Do yeast starters help inhibit wild yeast growth?

[norcountry]

I've been making cider for the past few months, mostly as practice batches, and I'm ready to start making cider and apple wine in earnest now that the apple season is almost upon us. I plan on crushing and pressing my own organic apples. I'm trying to keep everything as organic and natural as possible, so I don't plan on using any kind of sulfites. However, I'm still a little intimidated by the idea of wild yeasts influencing my ciders, so I'd like to inhibit their growth as much as possible. Here's my dilemma:
- I know I can heat pasteurize the fresh cider to kill off bacteria and yeasts, but that will likely result in a cloudy cider/wine, which I would like to avoid if possible. I've also heard it can give the cider a "cooked" flavor.
- I know some yeasts are very competitive and can beat out the wild yeasts (notably Lalvin EC-1118 )but I would like to try out the Lalvin 71B-1122 at least for my wine, however that strain isn't known for being competitive.
- I definitely don't want to use sulfites for a variety of reasons, so I can't suppress the wild yeasts that way.

My question is this: if I make a good yeast starter and add it to fresh pressed cider, will the yeast be active enough to at least work quicker/better than the wild yeasts? Will that decrease the chances of wild yeast affecting the final flavor?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[theciderkid]

I have pressed my own apples a few times now, and I have never used Camden tablets or anything else to kill wild yeast. I pitch strong starters and they have turned out great.

 

[Randzor]

I heard a saying once, the best Weed prevention is a thick lawn... I'd imagine the same goes for freshly pressed apples.

 

[vtchuck]

I use untreated cider and have tried it both with and without campden treatment and can't discern a difference.

I do use a single packet of rehydrated beer yeast (Notty) rather than wine yeasts as they result in a very dry cider. I prefer a touch of sweetness.