Wine Topping

OK, first batch of wine ever. I'm a beer brewer and thought I would give it a try. I bought a new 7.5 gallon fermentor for the fermentation, but my glass carboy is only 5 gallons. Not wanting to buy another piece of equipment I racked it into my 6.5 gallon beer bucket (direction called for 6 gallon carboy). My question is what to do on my next step. It says to add some clarifying agents, finings or something like that and to top up with water. It warns not to rack after the clarifiers are put in, at least not for a week or so to allow it to clear. Is there too much head room in my 6.5 gallon fermentor? How much should I top up? Should i transfer to Glass Carboy then add clarifiers to that or let it clear in the bucket and then transfer to carboy and/or bottles to age?

Thanks.

top off with water (or similar wine if you want) to the neck of the carboy.

Rack to the carboy first, adding in the clarifiers, then after they've been mixed in (and if the instructions tell you to stir like mad do that, a drill and wine whip help - after all that, top off with water. After it clears, you can rack or bottle into another container. But I'd probably leave it. If it is a standard kit, it will probably say 'ferment in bucket for x time, then rack and let sit in carboy for y time, then bottle' or something similar

Good luck.

You REALLY need a 6 gallon carboy for wine kits.

REALLY!!!!

Topping up with more than a half gallon of water isn't really a good idea and adding a half gallon of commercial wine might change the taste of your wine in unknown ways, maybe for the better or maybe not.

Wow, thanks for the quick reply. So let me make sure I got this straight.

- rack to my 5 gallon, then add the clarifiers immediately? Seem like the directions wanted me to stir to resuspend the yeast. Would I be better at this point just pouring the wine into the carboy, yeast and all? This would agitate and leave the yeast in as well.

- if I have the above correct, seems like I will have another gallon of wine left over. I guess I could find a growler of something for that as I would hate to waste any. Also If I put into the 5 gallon carboy I won't need to top off as I will probably be able to fill completely. Should I leave it low and top or just fill 'r up?

BTW, fermenting is done (took about a week). It has been in the secondary bucket for about a week and gravity is down to 0.096 or something like that.

Again...you NEED a 6 gallon carboy. You could do the growler option this time, but getting the chemicals and additives correct between the 5 and 1 gallon jugs will be difficult.

Oh, and follow the directions as they are written. Taking "shortcuts" is for those who understand the outcomes of their actions.

Fermentation is probably not done, that can take months. I have a Chianti that is still bubbling at 8 weeks. You are now in secondary fermentation, it is almost unnoticable.

Got it! I am going out to get a 6 gallon carboy today. Thanks for the help!