Stuck ferment...tried everything.

[LenniePike]

Real quick. Made 5g welches white grape (awesome white wine recipe) added all the usual ingredients. Starting SG 1085, must temp. low 70's, used lalvin D47 like the recipe called for (usually use lalvin 71b). Everything was going fine until I transferred into secondary at SG 1010 and then ferment just stopped. I added some heat to about 75 degrees and nothing for several days. I splash racked and added a lalvin 71b starter with some yeast nutrient and energizer and still nothing after about a week, still stuck at 1010. I then splash racked leaving the sediment/yeast and made a lalvin ec1118 starter. I brought the SG up to 1020 thinking that a little more sugar would help it take off. The starter was very active and I added it about three days ago...This morning SG was still 1020. Should I just let this alone for a while or can I try something else. I don't have ph readings or TA but I followed the recipe exactly. I was thinking about adding alcohol and sorbate to prevent possible referment if/when I bottle this but EC1118 needs about 18 Percent ABV. Thats too much! I could use some suggestions.

 

[winemakingscientist]

D47 does not like cool temps, so the heat was a good idea, but it might have been too late. D47 makes competitive factor K2, and 71B is killed by it. So when you added 71B, the yeasts were going into a hostile environment. EC1118 also makes competitive factor K2, so it shouldn't be killed by it. It is recommended by Lalvin to restart stuck fermentations. They do recommend a higher dose of yeast for restarting as opposed to starting in the first place. It comes out to roughly 8 grams for 5 gal, so if you added one 5 gram packet, you're below recommendations.

K1 is the other lalvin yeast that is good for stuck fermentations. I'm not sure if it would be better to add K1 on top of EC1118 or to add another EC1118. Anyone else have experience with this?

Also, if you add sorbate and k-meta after it clears you shouldn't get refermentation, even if there is residual sugar and the alcohol is under 18%.

 

[Tom_S]

I would ask if you stirred up the sediment before you racked, or at least sucked up a little bit of the sediment while racking? I've had fermentations stop after the first racking because I didn't get enough of the yeast transferred over.

Since you added more yeast and it still hasn't started back up, maybe try a little bit of yeast nutrient.

 

[LenniePike]

Quick update...Added 5 tsp of yeast nutrient and kept heat around 78 degrees. The EC1118 finally kicked in and all is well. Didn't know about using more yeast for a restart or about competitive strains...going to have to read up on that. Also I always try to rack most of the the yeast to the secondary. Thanks for the input guys. That one made me nervous.

 

[olusteebus]

Glad you got it going. I know how you feel. I have a cabernet/blackberry that stopped at about 1.015 or so. I splash racked. Nothing. Added a packet of 1118. Nothing. I am going to create a starter and nurse a gallon to ferment with another pack of 1118 and slowly add my must to it. Wish me luck.

 

[winemakingscientist]

I'm glad it's going again, Lennie.

Good luck, olusteebus. I bet that will work.