Bucket Size For Wine Making ( Extremely new to wine making )

[Bobbybeef]

If i have a 5 gallon bucket for fermentation can i make 2 gallons of wine even though there will be excess room in the bucket ?

 

[Raptor99]

For the primary it is no problem. Once fermentation is mostly finished you need to rack into a carboy with very little headspace and add an airlock. For me, fermentation is usually mostly finished within 5-6 days of when I add the yeast.

If you are making 2 gallons of wine, you can use two 1-gallon jugs for your secondary.

 

[Bobbybeef]

For the primary it is no problem. Once fermentation is mostly finished you need to rack into a carboy with very little headspace and add an airlock. For me, fermentation is usually mostly finished within 5-6 days of when I add the yeast.

If you are making 2 gallons of wine, you can use two 1-gallon jugs for your secondary.

Thank you i am gonna give it a shot

 

[Erik the Awful]

I use 5 gallon buckets for both primary and secondary fermentation. To start, I use 1 campden tablet per gallon of wine. The first racking I don't put any campden tablets in, but every other racking I put half as many campden tablets as gallons of wine. An airlock is a must. You do risk losing more wine batches to vinegar using 5 gallon buckets for secondary.

 

[bernardsmith]

I use 5 gallon buckets for both primary and secondary fermentation. To start, I use 1 campden tablet per gallon of wine. The first racking I don't put any campden tablets in, but every other racking I put half as many campden tablets as gallons of wine. An airlock is a must. You do risk losing more wine batches to vinegar using 5 gallon buckets for secondary.

Vinegar or simply oxidation if there are no acetobacteria to turn the alcohol into vinegar. Oxidation can ruin the color - turns a red wine brown and a white wine dark and it will make the wine taste awful. It doesn't take place in a few days or even weeks. It's no different than rust. Oxidation simply makes a wine undrinkable as it ages. It results in a short shelf -life measured in months rather than years. That said, some wines are deliberately oxidized to produce a very specific flavor - Think sherry.