Mold on cap

[Old Philosopher]

Help!
I won't bore anyone with all the mistakes up to this point, but I have 2 batches of fruit wine (1 sour cherry, the other raspberry) in my primary. I had to wait 24 hours before I could obtain my yeast, and now I have mold in both batches!

Is there a way to save this, or am I out 20# of fruit, and 10# of sugar???

 

[Scooter68]

Did you add one crushed and dissolved Campden tablet for each gallon of your must at least 12 hours before you added the Yeast?

Attach a photo of that cap and mold before you toss things out - Unless you had some pretty dirty old fruit (Bacteria loaded fruit) the Campden Tabs should have killed any strange bacteria. Assuming also that you covered the must during the time you waited on the yeast and during the primary fermentation. (Cheese cloth or some sort of breathable cloth covering.)

 

[Old Philosopher]

I had the fruit (both cherries and raspberries) in a bag-lined 5 gal primary, covered with the lid. No bugs or air born stuff allowed. They are approx. 2 gal batches. I put a shy pinch of K-meta in with the fruit. 24 hrs later I dumped in the sugar to get the SG where I wanted. I misread my own notes, and went WAY overboard on the sugar! So...more fruit..another 1/2 gal of water..and I think I can live with it using HC 1118 with its high alcohol tolerance. BUT...no HC1118 to be had. Had to wait another 24 hrs to get some to start the fermentation, and that's when I discovered the mold. grrr.....
This morning I put a full 1/8 tsp of K-meta in each 3 gal batch. Hopefully, that will kill the mold (and not whoever tries to drink the product), and I can pitch the yeast tomorrow evening.

 

[Scooter68]

Yeah - sounds like a stronger dose of K-Meta was needed. That much fruit means a lot of potential for lurking bacteria that loves the environment you created with that sugar. I don't know the proportions of K-Meta vs Campden Tabs / per gallon but as long as you follow that you should have a clean start. Hopefully you were able to skim off that mold without losing too much fruit. Good luck - By the time you are ready to drink that wine the K-meta will be long gone.

 

[Old Philosopher]

This afternoon there was no sign of mold residue. The K-meta knocked its socks off! I drew off some liquid and did a yeast starter with the HC 1118, and it was bubbling within 15 minute. A good sign that the K-meta was not going to be toxic to the new yeast. Pitched in the starter and now the wait begins. I'll keep ya posted.
I had a batch of white grapes (1 gal) ferment dry in 5 days last year!