Question about wine making kits (hardware)

[crispyc21]

Hello again. I have a question about the wine making kits which supply the hardware needed for wine making. I am very new at this and have been reading a lot. I took a quick look on Amazon to see what kits are available. I’ve seen a couple which can make wine in batches of 1 gallon (includes 1 gallon size carboy) or a batch of 6 gallons (includes 1 gallon size carboy). I’m thinking the 1 gallon size is good for about 6 bottles at a time and the 6 gallon is good for 30 bottles at a time.
A couple questions…

What is a good size to use, or better stated, what size do most recipes call for?
Making 30 bottles worth of wine at once might be a lot for me as I would have no idea where to store all those bottles.
When making wine in a 6 gallon carboy, do you need to fill it up all the way or can you make only 3 gallons with it?

 

[vincentAlpha]

Most kits I've seen (someone feel free to correct me) are in the 5-6gallon range; so a 1 gallon hardware kit isn't going to be much use unless you have access to your own wine grapes or want to somehow get clever and split a larger kit into smaller ones (not going to be easy). 30 bottles isn't as many as you would think and given kit wine does increase in quality quite a bit with age it isn't going to hurt to have a lot of wine up front and make it last through volume. Heck 30 bottles isn't even a bottle a week for a year.

 

[calmingapple]

Hey there.

I hope I can help shed some light on your questions here since I am knee deep in 2 Amazon wine kits right now.

Would you mind posting a link to the kits you are curious about? I believe only the Mini Pak kits produce a final product that is around 1 gallon in size. Mind you, I am looking at Amazon.ca - you will have different products available on the .com one)

Most kits will produce 5-6 gallons of wine unless otherwise stated. There are a few sellers on Amazon who might sell something different... but I have bought the Vinoit & Reserve Du Chateau kits and those make 5-6 gal - no smaller than that. Of course, there are suppliers who provive all juice and that is usually 6 complete gallons of must.

Hello again. I have a question about the wine making kits which supply the hardware needed for wine making. I am very new at this and have been reading a lot. I took a quick look on Amazon to see what kits are available. I’ve seen a couple which can make wine in batches of 1 gallon (includes 1 gallon size carboy) or a batch of 6 gallons (includes 1 gallon size carboy). I’m thinking the 1 gallon size is good for about 6 bottles at a time and the 6 gallon is good for 30 bottles at a time.
A couple questions…

What is a good size to use, or better stated, what size do most recipes call for?
Making 30 bottles worth of wine at once might be a lot for me as I would have no idea where to store all those bottles.
When making wine in a 6 gallon carboy, do you need to fill it up all the way or can you make only 3 gallons with it?

 

[calmingapple]

Agreed 100%

Most kits I've seen (someone feel free to correct me) are in the 5-6gallon range; so a 1 gallon hardware kit isn't going to be much use unless you have access to your own wine grapes or want to somehow get clever and split a larger kit into smaller ones (not going to be easy). 30 bottles isn't as many as you would think and given kit wine does increase in quality quite a bit with age it isn't going to hurt to have a lot of wine up front and make it last through volume. Heck 30 bottles isn't even a bottle a week for a year.

 

[calmingapple]

Finally, to answer your other question. When making wine in a 6 gallon carboy, you would have a ton of space remaining (threat of oxygen) that will surely spoil an entire batch if you left it there (except during primary fermentation when the C02 is keeping the oxygen out).

So, you want a primary fermenter and a secondary that is going to be airtight (when it really matters).

I hope I helped somewhat! I am still a bit of a newbie too but learning constantly. Hope I help someone even a small amount!

Hello again. I have a question about the wine making kits which supply the hardware needed for wine making. I am very new at this and have been reading a lot. I took a quick look on Amazon to see what kits are available. I’ve seen a couple which can make wine in batches of 1 gallon (includes 1 gallon size carboy) or a batch of 6 gallons (includes 1 gallon size carboy). I’m thinking the 1 gallon size is good for about 6 bottles at a time and the 6 gallon is good for 30 bottles at a time.
A couple questions…

What is a good size to use, or better stated, what size do most recipes call for?
Making 30 bottles worth of wine at once might be a lot for me as I would have no idea where to store all those bottles.
When making wine in a 6 gallon carboy, do you need to fill it up all the way or can you make only 3 gallons with it?

 

[crispyc21]

Here are the equipment kits on Amazon I'm looking at..
1 gallon - 1 Gallon Wine from Fruit Kit
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CIBAE0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

6 gallon - Deluxe Wine Making Kit (High Quality and Durable Wine Kit)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBOWQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I did see a 3 gallon one that might be good as well.

The reason why I like the 1 gallon kit is it allows me to experiment more. I think anyway as I've never done this before. Unless I can get the 6 gallon one and fill it up half way?

I think I will make wine from both the wine ingredient kits and store bought ingredients.

 

[AkTom]

I would go with the 6 gallon kit. Really 28 maybe 30 bottles isn't that much. If you have a local brew store, check them out. Do you have beer brewing equipment? If so then you just need an 8 gallon bucket and corker. Making wine from kits is easy and fun.

 

[calmingapple]

Oh! I see. Makes perfect sense. You truly meant the hardware and not the kits actually containing the must (I slept very little today, as you can tell lol).

Okay, so as a side note... my parents were just in the States and picked up a one gallon carboy for me (mainly for country wine and bench testing). That carboy only cost $6 roughly I bought a siphon here for apprx $11 (Canadian).

So they are marking up this bundle by quite a margin. Any chance you are near Skajit Valley? i can tell you [recisely where they picked up this carboy. Then when there, you can also grab your siphon, wine yeast, and additives for way less.

If not, though, then maybe this is what you want/need.

Here are the equipment kits on Amazon I'm looking at..
1 gallon - 1 Gallon Wine from Fruit Kit
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CIBAE0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

6 gallon - Deluxe Wine Making Kit (High Quality and Durable Wine Kit)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBOWQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I did see a 3 gallon one that might be good as well.

The reason why I like the 1 gallon kit is it allows me to experiment more. I think anyway as I've never done this before. Unless I can get the 6 gallon one and fill it up half way?

I think I will make wine from both the wine ingredient kits and store bought ingredients.

 

[dpembrook]

Here are the equipment kits on Amazon I'm looking at..
1 gallon - 1 Gallon Wine from Fruit Kit
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CIBAE0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

6 gallon - Deluxe Wine Making Kit (High Quality and Durable Wine Kit)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBOWQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I did see a 3 gallon one that might be good as well.

The reason why I like the 1 gallon kit is it allows me to experiment more. I think anyway as I've never done this before. Unless I can get the 6 gallon one and fill it up half way?

I think I will make wine from both the wine ingredient kits and store bought ingredients.

I'd just jump in with a 1 gallon kit. Make sure you get a hydrometer as well! You will always want one.

The purpose of the kit in my mind is to get everything you need and get you started. Once you've done the process a few times you will know what you need and how much you want to be making.

 

[solbes]

I am inclined to recommend a 6 gallon kit over a 1. You can always buy a 1 gallon jug separate, about $5 (or buy some unfiltered apple cider in a glass jug, they are the same thing).

If you get the 6, know that you will also likely need a 5 gallon carboy (~ $35). Thats because you rack from the bucket to the 6 gallon carboy at about day 10. Once it drops most of the lees (yeast and sediment), you rack again to a smaller vessel with very little headspace (to prevent oxidation). Thus the need for a 5 gallon carboy.

Also cross shop out any local brewing shops. You can avoid the shipping charges and pick out your first wine ingredient kit to get started.

 

[mdbrewer1]

I use a 6 gallon Better Bottle as secondary. I can't imagine using a 5 gallon one. Even after racking off gross lees, I end up with enough wine that it goes at least halfway up the "shoulder" area of the 6 gallon one. That leaves enough room for degassing.

If you want to do any long-term bulk aging, you can just top off the carboy with a commercial wine to get it up to the neck of the 6 gallon one.

 

[solbes]

My 5 gallon carboy is filled to within a half inch of the carboy collar. Degasses just fine IMO. Any excess wine is racked to a 1.5L wine bottle or growler for "sampling"

 

[mdbrewer1]

My 5 gallon carboy is filled to within a half inch of the carboy collar. Degasses just fine IMO. Any excess wine is racked to a 1.5L wine bottle or growler for "sampling"

Do you mechanically degas or just let time take care of it? If mechanically, how do you degas the bottle or growler? Do you not get bubbles rising out of the wine in the carboy?

When I degas, I get bubbles coming up the neck of the 6 gallon carboy and have to watch that it doesn't overflow. I can't imagine attempting to mechanically degas with a half inch of headspace.

Either way, a 6 gallon carboy is absolutely a viable option, and is the one I've seen used almost universally.

 

[jensmith]

No. You should not get a six galleon carboy and only fill it half way. All carboys should be kept full at all times. Get the size carboy that fits the wine batch size.
If you just want to get your feet wet with a little bit of many types of wines then the one galleon is good. You can make a big batch and put it in several little jugs, but not a little bit in a big jug.
Or make whatever batch size you want in whatever jug size you can fine, and drink it as soon as possible. But it is ussualy better with age!

To get one galleon jugs, buy them full of wine, drink it or rebottle it for later. #6 drilled stopper usually fits. Although I have some old ones that take a #8.5.


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[mgonbrewlab]

To get one galleon jugs, buy them full of wine, drink it or rebottle it for later. #6 drilled stopper usually fits. Although I have some old ones that take a #8.5.

This. No harm in having a better bottle or large carboy but I get much more use out of the handful of Rossi jugs I have. Over the winter and early spring I started a batch of wine (1-3 gallons) almost every 3 weeks or so.

Bottles are also expensive. Some wine bars and restaurants are nice about giving out empties - some not so much. ask around, and if you have deposits in your area on bottles give at least that to ensure your source doesn't get sick of doing something for nothing.

 

[DoctorCAD]

I agree on getting the 6 gallon kit, you can always make 1 gallon in the 6 gallon kit by using a Carlo Rossi 1 gallon empty (I use it for topping up my secondaries and drink the rest) for your secondary.

Most kits are 6 gallon, Williams sells 5 gallon kits, and some port kits are 3 gallon, but you will eventually end up with a crapload of different sized carboys. Somehow they multiply!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

For what it's worth, here's the 1-gallon kit that my wife got me for my birthday:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/master-vintner-fresh-harvest-fruit-winemaking-kit

Looking forward to giving it a try - hopefully this weekend!

 

[solbes]

Do you mechanically degas or just let time take care of it? If mechanically, how do you degas the bottle or growler? Do you not get bubbles rising out of the wine in the carboy?

When I degas, I get bubbles coming up the neck of the 6 gallon carboy and have to watch that it doesn't overflow. I can't imagine attempting to mechanically degas with a half inch of headspace.

Ah, that's probably the difference. With most of my wines I let time do most of the work (especially the country wines). With kit wines I do degass some mechanically, but maybe more gently than what you are doing. Just takes awhile.

 

[crispyc21]

Thank you all for your input. I think I am going to go with the 6 gallon kit. I will probably buy a 1 gallon glass jug for smaller batches when testing things out.

 

[mgonbrewlab]

Good luck and welcome to the most addictive hobby most of us have ever known

 

[fuelish]

Make sure you get a hydrometer as well! You will always want one.

Truly!!! Actually, get 2, as you likely will break more than one if you stay with this hobby for any length of time - they're delicate lil devices, dunno why they're not built sturdier after all these years....guess so they can keep selling them to us heavy handed or unfortunate folk