Solomon Grundy Platinum Wine Kit Instructions
This page covers Solomon Grundy Platinum wine kits, which require no added sugar — just add water. If you have a Solomon Grundy Classic or Gold kit instead, these need added sugar and have their own Solomon Grundy (Classic/Gold) instructions.
What's Included
- Premium grape concentrate
- Wine yeast sachet and yeast nutrient
- Stabiliser and finings sachets
Equipment Needed (not included)
- 23-litre fermentation vessel with lid, airlock and bung
- Long spoon for stirring
- Hydrometer
- VWP or ChemSan sanitiser
- Siphon tube, wine bottles and corks/stoppers
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Clean and sterilise all your equipment thoroughly — this matters more than usual with a premium concentrate, since any contamination masks the extra flavour you're paying for.
- Empty the grape concentrate into your fermentation vessel and rinse the container with a little warm water, adding that to the vessel too.
- Top up to 22.5 litres with water at room temperature and stir thoroughly — no sugar is needed for Platinum kits, unlike Solomon Grundy Classic or Gold.
- Add the wine yeast and yeast nutrient sachets, stirring until the yeast disappears.
- Fit the bung and airlock (half-filled with water). Move somewhere stable at 18–22°C and leave to ferment.
- Fermentation typically completes in 5–7 days. Confirm with a hydrometer — two readings 24 hours apart at or below 0.998–1.000 mean fermentation is done. Don't rely on airlock activity alone.
Stabilising and Clearing
- Once fermentation is confirmed complete, add the stabiliser sachet and stir vigorously for at least 2 minutes to remove dissolved gas — this matters for rapid, bright clearing. Leave to stand for 1 hour.
- Add the finings sachet(s) as directed on your pack and stir briefly.
- Leave the wine to clear, typically 24–48 hours, undisturbed.
Bottling
Once clear, siphon into sterilised wine bottles, leaving a small gap at the neck, and cork or stopper securely. Platinum is drinkable almost immediately, but the extra body and complexity this range is built around genuinely rewards patience — 3–4 weeks of bottle conditioning makes a noticeably bigger difference here than on the Classic or Gold ranges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to add sugar to my Platinum kit?
No — this is the key difference from Solomon Grundy Classic and Gold. Platinum's concentrate already contains everything needed to reach the correct strength; adding sugar on top would unbalance the finished wine.
Why does Platinum need longer conditioning than Gold or Classic?
Platinum uses a richer, more complex concentrate. That extra depth needs time in the bottle to integrate and soften — rushing it means missing much of what you're paying the premium for.
My wine hasn't cleared after 48 hours — what do I do?
Confirm fermentation was genuinely complete before you added the finings — residual CO₂ from active fermentation stops finings working properly. If it was, give it another 24 hours in a cool, still spot.