Weird Wines & Fish Tanks: Wine Wizard

QMy friends have been asking me weird winemaking questions. I can’t answer them. Can you? If a yeast packet says it makes 1–5 gallons (3.8–19 L) of wine, what would be the difference between using it for 1 gallon or for 5? Will using it for 1 gallon give the finished wine a higher alcohol content, or maybe just give it a yeastier taste? Can I add yeast to Mountain Dew or Sprite to make it into a “wine”? Could I make wine in an aquarium or would the glue cause a problem? Dean MehrkensThief River Falls, Minnesota AWhat great questions! I haven’t had so many, shall I say, interesting queries come across my desk in a long time. Let me address each one in turn. If you use a 1-5 gallon (3.8–19 L) yeast packet for 1 gallon as opposed to 5 gallons, it is likely that your fermentation will proceed faster, have a more yeasty aroma and go to completion (go “dry”) more quickly. It’s also likely that the fermentation will occur at a higher temperature because yeast