Yeast starter for wine

[CarlD]

I'm pretty new to winemaking , but i make beer for years .
In homebrew world , almost everybody make a strong starter on stir plate using DME and yeast .
Why in winemaking starter on stir plate is not common ?

 

[DoctorCAD]

Wine has just about everything needed for yeast to take off. Beer is kinda thin and weak.

 

[CarlD]

Why beer is thin and week ? it contain load of protein
i have never experenced stuck fermentation in beer or volatile problem in beer but in wine lot of home winemaker have this problem .
maybe a good starter can help to have a strong start ?

 

[JohnT]

Why beer is thin and week ? it contain load of protein
i have never experenced stuck fermentation in beer or volatile problem in beer but in wine lot of home winemaker have this problem .
maybe a good starter can help to have a strong start ?

With wine, you are dealing with brix levels of sugar from 22 to 26% (usually). In fact, grape sugar levels can be so high that not all the sugar can be consumed through natural fermentation (e.g. ice wine). You are also dealing with lower PH levels and higher levels of Nitrogen which is better suited for yeast (usually). Wine fermentation can go, perhaps, 2 or 3 times longer than beer fermentation.

The differences in the two different environments is why there is a different set of yeast strains for wine and beer.

There are a number of reasons for a stalled fermentation, and I have found that a stalled fermentation is a rare occurrence. The biggest causes being temperature issues (either too cold or too hot), too high of a starting sugar level, microbial issues, nutrient issues, and various issues with the yeast itself.

In short, it is possible to have a stalled fermentation with beer. Wine, though, is more prone to stalling since the fermentation is so much more intense.

 

[CarlD]

Maybe a starter on stir plate can help with h2s problem and volatile acidity?

 

[stickman]

Although it is no guarantee, I believe a starter can help with both of those issues, but all of the other parameters still have to be correct. Over 20 years ago I had trouble with getting a batch started, I suspect the yeast I purchased was old, it eventually fermented, but the wine was poor. Ever since then, I've made a starter to ease my mind. I use about 2.5% of the must, add equal volume of distilled water and heat to 160F with constant stirring, then quickly cool by immersing the pot in cold water. The PH, nutrients, and temperature are adjusted and rehydrated yeast is added according to the actual volume of must that will be fermented. Once the starter gets going I'll move it to the cold cellar and let it grow as I prepare the main must. Once the must is ready for yeast I make sure the starter and must temperature are the same and then pitch. It is a lot of trouble, and many will say not necessary, but it works in my cellar and lets me sleep at night.

 

[CarlD]

Although it is no guarantee, I believe a starter can help with both of those issues, but all of the other parameters still have to be correct. Over 20 years ago I had trouble with getting a batch started, I suspect the yeast I purchased was old, it eventually fermented, but the wine was poor. Ever since then, I've made a starter to ease my mind. I use about 2.5% of the must, add equal volume of distilled water and heat to 160F with constant stirring, then quickly cool by immersing the pot in cold water. The PH, nutrients, and temperature are adjusted and rehydrated yeast is added according to the actual volume of must that will be fermented. Once the starter gets going I'll move it to the cold cellar and let it grow as I prepare the main must. Once the must is ready for yeast I make sure the starter and must temperature are the same and then pitch. It is a lot of trouble, and many will say not necessary, but it works in my cellar and lets me sleep at night.

Do you use a stir plate ?
How much time you make a starter before innoculate in must ?

 

[stickman]

A stir plate is not necessary, and wouldn't work for what I'm doing with the grape skins present. I'm not growing and expanding a culture from a slant or test tube. I'm starting with the recommended quantity of dry yeast for the entire batch of must to be fermented. I usually make the starter the day before I intend to pitch, but I will feed the starter additional must as needed if the primary must preparation takes longer than expected.