Regarding ammonia (chemical formula NH3), I’m glad you brought the subject up. There’s a reason why we don’t use ammonia for sanitation in the winery and one acronym says it all: DAP. More on that in just a little bit, however. Myself, I keep a little ammonia squirt bottle under the kitchen sink to remove persistent grease stains from my stovetop. Just squirt it on, wait a few seconds and wipe clean with my little scrubby sponge. Presto change-o, no more grease-o! I Love it for the occasional dirty-job use in kitchen, but not for my winery. Why, you ask? Let me explain. One of the most popular and widely-used yeast nutrients for home and large-scale winemakers alike is DAP, aka: diammonium phosphate (chemical formula (NH4)2HPO4). When added to juice or must, the ammonia part of DAP disassociates (becomes free in solution) and is available to the fermentation as a source of nitrogen for your soon-to-be happy yeast beasties. Nitrogen (N) is a critical component for yeast metabolism and for the completion of a healthy fermentation. Grape juice and must
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