Topic: Yeast & Fermentation

I definitely think you should wait for the fermentation to complete and then rack and add sulfur dioxide. I doubt you’ll have to add any sorbate to protect against a re-start fermentation

I’m glad you wrote in this question. It points to the importance of thinking about our wines in the big picture sense (not to mention the importance of double checking before making

If you sometimes prefer your red wines served a little on the cool side or are not afraid of buying high-end wines with screw cap closures, you aren’t alone! The Wine Wizard shares her “consumer myths” that need to be debunked. Plus, the role your yeast choice plays on malolactic fermentation, and advice on adjusting a high-pH juice.

While the yeast technically does all the work, a winemaker has a lot of influence in the success of their fermentations. Understanding best practices — from rehydrating dry yeast and measured nutrient additions — as well as options like co-inoculation and using non-Saccharomyces yeasts are important tools to influence the final outcome of your wine.

You are right, at WineMaker magazine we typically don’t want to advertise one product over another. That being said, we are always open to new advances and products that help our readers.

Sometimes we want a wine yeast that will strictly ferment a wine dry in the conditions available to it, but other instances require special purpose wine yeasts. Learn about yeast strains that serve more purposes than simply completing fermentation — be it for high-vigor, malic acid management, minimizing faults, and more.

Kaboom! Nobody likes an exploding carboy! “Fermentation happens,” as one of my professors at UC-Davis always used to say. Sounds like the perfect home winemaking meme to me (or t-shirt). As wine

MLF is a bit confusing for some because it’s called a “fermentation” but it’s certainly not as active, visible, smellable, and in your face as your primary sugar-to-alcohol fermentation. MLF happens when

Whole cluster fermentation — fermenting grapes without crushing and destemming them first — is a technique that has been around for ages. Let’s take a deep dive into the benefits of this technique, what the research says, and whether you may want to consider whole cluster fermentation at home.

Barrel aging typically begins after alcoholic fermentation is complete, however, you don’t have to wait until your wine is dry to start getting the benefits of oak. Learn about the advantages of fermenting in a barrel and ways it can be done at home.

Two pros share why they prefer whole cluster fermentations for certain varieties, the impact it has, and considerations home winemakers should make if they plan to forgo the crush.

I’m glad you’re using an ML nutrient (Opti’Malo Plus™ — made by Lallemand and sold through various outlets like Scott Labs and many home winemaking stores), which makes for the most predictable

I’m sorry to hear about your fermentation troubles! Indeed, it’s one of the most important aspects of winemaking to master since sluggish and incomplete fermentations can ruin a batch. Here are some

While a stalled out fermentation can be a hassle, there are plenty of preventative measures we can take to preclude it from happening. Also, we should know the various tactics to treat it when a stuck fermentation does rear its ugly head.

Most red and some white wines are put through a secondary malolactic fermentation (MLF). The process converts malic acid to lactic acid, which smooths out harsh flavors while adding a richness on the palate, as well as contributing to the stability and aging potential of the wine. Learn when a wine should go through MLF, how to do it, and ways to test for it.

Wild fermentations can often bring a level of complexity to a wine not always found using commercial Saccharomyces strains. But the tradeoff for that complexity is higher risk. What if you could introduce the good microbes of a wild fermentation to your wine without the risk? There are techniques, along with new isolated non-Saccharomyces yeasts, that can do just that.

Rehydrating dried yeast is a simple and straightforward process, and one that I find to be essential when using dried yeast for winemaking purposes.  The simple answer to your question is no,

Wine blends are most often created after fermenting each variety
separately. However, that isn’t the only way to do it. Some wine-makers choose to co-ferment certain varieties together, believing this approach adds to the complexity of the resulting wine. Get tips on co-fermentation from three pros who endorse the benefits.

No two fermentations are the same, which means that there is always more to be learned with each one! Give your yeast the best chance for success by creating an ideal environment for a clean fermentation.

The great thing about Campden tablets (a convenient form of dosing in sulfur dioxide for home winemakers) is that they will inhibit the yeast and bacteria you do not want (which are

Learn about the lees that we find in wine and how we can use them to our advantage.

Wine was made for millennia with little intervention from humans. But let’s be honest, we have no idea how those wines tasted. Today we know that yeast create the wine and keeping them happy is crucial for producing good wine. Learn how nitrogen plays a pivotal role.

Well, it’s tough to say what would make one cloudy and the other clear, except for the fact that they may not have been identical coming from your fermenters. If you did

Many of us in winemaking were trained to trust Saccharomyces yeast and not leave our wines to chance with wild strains. But winds of change are in the air and yeast companies are now turning to many non-Saccharomyces yeasts for certain purposes.

You got a chuckle out of me. Indeed, how dare you introduce vinegar to your wines! I’m actually very happy that you’re writing so you can learn how not to introduce vinegar