Carboy - Secondary Fermenter

A carboy or a demijohn is where the wine gets racked over to from the primary fermenter.

Typically the size is 23 liters and is made of glass or plastic. Get a carboy that holds your wine with little or no space left over. Too much head space leaves too much air in contact with your wine and can cause oxidation.

Plastic or glass is your choice. The glass is clear and it's easy to see your wine and easy to see if it's clean. Plastic ones can discolour but when dropped they don't smash! I use glass ones.

Primary Fermenter

The primary fermenter is where you initially mix you mix the ingredients together. Most primary fermenters are made of plastic. Sizes usually range from 30 to 46 liters.

Make sure the primary fermenter comes with a lid. The lid should have a hole for an airlock or a lid that doesn't seal airtight. As the wine must ferments it creates gases that need to escape, therefore an airtight lid would be a disaster.

This brings me back to the fermenter size. If you make a 23 liter wine, your fermenter will need to be at least 30 liters. During primary fermentation the must foams and the extra space is necessary to avoid a mess.

Don't be tempted to use plastic containers other than ones made for wine. Used plastic food containers can have aromas and flavours the will taint your wine.