Strawberry Wine, Not Fermenting

[blackfin1]

Hello All:

Started a strawberry wine using vintners harvest and began a 3 gallon batch. I began by adding Pectin, Meta, and nutrient, acid blend and surgar. Brought the entire mix to 1.090 sg. Let sit for 24 hours then pulled from the refrigerator a packet of Lavlin 1116 and sprinkled it on top of the must. It has been two days and no action, no foaming at all, no hissing, nothing. Should I have warmed up the yeast before pitching? My garage temperature is around 75 degrees.

Is there anyway I can save this batch? Should I pitch some yeast in warm water, wait 10 minutes then add to the must?

thanks,
Sal

 

[ffemt128]

Give it a day or so more. It's not un-normal for fermentation to take 24-48 hours to show signs. Give it a stir and let everything take it's time. You may want to consider adding some nutrient to the juice just to feed the yeast.

 

[Wade E]

How much sulfite did you use. The instructions on the can can be very confusing and Ive seen so many people accidentally overdose their wine by as much as almost ten times more then should be. Please tell us exactly what you did here!

 

[djrockinsteve]

I am a firm believer of rehydrating yeast or making a starter. The very beginning of a yeasts life is breathing. They awaken and beging searching for O2. Then they begin searching for food.

Look across the top of your must for an area that has a sheen to it. Look carefully and try to see movement. You have to look carefully. Ocassionally you will see a bubble. Signs of life.

Lalvin 1116 works slower than the others. If you have another pack rehydrate it and add if nothing soon. You don't want this to spoil.

Let is know.

 

[blackfin1]

The recipe calls for making a meta solution as follows:

* Dissolve 5 teaspoons of sodium bisulphite in 1 cup (8 ounces) of water to make "bisulphite solution." Then use the solution when campden tablets are needed. I am assuming 1 teaspoon for every gallon.

Therefore, it asked for 3 campden tablets, I added 3 teaspoons of powdered Meta. Is this where I messed up?

Thanks,
Sal

 

[Rocky]

Sal, I have never used one of those concentrates, but that seems like a lethal dose of K-meta to me. That is 1 tablespoon of K-meta in 3 gallons of wine. most kits call for a quarter teaspoon in 5 gallons when making wine from a kit. Are you sure the instructions were not referring to a sanitizing solution? There could be some difference between a kit and the concentrates, but that seems excessive, like 20 times as much.

Hang on to everything and see if there is some advice coming on possible remedies. I would start by stirring the living crap out of the wine. Are you sensing any off odor in the wine, like H2S (rotten egg smell)?

 

[blackfin1]

Thanks for the reponses. I think I over meta'd. Any way that I can salvage this batch?

Sal

 

[blackfin1]

Even if I salvage the wine by mixing and pitching yeast, the taste will be off due to the excessive use of K meta.

Should I just dump this batch and try again?

 

[Rocky]

Christopher Columbus never gave up. George Washington never gave up. Benjamin Franklin never gave up. Oliver Twiddledee... Who's he?! See, you don't know because he gave up.

Sal, you do what you think you should, but to me this is a learning experience. I would stir the wine vigorously for several day and then pitch another packet of yeast, probably Lalvin EC-1118 and even some yeast nutrient. Might cost you a buck or two and some time, and you will have learned something along the way. You can always pitch the batch but I would not before I tried a few things.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Hang in there. I have over sulfited a wine and over time it disapated. Give it time and yes stir often.