When to add yeast?

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JayC

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My wife made her first batch of wine this weekend. According to the book she has, she's letting the must sit for 24 hours before adding the yeast. Is this a good idea? From my limitted beer making experience, it seems like you'd want to get your yeast in ASAP to make sure that it's the dominant microbe. If you wait 24 hours, it seems like you'd just be giving any stray microbes that snuck past your sanitization procedures a head start in taking over the must before your yeast ever get a chance.
 
It depends on what you are making and the ingredients. Pectic enzyme doesn't work well in the presence of sulfite, and yeast inhibits the action as well, so the usual procedure for country wines is to mix up the must with campden, wait 12 hours and add the pectic enzyme, and then wait 12 more hours and add the yeast. So, yes, 24 hours after mixing.

But if you're not using campden tablets (sulfite), then you should add the yeast right away so that wild yeasts and bacteria dont' take hold.
 
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