Wine Yeast Usage Information and Tips

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Selected wine yeast strains offer advantages such as:

• more efficient alcohol production
• the ability to ferment at cooler temperatures (wild yeasts in our climate tend to cut out below 60º F)
• the production of more granular, less easily disturbed lees
• the ability to withstand higher levels of SO2

Some particular strains of wine yeast (Such as 71B) offer properties such as:

• metabolizing a greater amount of malic acid during fermentation
• bringing out more floral or fruity characteristics
• greater efficiency to ferment to higher levels of alcohol

Matching Your Juice to a Complementary Wine Yeast

The differences in flavor attributable to most yeasts are subtle. The choice of yeast will not make fine wine out of mediocre fruit, but picking the right yeast can help optimize stylistic elements. Refer to the individual wine yeast product descriptions and the Yeast Selection Chart on our website for recommendations on wine types best suited to the yeast's characteristics. If you are still unsure as to which yeast to use, contact us, and our experts would be more than happy to assist you with your choice.

Further Resources on Choosing the Right Wine Yeast:

• Wine Yeast Selection Chart: find the wine yeasts that best suit the style of wine you are making.

• Yeast Strains Used in Our Wines: discover which wine yeast strains our professional winemakers have chosen to use for the wines we create at our Presque Isle Wine Cellars winery. 

Wine Yeast Storage

We stock several strains of wine yeast in 5 gram packets in dried form, which permits easy storage and start up. Each 5 gram packet is enough to start 5 gallons of wine by direct addition. Packets may be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Some strains are also available in 500 gram packets which are enough for 500 gallons of wine. Expiration dates are on the packages. Once a package of yeast has been opened it will lose viability.

See Our Selection of Wine Yeasts

Adding Wine Yeast to Your Juice

Typical usage rate for yeast is 1 gm / gallon of juice, but being a little short or a little long is not a problem, as yeast reproduces to reach a number at which fermentation takes place. Being slightly long on usage amount simply gets the fermentation count up that much faster. Yeast may be added directly to the juice, but it is much better to rehydrate first for up to 20 minutes in water at 90º to 105º F. Follow rehydration instructions and use a yeast nutrient and enhancer, such as Goferm Rehydration Nutrient for best results.

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RETURN TO WINEMAKING 101               SEE OUR SELECTION OF WINE YEASTS