WineXpert Splitting or Sharing a 5 gallon wine kit

[ny3299]

I have a one-gallon wine equipment kit (which is what I want since I don't want to make 30 bottles at a time). I am generally a fruit wine maker, but I have made the one-gallon batches of Winexpert World Vineyard with success. I am interested in better quality kits, like what comes in the Winexpert Eclipse line kits. These kits, however, are 5 gallon kits. So my questions are:
1) Can I buy the larger 5 gallon kit and use it for several one gallon batches over time?
2) If so, what method should I follow to save the juice?
3) Finally, is there a practice out there of splitting 5 gallon wine kits with other one-gallon winemakers?

Thanks very much for your advice!!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I have a one-gallon wine equipment kit (which is what I want since I don't want to make 30 bottles at a time). I am generally a fruit wine maker, but I have made the one-gallon batches of Winexpert World Vineyard with success. I am interested in better quality kits, like what comes in the Winexpert Eclipse line kits. These kits, however, are 5 gallon kits. So my questions are:
1) Can I buy the larger 5 gallon kit and use it for several one gallon batches over time?
2) If so, what method should I follow to save the juice?
3) Finally, is there a practice out there of splitting 5 gallon wine kits with other one-gallon winemakers?

Thanks very much for your advice!!

The best advice I can give you is make the 5 gallon kits and then split it by the bottle. You will find out it is alot easier to do 5 or 6 gallon batches rather than 1 gallon batches

 

[DoctorCAD]

Most kits are 6 gallons US.

It takes just as much time and effort to make 1 gallon as 6 gallons. Why not have 30 bottles instead of 5 for the same effort?

 

[NorCal]

I've never had the problem of too much wine

 

[sour_grapes]

I have a one-gallon wine equipment kit (which is what I want since I don't want to make 30 bottles at a time). I am generally a fruit wine maker, but I have made the one-gallon batches of Winexpert World Vineyard with success. I am interested in better quality kits, like what comes in the Winexpert Eclipse line kits. These kits, however, are 5 gallon kits. So my questions are:
1) Can I buy the larger 5 gallon kit and use it for several one gallon batches over time?
2) If so, what method should I follow to save the juice?
3) Finally, is there a practice out there of splitting 5 gallon wine kits with other one-gallon winemakers?

Thanks very much for your advice!!

I am going to be more sympathetic to your request, but, unfortunately, I don't see a good path to accomplish your aims.

Let's start with the juice. The kits come with 16 L of juice. You would need to open the kit, and pour off 16L/6 = 2.67 Liters. Then freeze the remaining juice. This would be hard, but achievable.

The grape pack is where you will run into a lot of trouble. I gues, if I really wanted to do what you are suggesting, I would weigh the grape pack, and divide by 6. I would squeeze out the grape pack into 6 ziplock bags of roughly equal weight.

Normally, you put the grape pack into a muslin bag to put into the primary fermentation container to keep all the detritus in one place, which helps with racking. If I were doing your method, I would just dump it into the primary sans bag, and deal with the consequences during racking.

What about additives? I guess I would skip the 4 g of bentonite rather than try to divide up into small packets. Yeast is readily available, so you could get multiple sachets of yeast at your LHBS. You can skip the sorbate. You could skip the fining agents (chitosan, etc.), and just let time work its magic. Oak is a little tough to divvy up, but, again, a scale is your friend.

I must agree with the others: the effort to divide the kit up into 6ths seems to be WAAAAY harder than it would be worth.

 

[Boatboy24]

Some kit manufacturers are now offering 1 or 2 gallon kits. It's more expensive (and labor intensive) to do it that way, but that may meet your need.

http://labelpeelers.com/world-vineyard-1-gallon-kits/

 

[Floandgary]

Make the entire kit. When done fermenting and stabilized, split into 6-1gal jugs. Airlock them and let them age. Easier than bottling and you may be surprised by the time you get to the last one!! Your cost may be nothing more than a 6gal fermenter bucket and some airlocks

 

[ny3299]

Thanks very much - I am convinced to make the entire batch and just buy the extra items I am in need of for larger batches. Like I mentioned, I mostly do 1-gallon batches from fresh fruit so I was trying to save the extra equipment needed for 5-6 gallon batches, but it doesn't appear I would need much more to do it - just a larger fermentation bucket, larger secondary and a longer siphon. Does anyone have a recommendation for a high quality red wine kit?
Best to all for the holidays!

 

[Brian55]

Thanks very much - I am convinced to make the entire batch and just buy the extra items I am in need of for larger batches. Like I mentioned, I mostly do 1-gallon batches from fresh fruit so I was trying to save the extra equipment needed for 5-6 gallon batches, but it doesn't appear I would need much more to do it - just a larger fermentation bucket, larger secondary and a longer siphon. Does anyone have a recommendation for a high quality red wine kit?
Best to all for the holidays!

Yes, the CC Showcase series, the WE Eclipse, and the RJ's WS/EP. Haven't tried the MM Meglioli yet, but have heard it's excellent with time. Most of the limited editions we've tried have been excellent as well...

 

[Boatboy24]

As @Brian55 said, CC Showcase, WE Eclipse, RJ Spagnols Winery Series or En Primeur series. You can't really go wrong with anything from those lines. And there's enough variety that you can find something you like to drink.