First time winemaking

Hi everyone. I've been brewing for a few years now, and I'm venturing into the world of wine making. Starting off witha Vinters Reserve kit for a Pino Noir. Going through everything that I'll need I'm not 100% sure about a few things.

The first (and biggest) is the kit says I need is an 8 gallon primary fermenter. Is this accurate? I have a few 6.5 gallon glass carboys that I use in brewing, would these work?

I also have questions about the "unscented winemaking detergent" and the "metabisulphite powder" I've been using StarSan for sanatizing my brewing equipment, will that work here or do I have to get something else?

I'm just wanting all this to turn out well so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!

murppie said:

Hi everyone. I've been brewing for a few years now, and I'm venturing into the world of wine making. Starting off witha Vinters Reserve kit for a Pino Noir. Going through everything that I'll need I'm not 100% sure about a few things.

The first (and biggest) is the kit says I need is an 8 gallon primary fermenter. Is this accurate? I have a few 6.5 gallon glass carboys that I use in brewing, would these work?

I also have questions about the "unscented winemaking detergent" and the "metabisulphite powder" I've been using StarSan for sanatizing my brewing equipment, will that work here or do I have to get something else?

I'm just wanting all this to turn out well so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!

Click to expand...

Your 6.5 gallon carboy should be fine, the kit is 6 gallons. It's possible to use a little less water, then top up during secondary fermentation. Watch your fermentation temp, as long as you are on the cool side, it shouldn't foam much.

What ever sanitizing technique you use for beer will work for wine, no worries!

I too started with making beer and now do both. Truth be known I'm now enjoying wine more than beer. First off age your wine. Wine tastes almost nasty when first made but after 1-2 years it is awesome. There is no boiling, so cleanliness is critical. I use star-san and have had great success. The 6.5 carboy should work assuming that you don't have a very vigorous fermentation. Vintners Reserve kits are very "thin" tasting when young so DO NOT add to much water. After fermentation I bulk store the wine in a 5 gal carboy + 2-3 750ml bottles used for topping up later on. It took me 3 years from my first kit to have a good stock of quality aged wine on hand. I now do 1-2 kits per year to maintain my stash. I use beer for my daily drinker and the wine for occasions as well as gifts. Enjoy.