Used wrong yeast

[x_diver]

Damn! I am making a Pinot Noir and Black Currant from juice concentrate from homewinery.com and I accidently pitched the wrong yeast. I pitched Cote de Blanc instead of the 71B-1122 that I was supposed to use.

Should I just let it be? Or should I add the 71B-1122 as well?

 

[Julie]

You should be fine, I would let it go as is

 

[lawrstin]

Go for it.

 

[lawrstin]

But why use either of these strains, I thought they were used in white wines.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

71b is a general wine yeast but we use it a lot here for Norton to help reduce the acid.

 

[x_diver]

The 71B-1122 came with the juice from homewinery.com. I usually use Cote de Blanc for my peach / mango / nectarine wines. I don't know why I reached for the Cote de Blanc. Dumb move. I think that I have "dame bamage" today.

Anyway, Tom says here that he likes Cote de Blanc for reds. Also in his post is a link to another post which shows the spec sheet for Cote de Blanc. It says:

"Côte des Blancs produces fine, fruity aromas and may be controlled by lowering temperatures to finish with some residual sugar. It is recommended for reds, whites, sparkling cuvees and non-grape fruit wines (especially apple, it is reported)."​

It should be fine - I hope.

 

[Julie]

that is the yeast homewinery adds to all of their concentrates. Glad you found Tom's explanation, it is gcod for reds. I think you will be very happy with the outcome.

 

[Wiz]

This posting is not meant to start an online argument, but IMHO, I really think which yeasts a person uses is a matter of personal choice. I use Red Star Montrachet for reds and Red Star Pasteur Champagne for whites. I'm happy with the results of each.

 

[x_diver]

Ok, everything is not fine. The Black Currant is sizzling away - no issues. But the Pinot Noir is doing nothing after six days. SG is 1.080. Acid is 0.6%-ish. I even added a second packet of yeast a few days ago because the SG hadn't changed. No deal. I even hydrated my yeast first to ensure that it was good. What do I do now?

 

[jamesngalveston]

do you have this in a carboy with air lock are bucket with open top.
if you added sugar and two packages of yeast and not fermenting, something is very wrong. plain water will ferment with sugar and yeast.

 

[x_diver]

I have this in an open bucket with a loosely fit cover. I've been stirring it twice a day. Should I try another yeast or have I just blown $35 on this dead juice?

 

[HillPeople]

Are you sure that's juice you're trying to ferment?
J/K
What is the temperature? Expiration date on yeast packet?

 

[TXfanatic]

At this point we would need to know exactly how you prepared your must.

What did you add to it and when.
Also temp of the must

Steve

 

[x_diver]

This is Pinot Noir juice concentrate that I bought from homewinery.com. It is 1/2 gallon of concentrate that says that it is enough for 5 gallons.

I poured into a sanitized bucket with 5 crushed Campden tablets and 4.5 gallons of water. After 12 hours, I added pectic enzyme. After 12 more hours, I took a SG reading and adjusted sugar to make SG 1.080. I also took an acid reading adjusted acid to 0.6% by adding acid blend. Then I hydrated yeast and pitched when must was 70 degrees. Yeast is not expired.

It's just odd that I did exactly the same thing to the Black Currant concentrate that I bought from homewinery.com and it is fizzling like crazy. And I used the same yeast.

 

[x_diver]

I also started a 2 gallon batch of store bought Apple juice on the same day - exactly the same process and yeast. Again, it is sizzling away. I'm at a loss.

 

[dessertmaker]

Cotes Des Blancs is my favorite yeast. It does not aways give a very active flatulent ferment. Take some hydrometer readings again, it may be doing its own thing nice and slow. I find the wine to come out better overall with a nice slow quiet primary anyway.

Also try stirring your must and warming it up a little.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Try another packet of yeast and just sprinkle it on top, then stir it in after about a half hour.

 

[sjo]

Another option. Start some yeast in a starter batch and slowly add your juice to it. starting with a very small amount and building up from there. I just had to do that with a 15 gallon batch of juice from grapes. Took 2 days to get it all going. I did not have to worry about that juice going bad though, the reason it wouldn't go was I put 4 times as much k-meta in as was needed.
sjo

 

[x_diver]

Another option. Start some yeast in a starter batch and slowly add your juice to it. starting with a very small amount and building up from there. I just had to do that with a 15 gallon batch of juice from grapes. Took 2 days to get it all going. I did not have to worry about that juice going bad though, the reason it wouldn't go was I put 4 times as much k-meta in as was needed.
sjo

Ok, I put together a yeast starter. It was happily fizzing away in 30 minutes. Yeast is good. Check.

Next I added about 2 cups of the Pinot Noir juice. After 30 minutes, fizzing continues. Nice. Yeast seem to be happy and, more importantly, alive.

Now, should I just add this to the 5 gallon bucket? Or maybe add a little more juice to the yeast starter every so often for the next few days to slowly introduce all the juice? If the latter, any advice on how much and how often?

 

[jswordy]

I would add it to the bucket but pour it shallowly on so it is sort of mostly floating on top. Then after 1/2 to 1 hour, I would stir it in. That lets it acclimatize.

You are going to be fine.

If this happens to you ever again, please try pouring your must from one bucket into another, then back again 3 or 4 times before you sprinkle yeast on top. That will add oxygen and eliminate SO2 if it is too highly concentrated.

homewinery products are excellent, IMHO. I have used them and been pleased. But I think they do add some SO2 to the juice to keep it stable. If you also added max SO2, for example, that could tip the scales and make it hard for yeast to get started.

Another thing to watch is the LIQUID temp (not the air). If you are on the low end of your yeast's range, you will have to warm it up to get things moving. A plain ol' heating pad under the bucket or strapped to its side can do that for you. You can remove it once fermentation is underway.

Glad you are sizzling along.