Stirring

Better to make a starter bottle by hydrating it in 50mil of blood temp water with 1tsp of sugar. Stir after 15 - 30 min. Then slowly introduce must to it with about 1tsp of yeast nutrient. Give it a really good shake each time you add some must to aerate it. I do this until it's about 300mil in volume. Benefits being:

1) Better success rate with the yeast starting. 2) Much larger yeast population from aerating which will give you a stong fermentation instead of a wussy lack-lustre one. 3) Other things.

This all works for me. Have had no stuck batches so far in my short winemaking time. :-)

Mike

I suggest you follow the instructions that came with your kit.... The manufacturer wants you to have a sucessful winemaking experience so you will buy more kits...

A.J.

I've been doing this awhile, and I prefer the belt and suspenders method. IOW, I hydrate yeast in warm water with some sugar to "proof" it and add it to the must/juice, and I also sprinkle dry yeast on top. Also, I tend to use a _lot_ of yeast - maybe 50 grams per barrel total. My plan is to overwhelm whatever wild yeast is there already with my known, good culture. Works for me.

Tom S

There is more than one way to skin a cat! Many people recommend that you hydrate your yeast in some warm water with some sugar for a bit and then add it. But then if you sprinkle the yeast on the top of your must, it is a warm liquid with sugar, so... I read some instructions form a yeast company once that said you should sprinkle the yeast on the top of the must and allow it to sit there without stirring for 6 to 12 hours. It will hydrate on it's own. By starting on the surface it gets lots of air so it will start reproducing nicely. They suggested that you then stir the top 1 inch of the must. Do not stir deeply. Wait 12 hours. Then stir the entire must. After that you should stir the must at least once or twice a day. I have followed this procedure for many years hand had not trouble.

Ray

Have a look at this article from a yeast manufacturer.

There are several ways to go - you just need to pick one. The yeast companies recommend a multi-step process of hydrating first with warm water, then adding a small amount of juice (sugar) for the yeast to begin digesting. This will yield the highest level of active, working yeast within the first couple of hours. However, it does require a thermometer, and some attention to following the directions carefully, at the indicated times.

The kit manufacturers (from long experience) have found that many customers aren't very good at following directions, may not have a thermometer, may not remember after 10 minutes to add juice to the rehydrated yeast, etc. They have found that simply sprinkling the yeast on the surface of the must, covering the container loosely and walking away will produce results nearly as good as following the yeast companies' much more complicated instructions, at least for kit wines. Yeast reproduces rapidly, once it is activated, so I think either approach will work fine for home winemakers. Just don't try to combine the methods -- if you are doing the "sprinkle and walk away" method, do just that. Resist the temptation to stir the yeast in - that can expose the yeast to too much sugar too quickly. Personally, I use the "sprinkle and walk away" method for all the kits I do (40+ so far), and have found that it works just fine. Once the yeast is activated and visibly fermenting (bubbling, etc.), feel free to stir the must if you feel so inclined. It won't hurt.

Doug