Solomon Grundy (SG Wines) Wine Kit Instructions

This page covers Solomon Grundy (also sold as SG Wines) 7-day wine kits, which require you to add your own sugar. If you have a WineBuddy kit instead, see our existing WineBuddy 30 Bottle or WineBuddy 6 Bottle instructions pages — a similar added-sugar process with its own exact steps.

Sugar quantity varies by pack (typically 3kg for white/rosé, 4kg for red) — always check your own box for the exact amount, as too little or too much affects the strength and balance of the finished wine.

If you have a Cellar 7 kit, see Cellar 7 Wine Kit Instructions; for Cantina, see Cantina Wine Kit Instructions — both need no added sugar. If you have a Beaverdale, Winexpert or On The House kit, these also need no added sugar and take much longer — see Beaverdale Wine Kit Instructions or Winexpert Wine Kit Instructions.

What's Included

  • Grape juice concentrate pouch or can
  • Wine yeast sachet and yeast nutrient
  • Stabiliser and finings sachets (and sweetener, for medium/sweet styles)

Equipment Needed (not included)

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Clean and sterilise all your equipment thoroughly.
  2. Pour around 5 litres of boiling water into a 25L fermenter.
  3. Add your sugar (3kg for white/rosé, 4kg for red — check your pack) and stir to dissolve.
  4. Add the concentrate (do not add any separately-packaged wine compound sachet at this stage), then rinse the container with cold water and add that too.
  5. Top up to 22.5 litres with cold water, then add the wine yeast and yeast nutrient sachets. Stir well until the yeast disappears.
  6. Fit the bung and airlock (half-filled with cold water). Move somewhere warm, between 24–30°C, and leave to ferment for 5 days — fermentation takes longer at lower temperatures but can produce a better-quality wine.
  7. Check with a hydrometer. A reading below 995 means you're ready to proceed. Without a hydrometer, wait until the airlock stops bubbling and taste the wine — it should be dry before you continue.

Stabilising and Clearing

  1. Once fermentation is confirmed complete, add the stabiliser sachet (and sweetener, for a medium-sweet style) and stir vigorously for at least 2 minutes to remove dissolved gas — this matters for rapid clearing. Avoid inhaling the gas given off, then leave to stand for 1 hour.
  2. Ensure the wine is fully de-gassed before continuing (a degassing drill attachment helps, or transfer the gas out by other means) — this is important for rapid clearing.
  3. Add the finings sachet(s) as directed on your pack and stir briefly.
  4. Leave the wine to clear — typically 24–48 hours.

Bottling

Once clear, siphon into sterilised wine bottles, leaving a small gap at the neck, and cork or stopper securely. The wine can be enjoyed within days, but flavour and aroma improve with a little extra time in the bottle.

Troubleshooting

  • Won't clear: make sure the wine was fully degassed before adding finings — trapped CO2 stops finings working properly.
  • Fermentation seems stuck above target gravity: check the room is warm enough for your specific kit, and give it more time rather than moving to the next stage early.
  • Wine tastes too strong/weak: double-check you used the sugar quantity specified on your particular pack — red and white/rosé kits usually call for different amounts.