Winemaking instructions using 100% Australian grape concentrates.
These concentrates are packed in either 1 litre or 2 litre containers...
2 litres will make 10 litres of wine.
To make 5 litres of wine:
Each 1 litre of grape concentrate will make 5 litres of quality wine with the addition of 280gms of white sugar. Ferment in a 5 litre glass demijohns. Any unused concentrate can be stored refrigerated or frozen. To make 10 litres add another 280gms of sugar.
To make larger volumes: Always choose the size fermenter that matches the amount of wine you wish to make.
To make 20 litres you will need 2 x 2 litre concentrate and a 20-23 litre fermenter or demijohn to ferment in. You must not have a large air space once you have maximum wine capacity. Do not brew 10 litre of wine in a 20 litre demijohn..that is too much airspace. Unless you can move to a smaller fermenter or demijohn for the maturing and racking period.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Dissolve grape concentrate in hot (just off boiling) water with appropriate amount of sugar. Pour this liquid into the fermentation vessel of your choice (5, 15, or 30 litre) and top up with cold water leaving some space from the top for initial fermentation frothing to take place.
2. Sprinkle wine yeast over the surface when the liquid temperature is 26C or below and allow several days for fermentation to commence.
3. Seal the fermenter with an airlock, (AT ALL TIMES) placing sufficient water in the lock to create a water seal. When fermentation commences, frothing can be seen on the surface. During fermentation it is advisable to agitate the fermenter occasionally to keep the yeast in suspension and hasten fermentation time.
4. When the initial vigorous fermentation is slowing down, top up your fermenter with cold boiled water.
5. Allow the wine to continue to ferment until complete. The hydrometer will come down to S.G. 990 to 1000. All bubbling will cease through the airlock and the wine will start to clear and a sediment form.
6. Rack (syphon off) the wine leaving behind the sediment. Discard the sediment and if using only 1 fermenter, return the wine and replace the airlock. At this stage you can add a suitable wine fining agent, to hasten the settling of the yeast.
7. After fining add 1 crushed campden tablet for every 5 litres of wine.
8. Allow the wine time to clear and when a further sediment forms, rack the wine again. Add another 1 crushed campden tablet per 5 litres. Always replace the airlock after each racking . You may need to rack again until NO MORE sediment forms. (do not add more campden tablets) Once the wine is crystal clear it is then ready for either drinking or for bottling, corking and maturing. Commercial clarity can be achieved quicker if using a two pad filter system.
9. For larger quantities of wine, bottling and corking is the preferred method. . . A corking tool is essential to squeeze the cork down for inserting.
To make a sweeter wine
All wine will ferment out to a dry finish if following the previous instructions. If you prefer a sweeter wine there are two ways of achieving this:
1. Allow the wine to completely finish then sweeten to taste with some sugar syrup OR
2. Allow the wine to come down to S.G.1010 and then stop the fermentation early by racking the wine off the sediment. This is the preferred method as the remaining sweetness is from natural unfermented grape and gives a superior finish.
IN BOTH CASES the wine must be stopped from further fermentation by adding campden tablets (as instructed previously , and ALSO some WINE STABILISER (SORBITOL) . Together, these will prevent a secondary fermentation taking place and ensure that the grape sugar or added sugar desired for sweetening does not ferment out.