Old yeast and propagation

[Biergarden]

Greeting...
I'm still new to winemaking and I have two packs of dry yeast from Lalvin that expired last November.
I have a erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate to see if I can step up the old yeast and have a better wine made. I just don't know how to go about it. Does anyone have any experience in that to stir me in the right direction?

 

[itsme6582]

If you're using dry yeast, why not just get some more?

 

[Biergarden]

I live on an island in southeast Alaska. I'd have to mail order it

 

[DoctorCAD]

All you can do is try to get it going in a sugar solution. If it works, great.

My wife was cleaning out the fridge yesterday and found 8 packs of various yeasts, some expired 4 years ago. I will keep them...just in case.

 

[Biergarden]

Would it be reasonable to buy a white grape juice that is free of preservatives to step up the yeast? Maybe with a small dose of yeast nutrient? Decant off the fermented juice and pitch the slurry maybe?

 

[itsme6582]

That sounds like a perfect plan

 

[DoctorCAD]

Sugar water will work just fine.

 

[Biergarden]

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Lalvin D47 propagation in frozen white grape juice.

 

[charles]

I have used expired yeast before. Just use about 1 cup of water bring water to a boil add a few table spoons of sugar let water cool to about 80°f pitch the yeast and watch for fermentation. If that works you should be fine