When I started out, I faced the same decision you did. I went with 1-gallon jugs, and I don't regret it. Cost, more possibilities to experiment, and more practice are all advantages of this rout.
I was able to buy a gallon apple of apple juice in a glbutt jug at Trader Joe's for about the same price as an empty 1-gallon jug at the homebrew store, so you could say my first wine was "free" - and it was a very nice wine.
Sweetining Wine and Oklahoma 362Danny wrote "Our second endeavor is a blackberry wine which we started by picking Dan - The tart taste is due to high acid. The easiest thing for you to do is to...
You can also experiment more. I'm a tinkerer, so that was a big deal for me. Many recipes call for 1-4 tsp-Gallon of tannin. Ever wonder what it would taste like if you didn't add any? Or if you added 1-2 tsp? Make three 1-gallon batches and find out.
Finally, for the same volume of wine, you end up syphoning, measuring, etc about five times as much. When you're just starting out, this means you get more practice. Speaking as someone who found himself sitting on the kitchen floor, barefoot and in shorts, amongst broken glbutt and a gallon of fermenting wine, I say you'll need that practice. Of course, this extra practice will becomes extra work at some point. Still most people who stay with the hobby add to their collection of containers and this would be the perfect time get some 5-gallon carboys.
Erroll
