Wine yeast: instructions for use, how to choose and cook at home

Home winemaking is a popular hobby of recent decades. To simplify and improve the process of creating wine, special balanced yeasts were created, they are easy to use, and the set immediately contains biological supplements for feeding fungi and bacteria necessary for fermentation. Wine yeast is recommended to be used according to the instructions for use, which indicate the necessary proportions and subtleties of handling the sourdough.

What is it used for?

The fermentation process is an important biological and chemical reaction necessary to create a quality drink in winemaking. The main task of beneficial bacteria is to process sugar into alcohol, the winemaker in this process must create comfortable conditions for the life of bacteria.

It is important that the pulp from the grapes begin to ferment as early as possible, otherwise the future wine will turn sour. You can “help” mash to ferment with the help of sourdough or wine yeast, which are convenient to purchase in a store or do it yourself. Such bacteria work quickly, the fermentation process begins the next day.

Benefits and harms

Wine yeast is 60% protein, and also includes trace elements, vitamins and biologically active substances.

When eating foods containing wine yeast in moderation, there is a normalization of digestive activity in the human body. Based on wine yeast, a number of cosmetic products have been developed that improve the color and condition of the skin.

Wine yeast has no harm to the human body, when using and making sourdough for food, you must read the instructions, the characteristics of the yeast strain.

The only contraindication to the use of products containing yeast is individual intolerance and allergic reactions.

Key features of wine yeast compared to others

The distinguishing feature of wine yeast from other species is its habitat. Beneficial fungi live on the surface of the peel of fruits and berries, receiving nutrients from fructose and sucrose. The task of the fungus is to convert sugar into alcohol.

Beer and bakery varieties cannot be added to the mash, they are designed to create medium-quality alcoholic drinks, when the wort ripens, they create a lot of foam and spoil the taste of the final drink.

How to choose the right yeast for wine?

Yeast for wine is chosen depending on the purpose of application and the type of wine material used. Manufacturers offer various brands of wine yeast. It is important to remember that beneficial fungi affect the color, texture and taste of the created drink.

Types of wine yeast

General classification of yeasts and starters for wines:

• For different types of wines: white, red, sparkling and others.
• Depending on the fermentation time, they affect the rate of wort formation and the preparation of the finished drink.
• Resistant to cold or heat, allowing wine to be saved under adverse temperature conditions.
• For fortified drinks that can ferment in the presence of alcohol in wine.
• Accumulative fermentation products to enrich the taste of young wines.
• For acidic wort.
• Foam resistant.
• Brightening.
• High-fermenting, produced from sugar up to 20% alcohol.

Colonies of fungi are selected for each wine separately, for example, for apple starters, bacteria are needed that can process malic acid. There are universal strains suitable for use in all types of wines.

Wine yeast brands

You can find various brands of wine yeast on store shelves. The most popular are: Gervin, Lalvin, SP, PuriFerm. The release form is different, mainly yeast strains are dried, they are made in the form of a granular powder, which must be diluted with water.

Instructions for use

If a person purchases a branded mixture, then the instructions for use for yeast starter cultures are attached, you must read it in order to avoid technical errors.

Basic rules and methods for the use and application of wine yeast:

• Prepare clean water and heat it to 30 ^C.
• Dilute the powder in the ratio recommended by the instructions.
• Stir and leave to mature for 40 minutes.
• Add mixture to wort.
• Use the diluted mixture within a week.

Important! At the time of yeast maturation (before pouring into the wort), it is not recommended to cover the container with a lid.

The temperature of the grape must must match the temperature of the water in which the yeast is mixed. Temperature differences during pouring and adding to the wort should not be. After fermentation and sedimentation, the suspension from the bottom is collected and dried, so the yeast colonies are harvested for future use. You can save the resulting material only in a dry form.

How to DIY

You can prepare a starter for wine must with your own hands at home. Wine yeast is prepared from raisins, skins of berries or fruits, fermenting must. The main rule is that temperature drops are unacceptable, bacteria are sensitive to this factor, fermentation can be interrupted.

From the skin of berries (fruit)

Yeast is a natural fungus that lives on the surface of the fruits of berry and fruit crops. To prepare a starter for a 10-liter container of mash, it is enough to take 200 grams of ripe berries.

The best raw material for homemade starter cultures is a handful of raisins, but wild yeast can be grown on plums, cherries, currants, strawberries.

Important! Berries and fruits for making homemade sourdough must not be washed.

Selected berry or fruit material is crushed by hand and sugar is added. For a one-liter jar of sourdough, 200 grams of berries, 4 tablespoons with a slide of sugar, 600 milliliters of water are used. The container with the mixture must be closed with thick gauze and placed next to the battery in a dark place. Bacteria will mature for about 5 days.

As soon as bubbles and foam appear on the surface, the sourdough is ready. You can use homemade yeast within 10 days.

If the starter is introduced at the stage of pulp fermentation, it is not necessary to filter it, if the must is clean, filtered, then the starter is passed through gauze, the sediment is discarded.

From fermenting must

If the system of winemaking in the household is established, then there will surely be a container with wine in which the stage of active fermentation takes place. Such colonies of fungi and bacteria must be preserved, as they can be used to start fermentation in a new brew.

To prepare fermenting wort-based sourdough, it is necessary to collect the top layer of fermenting wine. For a one-liter jar, it is enough to use 80-100 milliliters of yeast foam, the container is supplemented with clean warm water, 3 tablespoons of sugar are added and placed in a warm dark place, covered with thick gauze for 4-5 days.

As soon as the mixture is actively bubbling, it can be used, the liquid is filtered and poured into fresh wort.

From sediment

A good winemaker does not waste anything in the process of creating drinks. The sediment collected from the bottom of the matured wine can be collected, dried and made for future fermentations.

To do this, the liquid is squeezed out of the wine sediment, the remaining suspension is evenly distributed on a plate and dried by the battery. Avoid exposure to sunlight and exposure to temperatures above +35 ^C.

As soon as the sediment has dried, it is scraped off the plate and poured into bags or small jars, tightly closed with a lid. Homemade dry yeast in this form can be stored for up to two years.

To activate the yeast powder, you need to pour the granules into a jar, pour warm water, add sugar and mix. After 4 days, the starter is ready to be poured into the wort.

From raisins

Raisins are an ideal material for creating quality sourdough, it is not necessary to use dry powders. The recipe is simple. For a 10-liter container of mash, it is enough to use a handful of dried grapes. Raisins are not washed, pure water is used for sourdough, the optimum temperature for fermentation is 30 ^С.

Dried grapes are poured with water, sugar is added and placed in a warm dark place for 4-5 days. As soon as foam appears on the surface, homemade sourdough is ready to use.

What can I replace?

Factory wine yeast can be replaced with homemade strains grown at home from ready-made wine material. Yeast of own production will not present surprises, they are easy to obtain. With experience, every winemaker keeps several types of homemade yeast colonies in stock.

If a person does not have the opportunity to purchase vintage wine yeast, and he has not grown his own yet, raisin sourdough is prepared - this is the easiest and most affordable way to create a replacement for wine yeast.The use of bakery varieties in winemaking is not recommended. Alcohol tinctures require special types of yeast strains.

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