Please click on an FAQ link below to view information regarding that question.   Question: What is the best temperature for my wine to ferment at?   Answer: Most Wine ingredient kit instructions tell you to ferment your wine within a specific temperature range. Midwest recommends 65°F to 75°F. Yeast thrives at these temperatures, and also likes to be kept at the same temperature until its done doing its work. If the fermentation area is too cool the wine will ferment very slowly. This will lead to an excess of CO2 gas in the wine, and it may not be ready to stabilize and fine in the expected timeframe. Additionally, the fining agents included with Winexpert kits don’t work well at temperatures outside of the 65°F to 75°F range. Below 64°F your wine kit may not clear at all! Since most people keep their house at around 68°F, just leaving your fermenter at room temperature should work out great.   Question: How do I take a hydrometer reading?   Answer: First locate the correct scale. On a triple scale hydrometer (the model that comes in all of our equipment kits) you are looking for one that reads 1.000 and up. You should take two readings; the first one should be taken after you have added the must (juice) and water to your fermentation vessel, but before you've added the yeast. First sanitize your equipment; the hydrometer test jar, and a pair of tongs. Hold the test jar with the tongs and dip the jar into your fermentation bucket until it’s about an inch or so from the top of the jar. (If your primary fermentation vessel is a carboy or better bottle, the Fermtech Wine Thief is perfect for taking samples.) Next, pour the sample between the test jar and a glass until there is no foaming. This will eliminate any CO2 that may be present and skew the reading. Now, slowly submerge the hydrometer and let it come to rest. The place to take the reading from is the meniscus, which is the lowest point of the top of the liquid. You can get the hydrometer to come to rest there by gently spinning it like a top. Your reading will probably be in the 1.060 to 1.120 range, depending on the style of wine. This also may vary on the temperature of the sample. Hydrometer readings are best taken if the sample is at 70 degrees F, but you may take a reading at a different temperature, then consult a conversion chart, such as the one included in “First Steps in Winemaking” by C.J.J. Berry. Then either taste the sample or toss it; never pour it back into your wine. The second reading should be taken after primary fermentation is complete. See next FAQ, "How do I determine the alcohol content of my wine?" for details on the second hydrometer reading.   Question: How do I determine the alcohol content of my wine?   Answer: Simple subtraction. Take a hydrometer reading right before you pitch the yeast into your must (see “How do I take a hydrometer reading?” in FAQs). Make a note of this reading, which should be in the range between 1.060 and 1.120, depending on the recipe and style you are making. After the fermentation is complete, take another hydrometer reading right before you bottle. This reading will usually fall between 0.090 and 1.010, again depending on the style of wine made. Then you simply subtract the second reading from the first, and consult a conversion chart (such as the one found in “First Steps in Winemaking”, or many other winemaking books) to determine the alcohol content. Let’s say that your starting gravity was 1.085, and your terminal gravity was 1.010. This makes a difference of 0.75. Looking this up in the conversion chart will tell you that your wine is 10.4% A.B.V. (alcohol by volume).   Question: What are the proper conditions to store my bottled wine?   Answer: The main concerns to storing your wine are temperature, temperature stability, humidity ventilation, and darkness. Wine is best stored between 40-65°F, optimally between 55-57°. Even more important is temperature stability. The temperature in your storage area shouldn't fluctuate more than 5°F in a year. This keeps oxygen from being drawn into your bottle, upsetting the freshness or even spoiling your wine. Maintaining this sort of stability can be difficult to achieve, so simply do the best you can for those long-term storage wines. Also, keep your wine within 50% - 80% humidity. This range is humid enough to keep your cork from breaking down, but dry enough to keep mildew from growing on the cork or label. It's a good idea to keep your storage area somewhat ventilated and odor-free. Air will inevitably pass into your wine so the odorous matter in the air will make its way into your wine. Finally, you should keep your wine out of sunlight as the light waves can breakdown the more complex particles in your wine. Packaging your wine in dark bottles (green or brown) will help protect your wine from those light rays.