Blueberry Fruit Wine Base - not working

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hansensj

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This is the second time I have tried to do the Vintner’s Harvest Blueberry fruit wine base – and I can not get it to work.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><O:p></O:p>
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The way the sulfite solution is made is overkill. Could have been my problem the first time.<O:p></O:p>
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The second time I just added less then ¼ tsp of potassium metabisulphite and waited a day. Before I rehydrated the yeast, I stirred the mix to free any sulfites.<O:p></O:p>
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The SG started out at about 1.095 and the next day I had a good coating of yeast on top. I stirred the must on the top and the SG dropped to about 1.090. It has now been 1 week and the SG is only 1.080.<O:p></O:p>
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The last time I tried this I transferred it to another fermenter and mixed it up to release any sulfites. I would add some more yeast &amp; yeast energizer and I managed to get the SG down to 1.040. I ended up mixing it with some other wine I had in a carboy about 6 months latter.
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What can I do to try and get this to ferment. Could my acid blend or yeast nutrient been bad? It worked for about the first 3 to 4 days.<O:p></O:p>
 
What isthe temp. of your wine????? Blueberries can be bit trouble some to ferment...
 
Temp started out at 77 degrees. It is curently 69 degrees.
I just turned my heating pad back on.
 
What size recipe did you make with this, if you are doingthe 3 gallon then 1/4 tsp was too much. Those instructions for the sulfite are fine but very confusing about what you are actually adding. You have to make a solution using quite a bit of k-meta but then only adding a very little bit of that solution. Im guessing that you actually had an sg of 1.095 and are at 1.040 now. I make these all the time and never have any proble with the exception of doing just what you did the first time trying to understand the sulfite instruction and blew it. I typically ferment my fruit wines in the lower 60's but since you are having such a problem get it back up to mid 70's. Since I dont know what size batch you have and how much nutrient and energizer you have already added i cant instruct you to add any more at this time. Please give more info on what you have added and when.
 
Wade...hansensj should be OK with adding "less than 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulphite" if this is a 3 gollon batch....This would equal about 3 campden tabs.....But a posting of his recipe would be helpfull too...
 
Is the sg stll going down because at that temp it will go slowly but that is a good thing. Fruit wines and white wines should be fermented much slower to keep the fruity ester in there. Some fermentations can take a month or even more when fermenting at cool temps. Red wines benefit from warmer fermentations. It also depends on what yeast you used as some will not have this heavy foam fermentation and just a light sizzling like Cotes Des Blank or even Montrachet.
 
I am doing the 5 gallon (sorry - should have noted that in the beginning). I added about 3/4 of a 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulphite to make sure I did not over do it. The yeast I am using is the EC1118. My friend uses this yeast all the time for his fruit wines.
I went out of town for a few days so I turned off the heating pad. The SG was about 1.080 three days ago and it has not changed (as of looking at it a few minuts ago).


In my original post, I see that I have some numbers incorrect.New to reading the numbers. I left out the "0".
Starting SG = 1.095
It is now = 1.080
I updated the original post.
 
Did you follow the recipe on the can exactly with the exception of meta? I would probably get a new yeast packet and do a starter yeast and once thats going add some of your wine and let it sit a few hours then add some more of the wine and let it sit a few hours again and do this until your starter yeast has at least doubled in size then add it to your wine.
How-to: Yeast Starter
 

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