Please remember when you are ordering our gallon glass jugs, that you will need to order closures such as any screw caps or rubber stoppers that may be needed separately. These items are not included with these gallon jugs simply because we do not know what you intend to do with the jugs. Whether your bottling, fermenting or storing wine with them will determine what else you will need.
For Bottling:
Bottling your wine in gallon glass carboys is a great idea so long as you can consume a gallon of wine in a couple or three days. If you bottle your wine this way you will want to order 38mm screw caps to seal these jugs. For more information on this subject see another post on this blog, Using Glass Gallon Jugs When Bottling Homemade Wine.
For Fermenting:
You can also use the gallon glass carboys for fermenting your wine. For this you will need to attach an air lock to them. This can be done by buying a rubber stopper with a hole in it, and then fit the air lock into that hole. Rubber stoppers come in all sizes, but the ones you will need for these gallon size jugs is a size #6 rubber stoppers.
Alternately, you can use a rubber cap in place of a rubber stopper for attaching an air lock. If you decide to go this route you will want a size #3 rubber cap. Some winemakers prefer the rubber cap over the rubber stopper because it is more difficult for it to accidentally come loose- handy with you have kids or nosy pets.
For Storing:
If you intend to use the jugs for storage or aging, and then bottle the wine later own in regular size wine bottles, then you can use screw caps just as well, but you can also use tapered corks in these jugs for this purpose. A size #14 tapered cork is the size you would want.
The main difference is that the tapered corks will allow some oxygen to permeate through to the wine at a very slow rate. This will facilitate the aging of your wine, causing it to become more mellow sooner. Screw caps do not allow oxygen to pass through.
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.
