Mosti Mondiale Stirring in the yeast?

[keahunter]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and to wine making. I have a MM Vinifera Barolo that I am going to start and when reading the instructions, it says to pour the bentonite into a measuring cup and let it sit. Then it instructs me to add the juice and water and then pitch the yeast. After adding the yeast it says I can now add the bentonite Stir the Bentonite solution thoroughly and add to your Primary Fermenter. Do they mean stir the bentonite INTO the must (which also means stirring the yeast) or stir the bentonite and THEN add to the must (which means not stirring it into the must. I know this is a real nubie question but I just don't want to mess up my first batch! Thanks!!

 

[robie]

First, welcome to the forum.

That does sound a little different in that one normally does not stir in the yeast, unless a yeast starter is used. Usually one first stirs the bentonite solution into the must, then just pitches the yeast on top of the must and waits for it to sink on its own.

However, I would follow directions. If that is what the directions say, yes, pitch the yeast and stir the bentonite into the must. It is not going to hurt the yeast for them to be stirred in.

Always follow the directions when new to wine making.

 

[bkisel]

Just re-read MM instructions for a 23L All Juice kit that I now have in bulk aging. The instructions clearly say to stir the Bentonite in the 350/ ml/ 11.83 fl. oz measuring cup and then add to the primary fermenter - it does NOT then say to stir but gives a step 4. "Place the lid on your Primary Fermenter. Do not seal the lid." But guess what, I'm sure I missed that and did in deed stir the must before putting the lid on my primary. But that's okay because further down in the instructions there is a "Hint" to thoroughly mix the must with a clean spoon once a day for the first 3-5 days of fermentation! Good news is that fermentation appears to have gone just fine for me. Due to the "Hint" I would stir on day one just after adding your Bentonite solution or later that day or the next day. It won't, in my opinion, make a dime worth of difference.

 

[robie]

Just re-read MM instructions for a 23L All Juice kit that I now have in bulk aging. The instructs clearing say to stir the Bentonite in the 350/ ml/ 11.83 fl. oz measuring cup and then add to the primary fermenter - it does NOT then say to stir but gives a step 4. "Place the lid on your Primary Fermenter. Do not seal the lid." But guess what, I'm sure I missed that and did in deed stir the must before putting the lid on my primary. But that's okay because further down in the instructions there is a "Hint" to thoroughly mix the must with a clean spoon once a day for the first 3-5 days of fermentation! Good news is that fermentation appears to have gone just fine. Due to the "Hint" I would stir on day one just after adding your Bentonite solution.

That is interesting.

Seems the logical thing to do is to mix up the concentrate and the water, stir it really, really well. Next, stir the bentonite solution into the must. Finally, pitch the yeast.

Maybe them assume the daily stirring will do the trick for getting the bentonite stirred up. Could be a problem for people who don't stir their wine after the day one. Lots of them don't.

Besides the daily stirring, even if the bentonite is not stirred into the must up front, it will get stirred in to a degree by the flow of CO2 during fermentation. There are lots of currents flowing during that time. Still, it is going to do a lot better job of absorbing off proteins and such if it is actively stirred into the must.

 

[bkisel]

Here is a link to the MM instructions I referred to... http://www.mostimondiale.com//images/documents/InstructionsLaBodegaOAJMEAJMEG_en.pdf

Note Phase 1 Step 3.

[These instructions say "Recommended Trick". Thought mine said "Hint". Same idea though so nothing really changes.]

 

[keahunter]

Thank you all for your replies. As Robie mentioned I "think" that I am going to mix up the concentrate and water, mix really well then stir in the bentonite and then pitch the yeast (and not stir on day one). I don't think I'm as concerned about mixing in the yeast as I am not mixing in the bentonite. I just hope I'm not making a mistake. Thank you again!

 

[GaDawg]

I use an immersion blinder to blend my bentonite with water before adding

 

[salcoco]

some kits have instructions whereby the bentonite is mixed with 2 liters of warm water first, then the concentrate is added. additional water is added to the 23 liter mark. I hydrate the yeast with Go-Ferm which requires 20ml water per gallon and 1.25 grams of Go Ferm per gallon. Yeast is in liquid form when added. once fermentation starts add Fermaid-k at 1 gram per gallon and commence stirring the must. I stir twice a day, not only to insure yeast dispersal throughout the must, but to add oxygen to must for the yeast to use in fermentation.

 

[robie]

some kits have instructions whereby the bentonite is mixed with 2 liters of warm water first, then the concentrate is added. additional water is added to the 23 liter mark. I hydrate the yeast with Go-Ferm which requires 20ml water per gallon and 1.25 grams of Go Ferm per gallon. Yeast is in liquid form when added. once fermentation starts add Fermaid-k at 1 gram per gallon and commence stirring the must. I stir twice a day, not only to insure yeast dispersal throughout the must, but to add oxygen to must for the yeast to use in fermentation.

Good procedures, Sal.

Sometimes if fermentation doesn't start right away, one can become worried that the yeast may not have been viable; one may have to wait up to 3 days before being sure. If you add an extra step you will be better able to confirm up front that the yeast are truly viable. Once hydrated, add a tablespoon of reconstituted white grape juice (from concentrate). If the yeast are viable, you will see lots of bubbles and foaming long before you pour the solution into the must.

Your stirring time table is great for reds. If you are making a white, you might want to stir twice a day only the first two days, then fall back to once a day until the wine is ready for secondary. 99.999% of the time twice a day is OK, but whites are a little more susceptible to oxidation.

The bentonite in the fermenter has an extra function. The yeast tend to fall to the bottom. The massive amount of CO2 causes current in the fermenter, but it also causes the bentonite to flow up from the bottom thereby increasing the current and providing a mechanism for keeping the yeast well distributed. Think of it as the yeast sort of hitch a ride on the bentonite particles. This helps complete fermentation for those who do not stir at all during primary.