Yeast pitch rate

[alix101]

Ok I'm asking this on behalf of my sister and I don't know the answer.
She's asking me what pitch rate of yeast to add for a secondary fermentation to make sparkling wine.
I know the rates or how to calculate it for beer but is the principle the same or is there a wine calculator out there?
I would of thought like beer there would be enough still in without adding more but this is for a 10000L batch and it goes on for a year...

[MTW]

Did you say 10000L (10 thousand litres)? or did you fall asleep on the zero button?

Freakin eck! That's over 61 bbl of wine. I ain't guessing an answer and messing that up for her!

[alix101]

Haha I don't blame you ...but no I didn't fall asleep
Perhaps she should of done a bit more research before this point...
Just thought they might been a good site.
I've found the one on the weyeast site so I've steered her to read that.
They seem to be taking the yeast side of things as not important but l know how important it is in beer so I'm sure it would be the same for wine.

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

If this is for a commercial winery I think they will need to repitch. This is probably after other processes that clarify the wine, which will also reduce the cell count.

Or maybe they will just force carb.

[alix101]

Yes the conversation started about re pitching they'd made a 40l batch to pitch in I said how do you know that's enough ....it doesn't seem alot but it is secondary I said if your under pitching your going to kill the yeast if the wines around 18% or at best just make them give in.
I told her to take a gravity reading and work from there...
How do people do it at home or is sparkling to much hassle..

[lord.president]

Pretty much the same as beer. Wine should be 10% finished,then primed as beer,and dosed with Chapagne yeast,in the bottles. The bottles need turned and tipped until the yeast in on the cork. Commercial wineries then plunge the bottle neck into ice to freeze the yeast plug and remove it and the cork. Homebrewers can buy special stoppers that collect the yeast.


Easier with a Soda Stream......

[Secla]

Why wouldn't commercial wineries use force carbing for wine as brewery's do ?

[Jocky]

I don't know for certain but I would imagine the natural carbonation process is required in order for it to be called 'Champagne'

[MTW]

I don't know for certain but I would imagine the natural carbonation process is required in order for it to be called 'Champagne'

...and made in the Champagne region! It's a protected term.

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

I imagine that any cheap sparkly is force carbed, especially if it has been treated with sulfites

[Aleman]

Why wouldn't commercial wineries use force carbing for wine as brewery's do ?

Well they do, it's the difference between a Prosecco and a methode champagnoise such as Cava, Saumur and of course Champagne.

Prosecco is a still wine carbonated in bulk in conditioning tanks and bottled. The other, traditional, method involves a secondary carbonation in bottle, and then the sediment being removed via the process of disgorging. . . I have been told that this is what gives Champagne smaller bubbles, which personally I think is twaddle

[alix101]

Thanks for the info it's been passed on ..