Killing Wild Yeast

[tnsen]

Hello fellow wine makes...my name is Tom...and I have been making a few batches over the years...mostly from fresh fruit, grapes, cherries, ect...yes i know the basics..i have a few books and made all successful batches... i know the importance of killing wild yeast, and have used mostly Campden Tablets ..soon i am going to start a batch of Black & Blue...Blueberries..and Blackberries...50/50..anyway..what i would like to do this time, is put my Must in my 10 gallon SS Brew Pot (I make beer also BIAB)..and put on my stove ... bring the temperature up to 150 degrees....and simply hold it there for about 10-15 minutes...then kill my heat letting it cool overnight. Pitching my yeast the next day..a few reasons....trying to use less chemicals...according to my homework, that temp will kill yeast...and hopefully those nasty fruitflies also....please comment...does any wine making gods out there see any negative drawbacks ...thank you ... cheers....Tom

 

[Blacksmith1]

It is possible that you might have a slight cooked fruit flavor, or a persistent haze using heat. That said I don't think that temp should be high enough to cause either. I would add a bit of extra pectic enzyme myself, but that's just me.

 

[RPh_Guy]

That is enough time/temp to kill all the wild microbes.
Will it affect flavor? Probably.

There's no reason not to use sulfite if you want to kill the wild microbes. It's not harmful to us.

Also, it's not generally necessary to kill the wild microbes. A healthy yeast pitch will dominate the other microbes.

Cheers

 

[Intheswamp]

Unless you or someone who will be drinking the wine has an allergy to sulfites...

That is enough time/temp to kill all the wild microbes.
Will it affect flavor? Probably.

There's no reason not to use sulfite if you want to kill the wild microbes. It's not harmful to us.

Also, it's not generally necessary to kill the wild microbes. A healthy yeast pitch will dominate the other microbes.

Cheers

 

[Intheswamp]

To get ten gallons of must up to 150-degrees F I would imagine that the bottom of the pot will be very hot and that the must that is at the bottom will heat to much more than 150-degrees at some point in time prior to being stirred/mixed into the cooler must above it...and thus the "cooked" and possible haze (heat sets the pectin like making jelly) that Blacksmith1 mentioned. And, from what I've read, what RPh_Guy said about a healthy yeast pitch overwhelming the wild stuff is spot on.

Just my *very* inexperienced newbie 1&1/2-cents worth.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Unless you or someone who will be drinking the wine has an allergy to sulfites...

No, pre-fermentation free sulfite will be removed by off-gassing and/or reacting with oxygen.

I assume the OP doesn't have a sensitivity because he's used it before.
There's no reason to avoid sulfite simply to "use less chemicals".

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks for the thought on the sulfites. So, you are stating that it is an absolute that if sulfites are added to the must prior to fermentation and none is added thereafter that there will be no sulfites for someone to have a severe reaction to once fermentation is complete? Just trying to figure things out.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Thanks for the thought on the sulfites. So, you are stating that it is an absolute that if sulfites are added to the must prior to fermentation and none is added thereafter that there will be no sulfites for someone to have a severe reaction to once fermentation is complete? Just trying to figure things out.

Simply by adequately aerating before pitching, the "free" sulfite level will drop to zero because it reacts with oxygen to form sulfate. At that point it's safe for everyone.
However, yeast produce sulfite during fermentation, so any finished wine that hasn't been aerated may have detectable sulfite levels.

If you yourself as a winemaker have a real sulfite sensitivity (asthma-related), you probably shouldn't be working with sulfite at all because you will be exposed to the vapors when handling it.

Hope this makes sense

 

[tnsen]

well ok then...I dont want to effect flavor...no allergies to sulfites....i just was exploring different options...as for my brew pot, it has a thick bottom just for brewing...i think ill just stick to the sulfites...somebody mentioned airation of must....meaning a good shake...or pure oxygen ?....just like my beer before my pitch ?....i never have done this....should i ?....just trying to up my wine game here.....Tom

 

[RPh_Guy]

For reference, my wine fermentations are visibly active within around 12 hours and highly active within 24 hours.
I control temperature near the low end of the range for whatever yeast I'm pitching and I pitch at a standard rate (5g yeast in 6 gal must).

I rehydrate my yeast per manufacturer directions with Go-Ferm and aerate my wort by stirring with a degasser attached to a drill. Pure oxygen is good if you have it available.

In my opinion you should definitely aerate/oxygenate if you use pre-fermentation sulfite. The yeast need oxygen to grow. Aeration also removes any residual sulfite which might otherwise increase risk of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell).

 

[Intheswamp]

Simply by adequately aerating before pitching, the "free" sulfite level will drop to zero because it reacts with oxygen to form sulfate. At that point it's safe for everyone.
However, yeast produce sulfite during fermentation, so any finished wine that hasn't been aerated may have detectable sulfite levels.

If you yourself as a winemaker have a real sulfite sensitivity (asthma-related), you probably shouldn't be working with sulfite at all because you will be exposed to the vapors when handling it.

Hope this makes sense

Thanks for the reply, RPh_Guy. No, I've no allergy to sulfites...that I know of.