Primary Fermenters

Winemaking Primary Fermenters

The Grape and Granary sells a number of different primary fermenters for home winemaking. It is important to remember that the primary (initial) fermenter should be 10-20% larger that the batch size that you are making. So, if you are making a 6 gallon batch of wine, you would want at least a 7 or 8 gallon primary fermenter. When it comes to the primary fermentation, head space is a good thing. If your fermenter is too small, the wine will foam out the top of the vessel during this vigorous part of the process and the lid could actually blow-off. Once this fermentation is done and you transfer the wine to the secondary fermenter, you do not want any headspace as exposure to air after the initial fermentation can oxidize the wine and promote mold growth on the surface of the wine.

Our favorite primary fermenter for 5-6 gallon batches of wine is the 30 liter fermenter which has a port for a spigot, is graduated so you know where your volume level and it has a sealable lid and a grommet for an airlock. If you are making a one gallon batch size of wine, you can use a 2 gallon primary fermenter with a sealable lid and grommet for an airlock.