"MkFn" > wrote in message
om...
> I have a question about Campden tablets and when to add them to must.
>
> I'm reading "Winemaking: recipes, equipment, and techniques for making
> wine at home" by, Stanley F. Anderson and Dorothy Anderson; 1989.
>
> In this book the recipes advises to add the campden tablets with the
> wine yeast. It's my understanding that the campden tablets kill off
> wild yeast and then one should wait at least 12 hours before adding
> wine yeast. Is this true?

Mark, reasonable amounts of Campden tablets, or other forms of sulfur
dioxide, will _not_ kill native yeast. The native yeast will only be
stunted and inactive for a few hours. On the other hand, commercial wine
yeasts are _not_ sensitive to reasonable amounts of sulfur dioxide, so yeast
manufacturers recommend adding their yeasts immediately after adding sulfur
dioxide. That way, the commercial yeast can multiply (and dominate the
fermentation) for the few hours the native yeasts are stunted by the sulfur
dioxide.

> I'm about to make my first batch of homemade wine and don't want to
> kill the wine yeast... but then again waiting 12 hours would brown
> the must due to oxygenation right?

> I'm in a catch 22 situation.
>
> Please advise,
> Many thanks
> Mark