add entire contents of packet to the wine in the cubitainer and stir with the handle end of a clean, sterilized long handled spoon.
2. Cut the top of the plastic vial marked “Liquigel”. Add the entire contents of the vial to the wine in the cubitainer and stir with the handle end of a clean, sterilized long handled spoon.
3. Replace the airlock and fill it back up to the halfway mark with water. Replace the plastic cover on the airlock.
4. Allow wine to stand undisturbed for eight (8) days. Make sure you place the cubitainer in a place where you can siphon from when the wine is ready to bottle. Any movement of the cubitainer after clarification may disturb the sediment.

Day 31: BOTTLING

Your wine is now clear and ready for bottling.

Make sure bottles and corks have been sterilized by following step 1 of day 1 procedures. Bottle wine by using sterilized siphon tube. Wash hands thoroughly before beginning this proces.

1. Place end of siphon into the cubitainer.
2. Start the flow on tube and place the other end into one of the wine bottles. The bottle should be lower than the cubitainer to keep flow going. Use your thumb over the end of the siphon hose to stop the flow. Never lift the siphon hose, doing this may send the wine back into the cubitainer and disturb the sediment (clouding up the wine again).
3. Insert the tube into the next bottle and continue the process until you have filled all six (6) bottles. When you have finished filling the six bottles, you can raise the siphon tube so that any wine left in the siphon tube will be returned to the cubitainer.
4. Insert the corks into the bottles and push them all the way down.

To apply the labels, simply peel them off their backing and apply them to your bottles. Be very careful when applying the labels, they are self adhesive and must be put on straight on the first try.

To apply the shrink capsules, there are two easy methods;

Hair Dryer Method :
Place the shrink capsules on the bottles and use a hair dryer to heat the capsules onto the bottles*. Make sure that you are applying the heat evenly. Do not overheat, as the capsule may tear when overheated.

Tea Kettle Method :
Fill your tea kettle with water and put it on your heat source (stove top). Once the steam starts to exit the kettle, place the capsules on the bottles and expose the top of the bottle with the shrink capsule to the steam*. Do not put the bottle neck too close to the steam source, this will shrink the capsules unevenly and possibly tear the capsules.

*in order to keep the capsule in the right position, you can use a metal kitchen knife or spoon over the top to hold the shrink capsule in place.