Can I make wine in a stoneware churn or does it have to be glass or plastic?
Your wine can undergo its primary fermentation in a stoneware crock, but for the secondary fermentation, you will want something that you can add an airlock to. Despite what the other answer stated, people have been making wine in stoneware for thousands of years. The only cautions would be to make sure your stoneware doesn’t have a lead-based glaze, as that can leach into your wine. Otherwise, if you follow proper sterilization techniques, there should be no problems. You also can use plastic. In fact, many winemaking suppliers sell plastic containers in sizes ranging from 2 gallon for the home winemaker up to 2000 gallons or more for commercial winemakers. If you are going to purchase plastic fermenting containers, just make sure they are made from food-grade plastic. (Not from your local building supply house!) This link is for a supplier that I have used many times in the past.
