My first wine I left to nature in 1998. Crushed grapes, a glass demijohn, and the firm faith that the yeast on the berry skins would take care of the rest. It took care of it thoroughly — into vinegar. After three weeks the whole cellar smelled of salad dressing, and I stood before twelve litres that I had to tip down the drain. That was the most expensive lesson of my young years. Ever since, I know: the question is not whether you add yeast, but which one.
Why pure-culture yeast instead of wild fermentation
On every grape and every apple, yeasts sit by nature. The problem is their mixture. The wild first settlers — mostly so-called apiculate yeasts (Kloeckera) — are sprinters: they get going but give up already at four to five percent alcohol and like to leave behind volatile acidity, exactly the vinegar note I had in the cellar back then. On top of that come mould and off-aromas over which you have no influence.
A pure-culture yeast is a single, selected yeast strain that can do exactly what you need: within hours it prevails over the wild competition, ferments reliably to the end, tolerates 15 to 18 percent alcohol depending on the strain, and works cleanly. Above all, though, you set the direction with it — fruit-forward, structured, or trimmed for bottle fermentation. Honestly: spontaneous fermentation can be magnificent, but it is a craft for people with sulphur experience and a laboratory in the back of their mind. As a beginner you take pure-culture yeast. Full stop.
The handling is the same for all: stir dry yeast into a little lukewarm water (never above 35 °C, or you kill it), let it swell for a quarter of an hour, then add it to the must. The exact amount is on the packet — the 5-gram sachets are enough for 10 to 50 litres. White wine ferments cooler (15–18 °C), red wine warmer (18–24 °C).
The compass: which yeast for which wine
For the reds
- Bordeaux — for powerful, tannin-driven red wines. High alcohol tolerance, emphasises dark fruit and structure. It is also good for pushing a stuck fermentation going again.
- Pinot — for the fine, elegant reds: Spätburgunder, Pinot Noir, Gamay. Ferments restrainedly and lets the delicate aromatics stand rather than masking them.
For whites and fruit wines
- Steinberg — the all-rounder. For all grape and fruit varieties, preserves the natural fruit. If you cannot decide on anything, this is your sachet.
- Exotic — the aroma yeast for tropical, fruity whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Scheurebe, Bacchus. Brings out the notes of gooseberry and passion fruit.
- Cider Fresh — strong-fermenting and clean, for apple wine, cider, sparkling apple wine, and fruit sparkling wine. Keeps the fresh acidity in the drink.
The specialists
- Sherry — for oxidative ageing and powerful, mature styles with cellaring potential. Not a beginner's wine, but if you want to go there, this is the way.
- Port — for the dessert-wine style. Ferments briskly so that at the right moment you can fortify with wine spirit and retain the residual sweetness.
- AURIVA — for sugar-rich batches with medium alcohol: mead, Auslese, ice wine. Copes with high must weight where other yeasts stop working.
- Champagne/sparkling — for bottle fermentation, that is the second fermentation in the bottle. Tolerates pressure and cold and settles well at the end, so you can get it back out during disgorging.
When it gets stuck
Distiller's mash is my fire brigade. Highly active and robust, for difficult conditions: stuck fermentation, restart, high-alcohol mashes. It ferments slowly but stubbornly to the end — and it is the right choice for the fruit mash you later want to distil.
Where you begin: the sampler set
Ten varieties sound like science, but they are a pure matter of taste — and taste you learn only by comparing. That is exactly what the sampler sets are for: several 5-gram sachets in one box, each for its own batch. Over a weekend, set up the same must with two different yeasts, place the demijohns side by side, and you have the difference between a Steinberg and an Exotic right under your nose. No book tells you that, only your own experience.
The recipes behind these yeasts come from Kitzingen, where the pharmacist Paul Arauner began breeding yeasts for home winemakers in 1897. The business there came to an end in 2024; we carry the remaining original products onward from Aachen. No nostalgia surcharge, just good old goods, while stocks last.
For getting started I take the Kitzinger Joenos yeast sampler set with seven varieties. Not because more is always better, but because for the price of barely four single sachets you try seven different paths and find your own style. And if you afterwards buy only one variety again, for most people it is the Kitzinger Joenos Steinberg wine yeast: it suits almost everything and leaves the fruit alone. Two things you may demand of an all-purpose yeast.
From the cellar, Magnus