single gallon equipment

[jet]

Dani,

I see what you mean. If something you try does not work out, then why risk being stuck with 2 cases of wine you do not like. I once made the mistake of making 500 liters of a white blend (in 1999) that ended up undrinkable. Never again. I now do test demijohns (54 liters) first and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go big on a grape I know nothing about.

Let me know how it turns out. I am a bit of a snob (admittedly) and should be more open minded. It is just that I come from a long line of Europeans and have been brought up to believe that you do not make spaghetti out of ketchup, and do not make wine out of Welches grape juice.

I have to admit that I might give it a try myself if I did not firmly believe that I would never get another good night's sleep. The sound of all of my ancestors rolling in their graves would keep me up at night.

Reading your post, I can't help but be struck by the difference in magnitude of your operation and mine. The main reason that I make gallon batches is the I can't drink that much. A 500 liter batch would be 10 year supply for me.

Also, gallon batches can be made from wine grapes (I won't do anything else).

 

[JohnT]

I started 20 years ago with 20 gallons (from fresh wine grapes). It has grown every year since. Funny how a hobby can easily turn into an obsession.

In the early years, the only time I used one-gallon jugs was to hold "top-off" for the carboys.

As I read the earlier posts, I stuck me as though the amount of work you need to do for a gallon is not much more than the amount of work for 5 to 6 gallons (assuming that getting the juice is not that labor intensive). I understand that this is not always the case and can also see some wisdom in doing 1 gallon test batches.

I was just questioning the use of Welch's.

 

[Runningwolf]

So John how do you feel about using Welches

 

[jet]

As soon as Welches comes out with a Pinot Noir or a Sauvignon Blanc, I'll be all over that.

 

[JohnT]

So John how do you feel about using Welches

Just be glad that I have super-human self discipline! I just may loose control and tell you about it!!!!!

 

[MikeRod101]

yes thank you u helped out nicley

 

[Ken914]

While Welch's grape juice may not be the most sophisticated fruit around, I'm not sure that anything can rival it's consistency. If you're experimenting, I believe that it would provide a good constant to manipulate variables around.

 

[rappdaddy]

I think there are times to make less than 5-6 gallons. Some fruit such as black raspberry can get expensive if you must buy it. Or, maybe you only have enough picked enough to make say...three and 1/2 gallons. Any quantity of wine can be made if you can do the math. Even if I'm making one gallon, I still use a full packet of yeast. What doesn't get used gets discarded anyway.
As for equipment, a six gallon bucket is okay for the primary and any variety of bottles will work. I have 3 gal, 2 gal, 1 gal, 1/2 gal, 1500ml, 750ml and 375ml. You can get a bung to fit just about anything. Always use the biggest bottles you can so minimize loss. If you like the wine, you know next year to get out there and pick a bunch more. If you're only making small batches as a trial to see if you like it, try to find some other wine makers in your area. I don't know any that don't like to share. Good luck.