Pomegranate wine wont ferment

[Steven L Coulombe]

I juiced 7 gallons worth of pomegranates and I treated it with potassium metabisulfate to kill the wild yeast. I misread the dosage and thought it said 1 tsp per gallon, but that was the instructions for sanitizing. It should've been 1/4 tsp. So, needless to say, I added WAY too much. 1 week later, and I still cant get it to ferment. Did I ruin the juice, or should I just keep waiting?

 

[user 36973]

Yes, sounds like you overdosed the sulfites but those will bind up, volatilize, and be reduced to a level where sulfite-tolerant wine yeast can take over.

Have you measured and adjusted the pH or TA of the pomegranate? Haven't made it myself but Google says the pH of pomegranate juice is near 3, where yeast can struggle.

I'd get the pH over 3.2 as you adjust the TA where you want (6 for dry wine, 8 for sweet) and dose the wine with more yeast. Be sure to follow the yeast manufacturer recommendation on the rehydration procedure.

 

[MJD]

The advice above is spot on and I'd recommend following it.
In regard to the over sulfiting - I have mistakenly done this myself. You can wait a period of time (several days to a week) for it to dissipate naturally, or you can aerate it extensively right now. Of several ways to do this, chucking up a whisk in a drill is quite effective. Be prepared to spend a while aerating.