My Third Wine Kit - 'VinClasse Riesling' - 7 Day Kit (30 Bottles)

This is another first for me, as so far I've only made 6 Bottle Kits, but the principles are the same I'm assuming.

With this kit I sterilised a 5 Gallon Fermentation Bucket (with lid), Plastic Jug, Demi John, Hydrometer, and a Plastic Long Handled Spoon, as per instructions and rinsed thoroughly with cold, running water.

VinClasse Riesling - 7 Day Kit - (No Sugar Required)  According to the instructions on the outside of the box you're meant to break the perforated seal to expose the tap (similar to that of a pre-made  wine box) This is meant to make it easier/ less messy to drain the Grape Juice into the Fermentation Bucket? I did find this method quite easy as you also have the box handles to grip rather than an unpredictable, heavy, wobbly bag if you decide to remove from the box first. Which ever is your preference, the bag will need to be removed once nearly empty to rinse the remaining juice with a little hot water.

Then all I had to do was top up to the  5 Gallon mark on the  Fermentation Bucket with warm water and check the temperature was around 22° (temperature strip on bucket) and stirred the water and juice together.

Once this was done and the temperature was correct I took a hydrometer reading which read 1068. A colleague commented that they thought this quite a low reading and suggested that I stir more vigorously to ensure the juice and water were combined properly. Which I did and took the reading again. This time it read 1075. That'll teach me not to stir properly!

I then added the sachet of Wine Yeast and Nutrient (Sachet 1) as instructed and stirred in well again. 

Day 1 - VinClasse Riesling 7 Day Kit

 This is what it looked like shortly after adding the sachet and stirring.

I then placed a half filled air lock bubbler to the lid and sealed it onto the bucket to await fermentation to start. . . . . 

Day 1 - VinClasse Riesling

Day 2

Checked the must and fermentation appeared well under way, with air lock gently bubbling, must 'fizzing' both visibly and audibly :o) The temperature strip on the bucket read 22°C.   

Fermenting Fridge

This is an unused fridge (with the insides removed) at work that has a thermostatic control that is linked to a brew belt heater inside,  enabling a constant temperature to be met regardless of the temperature outside the fridge . . . .

I placed the fermenting bucket in here to maintain a constant 22°C for the duration of the fermentation process checking the temperature daily . . . .

Day 6

Checked the must and it still appeared to be fermenting as when I lifted the lid I could still see tiny bubbles rising and hear it fizzing (much quieter than before though) The temperature was still around 22°C. 

I also checked the Specific Gravity with a Hydrometer (as instructed) The reading was 1004. According to the instructions the reading should be 997 (for white wine) Whilst fermentation was still occuring and the SG was very close, a work colleague advised me to  stir the must well to get the yeast working again and try to get closer the the desired SG of 997. This in fact did reactivate the yeast and fermentation continued . . . 

Day 9

I waited a couple of days for fermentation to finally stop and it did by Day 9. I took a final SG reading and it came out at 1000. I was aiming for the suggested 997 for white wine but didn't quite reach this as fermentation had ceased. 

To calculate the alcohol content of my wine (ABV) I entered my Original and Final SG readings into the Homebrew Alcohol Calculator on the Balliihoo Website :

Original Gravity : 1075

Final Gravity:       1000

ABV:                     9.97%

Now that fermentation had stopped I racked my wine off into a sterilised bucket using a sterilised syphon tube with a 300mm Rigid Syphon Pipe/ Racking Cane attached (to avoid sucking up sediment) This was now the third time I've done this process with various wines and it does get easier :o)

Once this was done I added the Stabiliser Sachet as directed and stirred in with a long handled spoon and it began to froth (apparently this is normal)

Degassing

The instructions directed me to 'stir or shake very thoroughly to remove CO2' . Now on further reading other material this sounds like 'degassing' though it was not mentioned by name.

Apparently 'Degassing' is necessary to remove CO2 which is toxic to yeast and inhibits the yeast's ability to ferment. The removal of CO2 also stops you from having fizzy or frothy wine which is meant to be served 'still'.

I used a Wine Whip Degasser which I attached to an electric drill. This agitated the wine to bring out the CO2 bubbles . I repeated this a couple of times at hourly intervals.

Day 9 - Racking Off

 

Day 9 - Degassing with Wine Whip

 I then added  the 'finings' sachet as directed, stirred in, replaced the lid to keep clean and left over nite in a cool room to settle and clear.

Day 10

I added the second 'finings' sachet and stirred in and left to clear over the week end.

Day 13

I 'racked off' again into a sterilised 5 gallon fermentation bucket with lever tap. This time I used the tap on the bottom of the bucket instead of using a syphon tube. I must admit I found this very easy and just needed to tilt the bucket slightly to get the remaining wine into a jug (avoiding the sediment) I then left overnight to settle again before racking off again.

Day 14

I 'racked off' again but this time using a Vinbrite Filter III for extra brightness and clarity.

Day 14 - 'Racking Off' using a Vinbrite Filter III

Day 14 - Vinbrite Filter III

This process took around 1 hour but the results were worth it! It produced a very clear, bright, light yellow wine. When I next use this method I am going to punch a hole in a bucket lid on which to rest the Vinbrite Filter 1) to ensure it is safer and less likely to fall in 2) to keep the wine clear from dust and general foreign bodies.

Day 15

Again I wanted to experience different bottling methods so I did some bottles and the rest 'bag in a box's.
Decanting the wine into bottles was simple using the lever tap on the bucket, this method has my vote so far!

Day 15 - Bottling using a lever tap

 After bottling 6 bottles I went on to use a 'bag in a box'. which holds 5 Lts/1 Gallon. Again using the lever tap it was reasonably simple. It just got a little tricky as the bag got heavier and I found it useful to sit on a stool and rest the bag on my knee as it filled.

Day 15 - Filling the 'bag in a box'

I used both the box that came with the bag but also re-used the original kit box.

Day 15 - VinClasse Riesling

 In the end I got 6 bottles and 4 x 5Lts 'bag in a box' of wine. Just got to wait for feed back now from all who drink it :o)

I found this kit straight forward and enjoyable to make. Now whether that's because I'm becoming more experienced and used to the processes or whether it's because I was using different processes which made it more interesting, who knows? But the results are looking good and I'm starting to feel like I'm learning something new each time. 

Taste Reviews

Rachel: " A smooth tasting white with a bit of a kick, lovely"

Phil:      " A characteristic Riesling with fresh flavours of pink grapefruit and a smooth finish. 
               A great summer drink for BBQs or Salad Days or just sharing with friends"

Brad:    "Clean taste, light, refreshing. Not particularly strong and perfect for summer"