New to Wine-Making, How much Yeast?

[ms8miranda]

Most recipes I've found don't give the yeast amount. How do I know how much to use?

Also, is yeast nutrient a necessity? And/or can something more easily accessible to be used instead?

 

[BigKahuna]

Use the whole Pack!
Most wine yeast is dry yeast packaged in 5 gram packs. This is the correct amount for 1-6 gallons of wine.
Depending on what else goes into the wine, you may or may not need nutrients. It's always good to have nutrients, and when in doubt...use them and follow the directions.

They seem mysterious and hard to attain....especially if you've never been to a brew store, of if you live in BFE...like I do, but Mail order and the interwebz are pretty amazing. We have a lot of good online brew stores to choose from.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Hi ms8miranda: I always use yeast nutrient & yeast energizer in any wine/mead/melomel/cider fermentation. They provide essential elements/nutrients that are mostly lacking in meads/melomels, but can't hurt in wines & ciders either. They keep the yeast healthy & stress-free; stressed yeast can (and do) impart off flavours. For the price of a few cents per 6 gallons, I think it's worth it. I hope you find this info usefull, GF.

 

[hubba]

I always use yeast nutrient too. they seem to start quicker when you do.