Nutrient lessons

[lockwood1956]

Perhaps the best solution is a small Sunday lunch

Now that sounds like a plan......

[clayhill]

On our vineyard we check the nutrient levels in the vines throughout the growing season. Last year we were advised to notify the winery we supply our grapes to that the vines were low in nitrogen, it was presumed that the grapes would have a low YAN levels.

[bzac]

hmmmmmm

thats all well and good, but wine that smells like rotten eggs is hard to drink

I wonder how one can analytically prove BQ is robbed?

I would sooner have the BQ robbed a teeny bit, (and I'm unconvinced it would be to any great degree) than chance a stalled fermentation, we as home winemakers operate sometimes in less than ideal fermentation conditions, so we need the insurance policy of plenty of nutrient.

I have heard it claimed that pectolase additions have a downside....
I believe this to be tosh too

regards
Bob

hmm I doubt it would rob any thing worse than a stressed yeast due to lack of nutrient would.
proper nutrient levels allow the yeast to function at optimum , allowing them to metabolise all the sugars and develop the polysaccarides etc thad give the wine better mouth feel and flavours as well as supporting the tannins integration.

I reccomend a complex yeast food that contains at least some organic nitrogen , or even a pure organic nitrogen food. these are easier for the yeast to metabolise so less is wasted and because the yeast are able to use the organic nitrogen easier than DAP , you can add less of it .

I would say that over dosing on nitrogen especialy if you are heavy handed with a pure DAP addition can leave higher levels of unused nitrogen in the wine , these leftovers may be fodder for spoilage organisms .

so two moderate additions , one early one a third of the way into the ferment and never after that is a good winemaking practice . especialy since there is no home method for YAN testing. ( I've never met a professional winemaker who didn't ensure proper nutrient levels in the must )

all it takes is one case of having to fight h2s and the drastic interventions requiered to save your wine and you will become a nutrient convert.

the healthier your yeast is the better hedge it is against h2s formation . so in the case that you get some grapes that got a late sulfur spray in the vineyard , using nutrient will ofer some buffer against this.

[Cellar_Rat]

................so two moderate additions , one early one a third of the way into the ferment and never after that is a good winemaking practice . especialy since there is no home method for YAN testing. ( I've never met a professional winemaker who didn't ensure proper nutrient levels in the must )

I have your been reading the fermaid details and this is what they recommend. I am just in the process of getting a quantity of fermaid K.

[bzac]

I have your been reading the fermaid details and this is what they recommend. I am just in the process of getting a quantity of fermaid K.

you might wat to add some go ferm to your order . its a yeast hydration nutirent , not essential but it helps your yeast get off to a great start (espicialy in difficult musts , ie high sugar , so2 , acid etc) .

I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to healthy yeast .