Wine Grapes Direct · FAQ
Plan your batch.
Make great wine.
How many pails? Which carboy? What happens when your fruit arrives? Start here, and get in touch whenever you need a hand.
First, give fermentation room
Leave room for the cap to rise.
Red must includes grape skins. As fermentation gets going, carbon dioxide lifts those skins into a floating cap, and the batch expands. A vessel that looks roomy when you fill it can become very full a day or two later.
Fill a red-must fermenter up to 75% full, leaving 25% of its total capacity empty for the rising cap and foam. Include any planned additions in that starting fill. Check the cap regularly; this is a planning guide, not a guaranteed maximum rise.
Diagrams are schematic. The dashed line marks the starting fill level; cap height varies. Cover against fruit flies and dust with a suitable sanitized cover that allows gas to escape. Never seal an actively fermenting batch airtight.
Which vessel should I use?
| Must going in | Suggested total vessel capacity |
|---|---|
| 1 smaller pail · 4.25 gal | 6–7 gal |
| 1 standard pail · 5 gal | 7–8 gal |
| 2 standard pails · 10 gal | 14–16 gal |
| 3 standard pails · 15 gal | 20–24 gal |
These sizes keep the starting fill at 75% of total vessel capacity or less, leaving at least 25% headspace. Include water or other additions in the starting volume. A larger vessel or splitting the batch is better than an overflowing fermenter.
White juice and cider: juice without skins does not form a grape-skin cap, but it still foams. Use a properly sized fermentation vessel with room for foam and an appropriate airlock or blow-off setup. The five-gallon finished yield is for planning your aging carboy—not a reason to squeeze 5.25 gallons of actively fermenting juice into one.
After fermentation: the rule changes. Transfer finished wine into appropriately sized storage vessels with minimal headspace, as shown below.
Equipment reference: Rubbermaid Commercial food-handling containers. Technique reference: MoreWine’s guide to choosing red-wine fermenters.
Before you choose your carboys
Store wine, not a carboy full of air.
Once fermentation is finished, keep stored or aging wine filled up into the narrow neck of its vessel. Leave only a small clearance below the stopper—not an empty shoulder or half a jug of air. That empty space is called headspace.
Why it matters: prolonged oxygen exposure can dull fruit aromas, brown the wine and encourage spoilage. Matching the vessel to the wine you actually have is one of the simplest ways to protect your batch.
Not enough wine to reach the neck? Move it into smaller sanitized vessels, or top up with a suitable, sound wine of a compatible style. Keep any reserve wine in small vessels you can also fill properly. Don’t leave half a gallon in a one-gallon jug for long-term storage, and don’t add water just to fill the gap.
Fermentation is different. Actively fermenting must needs expansion room for foam and the cap of skins. Do not fill an active fermenter to the neck or seal fermenting wine in an airtight container. These diagrams show storage after fermentation, not primary fermentation. Maintain appropriate sanitation and sulfite protection too.
Illustration is schematic; leave suitable clearance for your closure and temperature changes. More on preventing oxidation: Iowa State Extension.
From pails to carboys
How many pails do I need?
Tell us what you’re making and which carboys or barrels you want to fill. We’ll round up to whole pails using the lower end of our typical yield range. Choose barrels in liters or US gallons; results show both units.
Check the product listing for the pail format. This is the contents, not the container’s capacity.
Use a conservative estimate from your own batches or ask us about your variety. This also lets you plan other juice formats.
Optional extra wine beyond the vessels above. Whole-pail rounding can add a full pail; leave this at “None added” for a normal five-gallon white batch.
To fill 5 gallons of carboy space.
Typical yield from 2 pails: 6–7 gallons.
Based on 3–3.5 gallons per pail. The recommendation uses 3 gallons.
Explore the current harvest →Yield is an estimate, not a guarantee. Pressing, lees and racking affect the wine you keep. Plan for some flexibility in vessel sizes. Keep stored or aging wine filled into the narrow neck, with only a small gap below the stopper. A half-filled reserve jug is not suitable for long-term storage. For varieties outside these published groups, choose a custom yield or ask us.
Carboys, barrels & actual capacity
Match your wine to the vessel.
For carboys, the calculator includes 1-, 3-, 5- and 6-gallon sizes. For barrels, choose from 33 listed capacities, or enter any custom size in liters or US gallons. You can combine different barrel sizes in the same batch plan.
Read the capacity, not just the nickname. A Bordeaux barrique is commonly 225 L (59.44 US gal), while a Burgundy pièce is 228 L (60.23 US gal). A 20 L barrel is about 5.28 US gallons, not exactly 5. Names such as hogshead, puncheon and feuillette can vary by region or cooperage, so match the actual label.
Plan wine for topping up. Barrel aging needs reserve wine for evaporation, sampling and transfers. Use the calculator’s reserve setting as a planning allowance; the amount you need depends on your barrel, cellar and aging time. Keep reserve wine in suitably filled smaller vessels.
Full barrel-size reference · liters and US gallons
| Liters / format | US gallons |
|---|---|
| 1 L | 0.26 |
| 2 L | 0.53 |
| 3 L | 0.79 |
| 5 L | 1.32 |
| 10 L | 2.64 |
| 20 L | 5.28 |
| 28 L | 7.40 |
| 40 L | 10.57 |
| 50 L | 13.21 |
| 55 L | 14.53 |
| 100 L | 26.42 |
| 110 L | 29.06 |
| 114 L Feuillette | 30.12 |
| 225 L Bordeaux barrique | 59.44 |
| 228 L Burgundy pièce | 60.23 |
| 260 L | 68.68 |
| 265 L | 70.01 |
| 300 L Hogshead (one common size) | 79.25 |
| 320 L | 84.54 |
| 350 L | 92.46 |
| 400 L | 105.67 |
| 450 L | 118.88 |
| 500 L Puncheon (one common size) | 132.09 |
| 600 L Demi-muid | 158.50 |
| 700 L | 184.92 |
| 5.68 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 1.5 |
| 7.57 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 2 |
| 11.36 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 3 |
| 18.93 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 5 |
| 37.85 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 10 |
| 56.78 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 15 |
| 113.56 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 30 |
| 200.63 L US-gallon-rated barrel | 53 |
Conversions shown to two decimals; calculations use 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L. These are nominal capacities, not measured fill volumes. Custom entry covers other casks, larger foudres and unusual sizes. Imperial gallons are different—convert them before entering a US-gallon value.
Size references: Tonnellerie Cavin, Seguin Moreau, Vicard, Oak Barrel Winecraft and Exotic Barrels. A listed size is a planning option, not an endorsement of every vessel sold in that size.
01 · Yield
What will a pail make?
Red must includes skins and seeds. Finished-wine volume will be less than the volume you start with.
Red Bordeaux
60–70%5-gallon must pail: 3–3.5 gallons
4.25-gallon must pail: about 2.55–2.98 gallons
Red Rhône
70–80%5-gallon must pail: 3.5–4 gallons
4.25-gallon must pail: about 2.98–3.4 gallons
White juice
About 5 galTypical finished yield from a pail containing 5.25 gallons of juice.
Actual losses depend on your process.
Should I ferment in the same size vessel I’ll age in?
For red must, fill the fermenter up to 75% full and leave 25% of its total capacity empty for the rising cap and foam. A 7–8-gallon fermenter is a practical choice for a standard 5-gallon must pail. See the fermentation-space diagrams above, and include any planned additions when sizing the vessel.
After pressing and fermentation, choose carboys that match the wine you actually have, with minimal headspace. The calculator above plans carboy and barrel capacity for finished wine, not primary-fermenter capacity.
02 · Pail sizes
What’s in the pail?
How much must or juice does each pail contain?
Standard red must: 5 gallons, about 50 lb, in a 6-gallon container.
Smaller red must format: 4.25 gallons, about 42.5 lb, in a 5-gallon container.
White juice: 5.25 gallons, about 50 lb, in a 6-gallon container.
Always check the individual product listing for the format you’re ordering. The container size, contents and expected finished yield are three different things.
03 · Thawing & chemistry
Start with a well-mixed batch.
What should I do before testing or transferring?
Let your must or juice thaw fully, then stir thoroughly from the bottom up before taking a sample or transferring it. Freezing can concentrate sugars and acids toward the bottom, so an unmixed sample can give you a misleading reading.
Will my numbers match the product listing?
White juice generally has little variation from the posted numbers. Red must can vary from pail to pail, with the batch average usually close to the listed figures. Measure your actual, thoroughly mixed batch whenever possible.
Planning an adjustment? Use our winemaking calculator alongside your measurements, and browse the winemaking guides for practical instructions.
04 · Shipping & pickup
Getting your fruit to you.
How do you ship, and when will my order arrive?
UPS is our standard direct-to-door service. Other delivery or pickup arrangements may be available depending on your location and order. Available options and charges are shown at checkout or confirmed with you before shipment.
We ship weekly. Check the announcement at the top of the website for current shipment dates and the order deadline. Your ship date is not your arrival date; transit time depends on the destination and service.
Frozen must and juice travel in insulated packaging selected for the expected transit time. Watch for your confirmation and tracking email, including your spam folder.
Can I arrange local pickup?
We coordinate local pickup in a number of cities. Check the current program for locations, timing and pickup requirements, then confirm your delivery window and arrangements with us before making plans.
Still have a question?
Tell us what you’re making and the equipment you have. We’re happy to help you plan a batch that fits.