Buying guide
Best Carboys for Wine (Glass and PET, 1 to 6 Gallons)
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Editor's Choice
The cheapest way to get a full 6 gallon carboy, the size wine kits are built around. It weighs about 2.4 pounds empty, resists shattering, and gives you the same clear view of the wine as a glass carboy.
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Best glass carboy
FastRack Italian 6 Gallon Glass Carboy
Italian glass with a non-slip base and a neck for a #7 stopper, for long aging.
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Best 5 gallon carboy
FastRack Italian 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
The classic 5 gallon glass size, with a #7 stopper neck.
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Best for 1 gallon batches
North Mountain Supply 1 Gallon Glass Fermenting Jug
Comes with a handle, stopper and airlock.
The best carboys for wine are the ones sized to your batch: a 6 gallon carboy for wine kits, a 5 gallon carboy for 5 gallon recipes, a 3 gallon for mid-size fruit wines and a 1 gallon jug for trial batches. Material comes second. A glass carboy never scratches and never holds an odor, while a PET carboy weighs a fraction as much and does not shatter. Either one works as a wine fermenter for the second stage, when the wine settles under an airlock.
Below we compare six FastRack and North Mountain Supply carboys in 1, 3, 5 and 6 gallon sizes, in glass and PET. We did not test them. We compared the published specifications from the listings and from the manufacturer's own store, and we say which source each number comes from. We also cover glass carboy safety and headspace, the two things that most often go wrong. If you are still deciding between a carboy and a bucket, start with our carboy vs bucket guide.
Best Carboys for Wine Compared
Six carboys, four sizes, two materials. Weights and stopper sizes are the ones each listing states; "Not stated" means the listing does not say. Price tiers are market tiers: $ is budget and $$ is mid-range.
| Carboy | FastRack 6 Gal PET Editor's Choice | FastRack 6 Gal Glass | FastRack 5 Gal Glass | FastRack 5 Gal PET | FastRack 3 Gal Glass | North Mountain 1 Gal Jug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Capacity | 6 gal | 6 gal | 5 gal | 5 gal | 3 gal | 1 gal |
| Material | Food-grade PET | Italian glass | Italian glass | Food-grade PET | Italian glass | Glass |
| Weight (listing) | About 2.4 lb | 15 lb empty, about 65 lb full | 12 lb, empty or full not stated | About 2.5 lb | 8.2 lb empty, about 23.2 lb full | Not stated |
| Stopper | Not stated (FastBrewing: #10, sold separately) | #7, not included | #7, not included | Not stated (FastBrewing: #10, sold separately) | #7, not included | Included, with airlock |
| Best for | Wine kits, lifting alone | Long aging of kits | 5 gallon recipes | 5 gallon batches, lifting alone | Small fruit wines, mead | Trial batches |
| Price tier | $ | $$ | $$ | $ | $$ | $ |
| Buy | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon |
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Editor's Choice
FastRack 6 Gal PET
- Best for
- Wine kits, lifting alone
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 6 gal
- Material
- Food-grade PET
- Weight (listing)
- About 2.4 lb
- Stopper
- Not stated (FastBrewing: #10, sold separately)
- Best for
- Wine kits, lifting alone
- Price tier
- $
FastRack 6 Gal Glass
- Best for
- Long aging of kits
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 6 gal
- Material
- Italian glass
- Weight (listing)
- 15 lb empty, about 65 lb full
- Stopper
- #7, not included
- Best for
- Long aging of kits
- Price tier
- $$
FastRack 5 Gal Glass
- Best for
- 5 gallon recipes
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 5 gal
- Material
- Italian glass
- Weight (listing)
- 12 lb, empty or full not stated
- Stopper
- #7, not included
- Best for
- 5 gallon recipes
- Price tier
- $$
FastRack 5 Gal PET
- Best for
- 5 gallon batches, lifting alone
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 5 gal
- Material
- Food-grade PET
- Weight (listing)
- About 2.5 lb
- Stopper
- Not stated (FastBrewing: #10, sold separately)
- Best for
- 5 gallon batches, lifting alone
- Price tier
- $
FastRack 3 Gal Glass
- Best for
- Small fruit wines, mead
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 3 gal
- Material
- Italian glass
- Weight (listing)
- 8.2 lb empty, about 23.2 lb full
- Stopper
- #7, not included
- Best for
- Small fruit wines, mead
- Price tier
- $$
North Mountain 1 Gal Jug
- Best for
- Trial batches
Show specificationsHide specifications
- Capacity
- 1 gal
- Material
- Glass
- Weight (listing)
- Not stated
- Stopper
- Included, with airlock
- Best for
- Trial batches
- Price tier
- $
Carboy Reviews
Each review sticks to what the listing and the manufacturer's store say. The picks run from the cheapest full-size option to the one gallon jug.
FastRack 6 Gallon PET Carboy (Editor's Choice)
Most wine kits and 5 gallon fruit batches end up at around 6 gallons once the fruit is pressed and the wine is racked off the first sediment, and this is the least expensive carboy that holds that volume. The listing describes thick, food-grade PET that is BPA-free, leak-proof and shatter-resistant, and gives the weight as about 2.4 pounds. Fully loaded, the wine is the heavy part, not the vessel.
FastBrewing, which sells the same size, says the carboy needs a #10 stopper (sold separately) and that you should wash it by hand with a soft sponge in water no hotter than 140°F (60°C), without harsh abrasive brushes. That matters: PET is not the carboy to attack with a scrubbing pad or to sanitize with boiling water.
Best for: wine kits, anyone who lifts carboys alone, and tiled kitchens. Missing: a stopper and airlock, and the scratch-proof surface of glass.
FastRack Italian 6 Gallon Glass Carboy (Best Glass Carboy)
The best glass carboy for wine is the one that goes the distance: months of bulk aging with nothing in the wine but glass. This FastRack is made from Italian glass with a non-slip base, and its opening fits a #7 stopper that is not included. The listing gives the weight as 15 pounds empty, and six gallons of wine adds roughly 50 pounds, so about 65 pounds full.
That second number is the catch. Lift it only after planning where it will sit, because the wine goes in once and comes out by siphon (see our auto siphon comparison). Glass does not scratch, so you can clean it hard with a carboy brush.
Best for: long aging and wine kits, when the carboy sits in one spot. Missing: a stopper, airlock and carrier handle.
FastRack Italian 5 Gallon Glass Carboy (Best 5 Gallon Carboy)
A 5 gallon carboy is the size to buy when your recipe or kit is written for 5 gallons. The listing says the opening fits a #7 stopper (sold separately), the base is non-slip, and a visible mold line is normal. It gives a product weight of 12 pounds and does not say whether that is empty or full, so for lifting plan on the contents weighing far more.
One warning: the listing text repeats a "3-gallon" line in its feature bullets, which contradicts the title and the product name. The 5 gallon capacity is in the title; check the size on delivery.
Best for: 5 gallon fruit wine and mead. Missing: a stopper and airlock. If you would rather not lift glass, the PET version is below.
FastRack 5 Gallon PET Carboy (Best Lightweight 5 Gallon Carboy)
The PET twin of the 5 gallon glass carboy. The listing gives about 2.5 pounds and describes the same BPA-free, shatter-resistant, rib-free PET body, which the listing says is easy to clean and lets you see the wine. FastBrewing says it needs a #10 stopper, sold separately, and the same gentle-cleaning rules as the 6 gallon PET apply.
On Amazon this listing is sold by a third-party seller rather than by Amazon.
Best for: 5 gallon batches where weight or breakage is a worry. Missing: a stopper and airlock.
FastRack 3 Gallon Glass Carboy (Best for Small Batches)
Italian glass with a 30 mm neck finish that takes a #7 stopper (not included). The listing gives 8.2 pounds empty and about 23.2 pounds full, a lot easier to handle than the 6 gallon version.
It is the size for 3 gallon fruit wines and for topping up. When a 6 gallon batch loses volume to sediment at racking, a 3 gallon carboy takes the leftover wine so the air space in the main carboy stays small.
Best for: 3 gallon fruit wine, mead, and leftovers. Missing: a stopper and airlock.
North Mountain Supply 1 Gallon Glass Fermenting Jug (Best 1 Gallon Wine Fermenter)
The only carboy here that comes ready to use: the title lists a handle, stopper, airlock and lid, and the listing says it is made in the USA. Most recipes on this site are written for 1 gallon, and a jug this size is the cheapest way to try a new fruit wine before you commit a full carboy to it.
A listing weight is not stated. At this size the glass is light enough to carry with the handle, but treat it the way you would a larger carboy and keep it off wet tile.
Best for: trial batches and 1 gallon recipes. Missing: nothing needed to start.
How to Choose a Wine Fermenter
Three choices decide it: size, material and the hardware that goes in the neck.
Size: Buy for the Batch, Not for the Biggest Number
A carboy is meant to be filled to the neck once the wine is clearing. A 6 gallon carboy suits the 6 gallon kits that most winemakers start with. A 5 gallon carboy suits 5 gallon fruit wine recipes and mead. A 3 gallon carboy is for small batches and for the leftovers after racking, and a 1 gallon jug is for experiments. If you cannot decide, own one 6 gallon and one 3 gallon: the second one fixes headspace problems on the first.
Glass or PET: What Each One Is Good At
Glass is the traditional wine fermenter. It does not scratch, does not hold odors and can be scrubbed with a brush as hard as you like. Its weight and its breakage risk are the cost. PET is the lightweight alternative: FastBrewing describes it as shatterproof, non-porous and taste- and odor-free, with a barrier against oxygen ingress. We could not find an open, independent oxygen-permeability figure for it, so for wines you plan to age for many months we lean on glass. For the bulk of home wines, a few months in a carboy before bottling, PET does the job. Our carboy vs bucket page compares both materials with buckets and wide-mouth jars.
Stoppers, Airlocks and Brushes
Check the neck before you check out. The FastRack glass listings state a #7 stopper, sold separately. FastBrewing says its PET carboys need a #10. Buy a drilled bung and an airlock to match, a carboy brush for glass and a soft sponge for PET, and sanitize everything before the wine touches it (our guide to using Star San covers it). If you want all of this in one box, the wine making kits bundle a fermenter with the rest of the gear.
Glass Carboy Safety
A full glass carboy is the heaviest and most breakable thing in a home winery. This section is about handling it so that it never breaks in your hands.
Why Glass Carboys Break
Brew Your Own's homebrew safety guide, written by Christian Lavender, says that carboy necks can snap off and shatter, resulting in lacerations, and that the author has taken bad cuts from dropping and breaking carboys. It also says plastic carboys are always safer than glass in terms of breakage. We did not find an open source with injury statistics for carboys, so we cannot give you a rate; we can say what the guide's author reports and what the listings say about weight.
How to Move One Without Dropping It
The same guide says never to carry a full carboy by just the carboy handle, and suggests a carrier such as a Brew Hauler or a Bucket Sling, or even an old milk crate. The weights in the listings show why: a 6 gallon FastRack glass carboy is about 65 pounds full (15 empty plus roughly 50 of wine), and a 3 gallon one is about 23.2 pounds. Set the carboy where it will stay for the whole aging period, lift it from the base with a carrier, and wear closed shoes, since the author of the guide reports that exploding glass cut open one of his toes. When you are done with the glass altogether, a PET carboy is the lower-risk option for the same job.
Headspace: How Full Should a Carboy Be?
For the aging stage, as full as you can get it. Virginia Cooperative Extension's home guide Wine Making for the Home Gardener (HORT-213) says it is important that the air space be kept at a minimum to prevent oxidation, which it describes as off colors and tastes. It says the new fermenter should be filled up completely after racking, leaving very little air space.
What to Do When You Are Short
The same guide gives three fixes: move the wine to a smaller container, fill the extra space with a compatible wine or with water, or add sterilized marbles to raise the level. It adds that you should not worry about diluting the wine. This is the practical case for a second, smaller carboy: a 3 gallon carboy lets you rack a short batch into a vessel that it fills, instead of leaving it half empty in a 6 gallon one. See how to rack wine for the transfer itself.
The Opposite Rule for Primary Fermentation
Primary fermentation needs the reverse. The same VCE guide says a primary fermenter should hold 1 1/2 to 2 times the volume of the recipe because the extra room is needed during the vigorous first phase of fermentation. That is why a carboy is the second vessel and a bucket is the first.
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