Does Size Matter?

[nobadays]

Hi all! First post to the wine side of Homebrewtalk. I have been making wine using the wine ingredient kits for a little over two years now. I have gleaned great info from the forum and want to add a bit and then ask for advice.

Encouragement for new ingredient kit winemakers.
After around 6 months we opened our first bottle of red made from a 16L kit ( I think it was an Aussie Cab RJS Grand Cru 16L) yeah... not very good. I can't explain it but we called it "bubblegum kit taste" we love good wine and this wasn't it. After one year, better but the kit taste was still there. At two years... we were surprised to find that the kit taste has almost completely vanished! I won't call it equal to a $20 wine but certainly in the $10-$12 range. Moral... don't give up just give it time!

The whites we have found to begin to be drinkable around 6-8 months but begin to shine from one year on.

Need advice... I purchased two of this year's Eclipse wine ingredient kits. Unknown to me the instructions tell me I will need at least an 8 gallon fermenter. I have several 7 gallon buckets I use for other kits a beer but no 8 gallon.

What size do you who have made wine with the Eclipse kits use? Will a 7.8 gallon work (I can get one of those with free shipping ... 8 gallon buckets seem to cost about the same, maybe $15ish but shipping will run $30!!!)

Or...Does size matter! Should I get a larger - 10 gallon - fermenter? I didn't expect this additional cost to make the Eclipse kits but.....

Thanks in advance!

Cheers! Don

Cheers! Don

 

[Yooper]

I have used a 6.5 gallon bucket with those kits but because they have a wine grape skin bag with them, it's easier to stir and use the larger buckets. You can do it with a larger one if you have one, but it's not that important.

 

[nobadays]

Thank you! So looks like I can just get the 7.8 gallon bucket. Just can't stomach paying twice as much for shipping than the item costs!

Cheers! Don