Premium Yeasts

[ckassotis]

Anyone have experience buying more premium yeasts for their winemaking?

My issue right now seems to be that the more premium varieties are only offered in larger amounts, such as 500 g or larger. I'm just curious what the shelf life of these might be. Is it worth sticking to the more common varieties that you can buy in small packets for $1?

Or is it worth upgrading to some of these more interesting varieties, though they come in larger amounts? Can you freeze the excess to preserve them longer?

Any thoughts?

 

[rendezvous]

Not sure witch yeast you are looking for, but MoreWine.com has a good selection in small quantities.

Greg

 

[djrockinsteve]

I buy several yeast packets and keep them in the fridge. A pak costs a dollar and can do up to 10 gallons +/-
I consider Lalvin a premium yeast and am very satisfied with them. I do quite a bit of wine making and that's a small price to pay for what I get. Now the oak is something to look to buying cheaper.

How many gallons are you making yearly?

 

[robie]

If you keep the yeast in a refrigerated area, it will of course last much longer.
Those yeast strains you are referring to come in pretty large boxes. I can't imagine you ever getting your money's worth out of them before they go bad.

As mentioned, morewine http://morewinemaking.com/ has probably 25 varieties of yeast. They also have a nice yeast/grape pairing guide that will guide you. I have used their yeasts for years will total success. They repackage many of their yeasts in slightly larger packets.

Yeast/gape pairing guide :
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.morewinemaking.com/public/pdf/wyeastpair.pdf

 

[ckassotis]

Ah hah, thanks robie.

As to DJ, Lalvin is a good brand, but what I was looking for are yeast outside the traditional set offered with every kit/at every winemaking store. While they are great yeasts, there are so many other yeasts that have been isolated that work far better for specific varietals and to draw out specific flavors and elements in the wine.

So refrigerator as opposed to freezer for longer storage?

@ robie - thanks for that site. I had seen morewine.com referenced many times, and that isn't an actual website, at least anymore.

I checked out morewinemaking.com just now, and they offer quite a few premium options in smaller packaging. Quite a few of the ones I was looking for are on that site in small $2 packets - so thank you very much! Just what I was looking for!