Questions about 1 gallon batches of fruit wine

I'm about to get the ingredients for my first batch of wine. I am only going to make a gallon of blueberry wine so I have a few questions about the size of my primary and secondary carboys:

Is it okay to use a 7 gallon plastic bucket (food grade) for the primary and then rack into a 5 gallon glass carboy? Then, when I rack again (3rd time after many months), can it go into a gallon glass jug (with an airlock)?

Thanks!

If you can, I would make 2 gallons of blueberry wine, because once the wine has time to settle out, you are going to lose some wine due to sediment and by making 2 gallons you will have extra wine to top up your 1 gallon jug.

If you are making a 5 gallon batch...sounds good, but you're going to need 4 or 5 1 gallon jugs.
If you are starting with 1 gallon, you're going to want to find something smaller, as that much head space (Air at the top) will cause some degree of oxidation.

Thanks for the quick replies.

So, if I brew 2 gallons of blueberry wine and put it in a 3 gallon plastic (food grade) bucket for the primary, I should be fine w/ little worries of oxidation.

That brings me to another question: When it goes to the secondary, which would I be better off with;

a. Another 3 gallon plastic bucket
b. 5 gallon glass carboy
c. 2 one gallon glass jugs (so I'd be splitting up the wine after the primary)

Thanks again!

The big primary is fine- but you'll need to secondary in the one gallon jug. When I make a small batch, I use a one gallon jug, and then use a sanitized wine bottle with a stopper and airlock for the extra "top up" wine. Each time you rack, you'll lose a little wine to lees. Then, just use the smaller bottle to top up with. You can also top up with a similar commercial wine, so you don't water down your wine.

You really want to minimize the headspace once fermentation slows down, so it won't work to do secondary in a 5 gallon carboy for a small batch.

Thanks so much for all the advice. I'm buying the ingredients tomorrow, and am going to start the process on Sunday while my coffee stout is in the mash tun.

YooperBrew said:

When I make a small batch, I use a one gallon jug, and then use a sanitized wine bottle with a stopper and airlock for the extra "top up" wine. Each time you rack, you'll lose a little wine to lees. Then, just use the smaller bottle to top up with.

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Do you have to keep topping up the small bottle?

ms8miranda said:

Do you have to keep topping up the small bottle?

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I don't, but usually can go to a smaller bottle if it's 1/2 gone or so.

When I make small batches I usually go for about two gallons in the primary. That way I can rack into a single gallon jug and another half gallon growler from the local brewery. If it's a country (fruit) wine there's going to be a lot of sediment left in the primary and usually quite a bit of sediment in the secondary as well. Once I use the half gallon for topping I can rack the rest into a wine bottle with an air lock like Yooper does. It doesn't take that much more fruit, juice, sugar, or whatever and no extra yeast to make two gallons. I've been able to find plastic primaries of all sizes at the local bakery and deli either free or for a very minimal cost.

(Hopefully) One last question: For the 2 gallons of blueberry wine, how much of the dry wine yeast packet should I use?

CrankyOldLibrarian said:

(Hopefully) One last question: For the 2 gallons of blueberry wine, how much of the dry wine yeast packet should I use?

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Your New Mantra!

ALWAYS USE ALL THE YEAST!

From 1 gallon to 6 gallons....ALWAYS USE ALL THE YEAST!

Check back if you make a 6.1 gallon or bigger batch

BigKahuna said:

Your New Mantra!

ALWAYS USE ALL THE YEAST!

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x2. Wine yeast, at about $1 a packet is cheap. I always keep at least a dozen packets of 4-5 varieties on hand in the fridge at all times. I've had to repitch on occasion.

Great, I just wanted to make sure not to use too much.

I really appreciate all the tips that you all have given me.

And, as I expected, I do have another question (maybe the last???)....

During the first few days of fermentation, do I stir the wine or just let it sit? If I do stir it everyday (like a few recipes suggest), what are the benefits and should I just stir it lightly or vigorously?

Once again, thank you!

My Vote....Leave it alone....But Summersolstice makes better wine than I do (First hand Knowledge here) So I'll lend to his knowledge..........

I make my Blueberry wine from scratch and not from a kit and I always stir my must every day while I still have the blueberries in the primary.
I usually start with a OG of about 1110 and finish at 990 to 995 using EC-1118 yeast and fermenting at a temp of around 65f.

When I did 1 gallon batches, I would do as Yooper does.

I have a 5 gallon batch in now and have for the most part left this one alone with regard to stirring. If it starts to slow down and the gravity isn't where I want it I'll stir to resuspend the yeast.

I stir frequently (every day, or maybe twice a day, if I think about it) in primary, making sure to re-dunk all the floating fruit so it doesn't dry out. That's the main reason- so that the fruit doesn't float and make a "cap" and dry out and mold, and also to oxygenate. After about 5 days, though, I put it into secondary, remove the fruit by lifting the bag, or by racking around the fruit, and then put on an airlock.

I do just as Yooper does. Stir 1-2 a day to keep the cap (usually a straining bag) wet and to provide plenty of oxygen for healthy yeast management. After about the fourth day I just dip the straining bag and lighten up on stirring and then, after a week, I rack to the secondary. When racking I'm not worried about introducing oxygen because the wine hasn't finished fermenting.

BYW -I follow the same procedure for both wine and mead though, since mead generally requires more nutrients, I usually stir more vigorously and also provide additional nutrients to the must.

Thanks for the explanations. It's always good to know why I should be doing things rather than just doing them...

I'm looking forward to the process. The only thing that scares me is my patience as I'll have to refrain from opening a bottle for over a year. At least I can have taste tests as I rack. Brewing beer has gotten me used to such short waits until drinking time (especially since I started kegging).

You don't have to wait a year. Part of the fun is tasting the wine as it develops. Try bottling several bottles in either beer bottles with crown caps or 375ml wine bottles and, after about three months, begin tasting a bottle each month to see the changes and to determine when it's ready to drink.

summersolstice said:

You don't have to wait a year. Part of the fun is tasting the wine as it develops. Try bottling several bottles in either beer bottles with crown caps or 375ml wine bottles and, after about three months, begin tasting a bottle each month to see the changes and to determine when it's ready to drink.

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You just made my day!

this is what I do. I make the 1 gallon batches, but I also use a 5 gal primary, then move to a 1 gal secondary.

How much fruit & sugar do I need for 2gal, or 5gal

That would depend on what fruit, what sugar, how much fruit you can get, and what strength of brew you want.

You use the whole pack, it does not matter if you make 1 gallon or 10, one packet does the trick

Sorry, I was talking about yeast, only read the first page lol

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