My second batch of Parsnip wine help

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ewanfish

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My first batch is looking good i think & getting clearer all the time.Well where do i start, I got a recipe off bigger jugs parsnip wine did the Saltanas (i know it says raisins but i prefer saltanas) i doubled everything in the recipe as i have big enough fermentations bins to put it in i just cant get it to start fermenting if i stir it it will start to froth up then die down again i also warmed it up again & added more yeast & a couple spoons of sugar to see if thet would do the trick but no, it is wine yeast i'm using in this batch but tempted (only joking) to go back to the bread yeast as i had more luck with that the first time, ordered more wine yeast today. shall i just start again its a pity as it tasted good before i put it in the fermentation bin.
 
hiya Ewan,

please post your entire recipe so we can have a look at it for you..

also post your yeast type.. some froth more than others.

did you take an SG ( start gravity reading) if so.. take another one now and see if the numbers have changed or not.

Allie
 
This is the recipe

Winemaking recipe: Parsnip Wine
Might sound an odd wine ingredient but parsnip makes surprisingly good wine. It makes a sweet white wine with plenty of body and keeps well.
Ingredients:
The following ingredient quantities are based on 2 gallon(s) of wine being made.
Item Quantity Comment
Campden Tablets
2 tablet(s)
Lemons 2 fruit(s)
Parsnips 8 pound(s)
Pectin destroying enzyme
See pack for instructions
Raisins 1 pound(s) Prepared from approx 1 pound raisins
Sugar 6 pound(s)
Water 9 litre(s)
Yeast nutrient
See pack for instructions
Instructions
To make parsnip wine…
This wine is best made in February or march with parsnips which have remained in the ground all the winter.
1. Prepare your raisins ahead. That give them a brief wash in near boiling water to remove the waxy coat that the produces apply. Allow the raisins to cool enough to handle and then cut them up. Now simmer the raisins in just enough water to cover them. After simmering for about 5 minutes extract the juice from the raisins by means of a muslin cloth. The raisin juice is needed latter on.
2. Scrub the parsnips well, but do not peel them: slice them thinly and put them in a large saucepan or preserving pan. Pour in 2 gallon of could water, or; if you haven't a saucepan big enough, cook 2lb of parsnips and 1 gallon of water at a time. Cook the parsnips until they are tender, but not mashy. When they are cooked, strain the liquid off. After strain, throw away the parsnips and return the liquid to the pan.
3. Add the 6lb of sugar, the raisin juice, and the lemon juice and rind, having removed the pith. Simmer for three quarters of an hour, stirring occasionally. Strain again into a plastic bucket and then lukewarm add the pectic enzyme and a crushed campden tablet. Leave for 24 hours, placing the bucket in warm room: then stir in the yeast and yeast nutrient.
4. Cover the bucket and leave in the warm for four days, then stir it well, strain into a fermentation demi-john. Fit an airlock and ferment until dry.
5. A little feeding with a tablespoonful or two of sugar may be helpful if fermentation seems slow. Your parsnip wine will be drinkable in six months. But much better if you can leave it longer.

I never used Pectin destroying enzyme as i never i my first batch in the pan & the yeast i used this time was Lalvin K1-V1116 I never took a reading at the start as i forgot but took a reading just now 1.080 you can see small bubbles at the surface of the wine but there is none in the airlock showing when i did my first batch in the pan for 4 days you could hear the gas coming out of the hole in the lid. can you put to much yeast in as i might have put an extra 2 yeast packets in trying to get it to ferment. the bin is in the kitchen & the temp at the side of the bin is 18c, if you give the liquid a stir it will froth up a bit for a few seconds.
I would not mind sorting this out before Tuesday as i'm back off shore then.
Thanks
 
Ok, well, for real parsnip wine you need parsnips that have been frosted. This means getting them from allotments or farm shops. The sweetness is released from them during the frosting. This shouldn't be too hard in Britain. LOL.
Yeast needs to be kept happy. It needs food, warmth and no killing agents. If bread yeast works just bloody use it! It might, actually, if you are using a lower temp.
 
Ewan..

my thoughts are...

it has started to ferment .. even though there are little to no bubbles out of your airlock.. it needs a bit of time is all.. you are within a good temp range for your yeast, (10 to 42C) however you could warm it up a bit ... I looked it up and that particular yeast has high nutrient requirements.. so an extra teaspoon of nutrient wouldn't go astray. Take the SG again 12 to 24 hours after the last check and see if it's moved.

A couple of other things.. you don't really need pectic enzyme here, as you are not using the lemon peel/pith/seeds or the entire sultanas pulp/seeds.. and that is where the pectin is. It should really have said a starch enzyme for the parsnips.. Amylase is the enzyme for that.. available at the homebrew stores.. but order it fresh in if you need it, as it has a shelf life of 6 months in the fridge. However if your last batch cleared ok.. I wouldn't worry about it at this stage.. only go down that road if you actually get a starch haze that won't clear after fermentation.

don't worry about the extra yeast you have added.. it'll be fine.

I suspect the temp is contributing to the slow start here.

flick me a pm if you need any extra help.. I'll be around here somewhere today.

Allie
 
Have not heard you for a while, i thought someone from Alaska had come over to Britain & you had eloped together never to be seen again :n
Well the bread yeast worked well the last time & the wine is looking good in the bottles. Do you know if this stuff is fermenting with the wee gas bubbles rising to the top but nowt showing in the airlock & can you add to much yeast as i did add 2 more sachets to it trying to get it started also decanted it into 3 pans to warm up gently to see if that would do anything but dont think it did. I,m going from 1 extream to the other, 1st batch i thought i was going to come home to a big mess & never this batch seems as if i could shake it about all day & it would do nowt.
 
heheh Ewan.. that's Leanne and Troy lol...

(I'm in the antipodes.. bottom of the planet:D)

as I said.. don't worry about the extra yeast.. and if you have a warmer spot in the house.. move it there, and give the yeasties time to multiply. Check your airlock is in properly and airtight if it's worrying you.


I think you need to give it another 24 hours.

Allie
 
Just seen your reply St Allie, Your reply has settled me down abit but i dont have any nutrient as i never used it in my 1st batch but have ordered some earlier today along with some more yeast but if the yeast goes the same way with my next batch i might just stick to bread yeast but i will have nutrient then so might make a differance with this yeast & the colder temp here in the house, i think its warm enough, but i cant get my money out of my pockets to put money in the meter for the heating, i was always wondering why the kids were running around in 2 fleeces & hats on in the house:i Thanks for that will give you a buzz if i get stuck again. will have to look for another recipe for next trip.
 
you could always make a starter with your yeast next time.. and that will also reassure you that your yeast is viable.

you're welcome!

Allie
 

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