Recommendations for which yeast to use

[Cowboy77]

Fixing took start a batch of muscadine wine. Couple questions. First, what yeast would you guys recommend I use to keep as much of the natural muscadine flavor in the wine. Second, been researching how many lbs of muscadine I should use per gallon, and the recipes I've seen call for anything from 3 lbs to 12 lbs per gallon. Looking for your input. Thanks in advance!

 

[jonereb]

I'm relatively new to muscadine winemaking but I have a few things to share. I've had success using Lalvin EC-1118 and Lalvin 71B-1122, though the flavor is not as fruity as I'd like. Never the less, my wine is better than some commercial muscadine wines I've bought, IMHO. Cotes des Blanc claims not to strip the fruity flavor. I haven't used it yet.

I'm still testing exactly how many pounds of muscadines to use per gallon. The first year I used about 6, the second year about 8, last year about 9 or 10. This year I used 12 pounds. In my opinion 6 to 8 pounds left the wine a little thin. 9 or 10 pounds may be okay after two years of aging. So far I've only had one year of aging so the jury is still out. And of course, I just went into secondary fermentation with my batch of wine with 12 pounds, so it's way too early to know. I would recommend at least 9 pounds of muscadines.

Please report back if/when you find your perfect match of yeast and pounds. BTW, I'm using red muscadines (Black Jumbo, Southland, and Noble all mixed together). What are you using?

 

[Cowboy77]

Thanks for the info jonereb! I'm relatively new at this winemaking stuff and have been doing a lot of reading and "YouTubing", and enjoying learning. This will be my 3rd batch, the first using real fruit. The muscadines I have are from a friends place. He has them growing on a trellis in his yard. They are the big red ones, not sure what variety they are. But I do know they are delicious. I de-stemmed and washed them, winding up with 15 1/2 lbs, which are currently in the freezer. Sounds like I'll have enough for about 1 1/2 gallons, which isn't a problem as I have 1 gallon, 1.75 L, and 1/2 gallon glass jugs/bottles (use for making extra for topping off). I will get me some of the Cotes Des Blanc and try it in this batch as well. Thank you so much for the help!
Quick question, did you do an acid test on your batches, and if so, did you have to make any adjustments? Just wondering cause I just ordered a test kit the other day.

 

[Cowboy77]

jonereb, was just reading down some of the posts here on the forum, and saw your post about yeast selection for muscadine wine. Sorry about asking the same questions you asked.

 

[jonereb]

I don't test for acid, I know they're acidic so I add Calcium Carbonate at the beginning of fermentation. Then, after I back sweeten, but before I bottle, I cold stabilize by simply putting my carboy in the fridge for a month. Acid crystals will fall to the bottom like lees. After that I'm ready to bottle. I've only cold stabilized once, so I can't tell you how well it works other than to say acid ice crystals fell to the bottom of the jug. While bottling, I taste tested the wine, and I was impressed. I'm expecting this wine to be very good after two years of aging. Also, the reason I'm using 71B yeast is because it also reduces acid. Let me know how Cotes des Blanc works for you. I seriously considered trying it this year but because it leaves a little residual sugar at fermentation, I decided against it. But that really shouldn't be a stumbling block. I plan to make one more gallon this year when I gather enough fruit. Maybe I'll try it myself.

 

[jonereb]

And by the way, if you have any fruit left over, make muscadine jelly. Best stuff in the world!

 

[Cowboy77]

I really appreciate the help jonereb! Sorry for so many questions, just trying to learn. 1) How do you know how much calcium carbonate to add before primary fermentation without testing? How much did you actually add? I have been reading, and seems like 3 1/2 tsp is the max you want to add per gallon. 2) Dropping out the acid crystals by putting it in refrigerator is a great idea. First I've heard of that, but will definetely do that. 3) You said the Cotes del Blanc leaves residual sugar unfermented. Is that an issue because you're looking for a dry wine, or does this cause other issues later? If the 71B yeast would do better with muscadine wine because it reduces acidity, I'll get some of that. Just curious, as I looking to avoid any problems.
Thanks so much again for your help jonereb!

 

[jonereb]

My little bottle of Calcium Carbonate says "1/2 teaspoon per gallon before fermentation". Apparently, a little dab will do ya. I learned about cold crashing from people on this site who are far more experienced that me. It works. I always ferment my wine to 1.000 or below so it's dry, but I back sweeten to a medium sweetness. Not too sweet. Not too dry. Cotes des Blanc leaves a little sugar behind. How much? I don't know, but I'm sure my hydrometer would tell me how much I needed to add if any when I ready to bottle. I just didn't want to deal with that at the time, so I used my trusted 71B. I still plan to try Cotes des Blanc sometime. Like you, I love the taste of muscadines and I want that flavor to come thru in the wine. Have you ever tried "Sweet Noble" Muscadine Wine from a vineyard in Natchez, MS called Old South? It's a semi-sweet wine that smells and tastes like muscadines. It's my favorite -- what I'm trying to emulate.

 

[Cowboy77]

OK sounds good. Think I'm going to try the Cotes des Blanc. I'll let ya know how it does. I've never heard of the Sweet Noble wine from Old South, but I did Google it and want to try to find some to try. I'm in a hunting club right out of Natchez, so I'm definitely going to take a ride up there one day soon and go check it out and buy some. Thanks for the tip. Hey I really appreciate your help jonereb!