I recently bought a small book at a thrift store next to my work on wine making. A lot of the recipes in it do not call for yeast. Most of the recipes only require about 3-4# of fruit with 4# of sugar and a gallon of water. I know a place to pick several pounds of blackberries and wish to make wine out of them. Can alcohol be produced with out yeast? Do only some wines require yeast? Just looking for a some clarity on this issue. Thanks.
Does wine require yeast?
- Thread starter jbrewer83
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Torchiest
Well-Known Member
In order to make wine, beer, or any distilled spirits, you always need yeast, because it is what converts the sugar to alcohol.
The recipes might be assuming that a wild yeast will do the fermentation, but yeah, no yeast = no alcohol. No reason in the day of $1.50 dry yeast to not use a regular yeast.
Go to your Local Home Brew Store (LHBS) or a wine making store and pick up a packet of Montrachet dry yeast. It will work great and it is inexpensive. 
SpamDog
Well-Known Member
does wine require yeast? well.. does the pope wear a funny hat?
SpamDog
SpamDog
Yes, it takes yeast to make alcohol but No you do not have to add your own.
It takes yeast or some other microorganism to convert the sugar in juice to alcohol to make wine. The "other" microorganisms are usually going to produce some really nasty off-flavors and so should normally be avoided.
However yeast is every where, including on fresh grapes. I believe some recipes depend on the wild yeasts from the fresh fruits to do the fermenting.
I think it is going to be a much safer bet to ferment your wine with a packet of wine yeast from a HBS. This gives the yeast a better chance than the "other" organisms.
Craig
It takes yeast or some other microorganism to convert the sugar in juice to alcohol to make wine. The "other" microorganisms are usually going to produce some really nasty off-flavors and so should normally be avoided.
However yeast is every where, including on fresh grapes. I believe some recipes depend on the wild yeasts from the fresh fruits to do the fermenting.
I think it is going to be a much safer bet to ferment your wine with a packet of wine yeast from a HBS. This gives the yeast a better chance than the "other" organisms.
Craig
I know quite a few folks who rely on the wild yeast on the grapes to take care of it but I don't know why you would leave it to chance.
