To Stir or Nothe to Stir. What is the difference?

[Noobberry]

Just finishing up Dragon blood and have started skeeter pee. In bother recipes I noticed you have to frequently stir the must (<---did I get that term right?). I am wondering though. My first wine was a kit and it didn't mention stirring anywhere except when adding chemicals. Is stirring something that really helps all wine? Is it an "advanced" technique that wine kits leave out because of their simplistic nature? And finally, stirring introduces oxygen, what are the benefits of that?

 

[mwulf67]

Yeast will grow with or without oxygen; faster with, slower without…as you note, stirring induces oxygen into your must or early stage wine…stirring at that stage, simply helps yeast growth to be more efficient and leading to a quicker fermentation…

Skeeter Pee and Dragons Blood (slightly better) are less then ideal conditions for yeast growth...hence the recommendation to stir/induce oxygen...

Kit makers probably don’t advocate stirring because every time to stick something in or touch your wine you run a tiny chance of contamination…since it
works either way, no reason to take the chance…besides, pure grape juice is ideal conditions and "wants" to be wine...

 

[Johnd]

Just finishing up Dragon blood and have started skeeter pee. In bother recipes I noticed you have to frequently stir the must (<---did I get that term right?). I am wondering though. My first wine was a kit and it didn't mention stirring anywhere except when adding chemicals. Is stirring something that really helps all wine? Is it an "advanced" technique that wine kits leave out because of their simplistic nature? And finally, stirring introduces oxygen, what are the benefits of that?

During initial stages of yeast growth some O2 can be beneficial and once fermentation starts, stirring also helps keep the yeast suspended in solution. With real grape wine, you're punching down numerous times per day, so there's lots of "stirring" in that process. Having made kits without skins, with and without stirring and not had any problems either way, it's hard to say what difference it makes there. If any fruit or pulp is present, stirring is a good thing, helping extraction from the fruit. When present during fermentation, which is almost always these days, stirring is a regular practice and one that I enjoy, so it gets done a few times a day regardless.

 

[richmke]

Stirring keeps the yeast suspended and helps to keep it from stalling. It also releases CO2, which reduces the likelihood of foam escaping from the pail.

 

[Floandgary]

Typically stirring (the must) serves to put things in suspension for more uniform/complete fermentation. As "richmke" said it also helps release CO2. Certainly NOT an advanced technique ,,, just ask any STUDDA BUBBA makin' soup/stew/or sauce!!! Usually you would not stir violently enough to introduce O2, or at least you shouldn't. A little stir morning and evening will keep things on even keel. Hydrometer readings (specific gravity) daily will tell you what's going on

 

[bkisel]

Kits with bentonite in the primary kinda do, as I I understand it, their own "stirring".

 

[Noobberry]

Thanks everyone!