Im Alan, I live in northern North Dakota

[alan molstad]

I have 2 year old Valiant grape vines....about 60 of them.

I have never made wine, but have some history making beers.
I need to know what type of yeast to order?

 

[Bossbaby]

Welcome to WMT. A good first time wine yeast is EC1118, it is one of the most dependable yeasts in my experience, the more comfortable you get with wine making you can play with all sorts of yeasts that will compliment the type of wine you are making. There are charts to help you select them if you do an internet search on wine yeasts.

 

[alan molstad]

thanks!

I will place an order today.

NEXT question...

Im getting different answers to a question I have asked about killing the natural wild yeast before I dump in the correct yeast.

Some experts say they dont bother to deal with the wild yeast.

Other experts say its necessary.

I live in northern North Dakota, and I live on a farm in the country.

Is the wild yeast issue a concern I better plan to deal with,,,,?

 

[winemaker81]

If you use commercial yeast, especially EC-1118, don't worry about wild yeast. Commercial yeasts crowd out and/or kill their competition.

 

[alan molstad]

ok!
so good to learn!

 

[alan molstad]

do I wash the grapes before the de-steming and crushing?

 

[winemaker81]

do I wash the grapes before the de-steming and crushing?

Unless recently hit with fertilizers and/or pesticides, no.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Not normally, I do some cleaning but the local wineries just run barrels into the crusher.

do I wash the grapes before the de-steming and crushing?

to the original post, many of us up north folks fight malic acid. This summer I am experimenting with Mauvern B which should remove 56% of the acid. 71B is more available and remove 33% of the malic. ,,, I keep a variety in the fridge and twenty years ago started on the workhorse Pasteur Champaign (ie 1118)

WELCOME TO WMT, happy fermenting

 

[alan molstad]

Unless recently hit with fertilizers and/or pesticides, no.

there is a corn field across the dirt road....about 60 feet distant...

 

[winemaker81]

Can you find out if they have sprayed recently?