First time having trouble fermenting!

[ffreds]

Facts: Yeast 71b-1122, concentrate from homewinery.com, temperature 68-70 degrees consistently, starting SG ranging from 1.090-1.10(8 lbs of sugar to each batch), 5 gal batches, added yeast nutrient(did not step feed but will in the future), sanitized and followed what I have always done in the past. four, five gal. batches (Pear, pomegranate, blackberry, pink Chablis) Does NOT smell like rotten eggs, smells like normal fermenting wine.

Here is the problem. Fermentation kicked off great but was going a little slow due to temperature I was assuming. At two weeks I noticed that the pear and pomegranate were not fermenting and was starting to clear. I did a SG reading and they are BOTH at 1.010. I stirred and waiting a few days and they would not restart and just kept clearing. So, since the sweetness was in the range I wanted it anyway I said whatever, I'll just rack stabilize and age like it was finished.

The blackberry and pink Chablis also stopped but they stopped at a higher SG (1.020 and 1.025) so I decided to add a little more nutrient and stir everyday. Nothing happened for about a week so I pitched EC 1118 into the pink Chablis. After two weeks, out of nowhere the blackberry has started fermenting strong again, the pink Chablis has SOME activity but is still very sluggish. I thought this was bizarre.

Why do you guys think my wine(pear and pom) stop fermenting at 1.010? I am trying to figure out what happened and what I should do with the pink chablis and blackberry... Was my starting SG too high? I thought 1122B could easily ferment 14% and some say more after that. Never had a fermentation take so long and act this way before...

 

[JohnT]

My first guess is that your temp dipped. Are you sure about maintaining 65 - 70 degrees?

 

[ffreds]

They are in the kitchen right next to my thermostat set on 68. We did get a wave or two of really cold weather but it was in the middle of the house so I dont know how it could of killed the ferment

 

[JohnT]

If your wine dipped just a few degrees from 68, that could be enough.

 

[ffreds]

Will this stop and go long ferment damage the wine in anyway or affect it? So I should just wait it out and let it finish?

 

[JohnT]

I would not worry about it too much. Your wine should be fine. The only think that I can say is that you are doing a slow, cold fermentation, so much of the fruit characteristics will be retained in the wine. This is not to be considered a bad thing.

Just let her go and you should be fine.

 

[ffreds]

Thank you.

 

[Turock]

Well, ffreds, like you said---you need to step feed nutrient. Not having enough nutrient (nitrogen) available to the yeast at the correct times during the ferment will give you a stalled ferment. Especially if the must is low on YAN to begin with!