Andovin Super Nutrient and Vinacid R

[marktwain]

Being new to winemaking (and fruit juice fermenting) I would like to know the purpose of the above ingredients. I'm making a small batch of rice wine and it calls for those along with Lalovin yeast. What is the purpose of Andovin and Vinacid?

[Thomas]

They are likely nutrients that the rice mixture lacks and they are necessary for the health of the yeast cells to do their work properly.

[marktwain]

Thanks foodie. Guess I should have done a Google search. Just thought I could get more info on this board.

[Thomas]

Chris, you asked what the purpose is. The purpose of nutrient additions is, as I said, to facilitate yeast fermentation so that it goes properly, especially when there might be a shortfall of nutrition in the fermentable material.

Improper nutrition can cause many "off" problems.

If there is something deeper you seek, contact the manufacturer/s of the nutrient additives.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 03-24-2004).]

[Kcwhippet]

The Andovin is used to harden the water a bit and to add the nutrients to help the yeast make the resulting wine ferment to dryness. Without it, the yeast might not be able to totally ferment all the sugar and you'll be left with a wine that you hoped would be dry but turns out sweet. The Vinacid R is for reductive wines - generally white wines. It adds the acids necessary to balance the wine. Unlike grapes, the rice mixture doesn't have the necessary nutrients to enable the yeast to survive to the higher alcohol. It also doesn't have the necessary acid to balance the final product.

I suggest you get a book on winemaking at your local winemaking supply shop that explains what's neede to make the process work efficiently under different circumstances.

[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 03-24-2004).]

[marktwain]

Thanks KC. I'll head to Barnes and Noble today. Unusual thing is our local wine/beer making supplier 'never heard of' those particular nutrients. They did have a similar recipe for Saki but it called for different nutrient addatives