Which yeast ?

[Alex Tretter]

Im a new-b to making wine. Ive only got one bucket under my belt, an alicanti thats been in the carboy for close to seven months. I ordered a bucket of chilian merlot that will be in next week 4/4/2020. Can some of you pros tell me which yeast would be good for this wine. Also, which nutrient and starter, and how and when to use. Thank you for your time.

 

[Johnd]

Im a new-b to making wine. Ive only got one bucket under my belt, an alicanti thats been in the carboy for close to seven months. I ordered a bucket of chilian merlot that will be in next week 4/4/2020. Can some of you pros tell me which yeast would be good for this wine. Also, which nutrient and starter, and how and when to use. Thank you for your time.

Lots of good yeasts for reds, BM4x4, D254 are a couple I like. I don't normally use a starter for my yeast, just sprinkle it on top. As far as nutrients, I keep two kinds on hand, Fermaid K and Fermaid O, the O being the organic nutrient. Best practice for nutrient applications is to apply half of the recommended full dosage of Fermaid K at 1/3 sugar depletion, and the second half of the full dosage at 2/3 sugar depletion. After that, just keep a nose on it in case you detect any H2S odors, if you do, a little dose of Fermaid O should get you over the finish line. We try to avoid using the K near the end of AF.

 

[mainshipfred]

I use this as my bible, not only for yeast but for wine making in general. I would start by finding the recommended yeasts for your varietal then see what profiles the individual yeasts offer and match it to your own liking. There are so many to choose from.

https://scottlab.com/content/files/Documents/Handbooks/ScottlabsHandbook2018.pdf

 

[NorCal]

I'm a fan of D254 for Bordeaux grapes, so that's the one I'd choose. Below is my fermentation planning google worksheet, it scales down to 30 pounds and up to tons of fruit. If anyone wants a copy, PM me. The numbers are well vetted and follows the manufacturers recommendations.