Fermax™ - contains diammonium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, autolyzed yeast.
Sold in 1 lb package.
Dosage charts are shown below.
We recommend dosing in this way because one large initial dose of DAP may delay or inhibit the uptake of amino acids by the yeast cells. Also, if nitrogen is added too late, the cells can't uptake the nitrogen due to the presence of alcohol. Adding nutrient supplements such as Fermax™ or Fermaid K all at once can lead to too fast of a fermentation rate and an imbalance in uptake and usage of nitrogen compounds. Supplements added too late (after half the fermentation) may not be used by the yeasts, partly because the alcohol prevents their uptake. Thus, we spread out the doses over time it so the wine gets what it needs when it needs it.
What is a proper dose of DAP and Fermax™ for a wine?
The answer largely depends upon the source and quality of your juice. In general, if you press your own grapes or buy fresh or frozen juice from a vineyard, your doses will be higher than if you make your wine from a wine kit.
If making wine from fresh or frozen juice (not processed - just straight grape juice), here are the recommended doses of DAP and Fermax™:
- 1 gram DAP / liter
- 1 gram Fermax™ / US gallon
If making wine from a wine kit*, the proper doses would be:
- 0.2 to 0.4 grams DAP / liter
- 0.1 to 0.2 grams Fermax™ / US gallon
For example, let's say you have 6 US gallons of fresh grape juice from your backyard that you want to make into wine. Based on the chart above, your recommended doses would be calculated like this:
1 US gallon = 3.79 liters, so 6 gallons = 22.71 liters
Total DAP dose: 22.71 grams
Total Fermax™: 6 grams
Following our dosage recipe, we would add:
- 11.35 grams of DAP and 2 grams of Fermax™ before adding yeast
- 11.35 grams of DAP and 2 grams of Fermax™ once fermentation starts
- 2 grams of Fermax™ at 12-8° Brix
