Stuck fermentation

[boudreaux]

I started a batch of wine pretty ignorant and seek help
9-18-09
5 gal. fresh picked wild muscadine
20# cane sugar
5 gal. water
7 campden tablets
3 oz. acid blend
1/2 teaspoon pectic Blend
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

9-19-09
s.c. was1.113
tartic acid=.625
sulfuric=4.0 ppt
added 2 packs of lalvin K1-V1116 yeast
this was in a loosely covered sanitized stainless pot, bubbling began pretty quickly. I pressed the cap down a few times a day looked good lots of bubbles.

9-30-09
Transferred into a 6 gal. carboy and 2 1 gal. jars with air locks.
After just a couple of days had a lot of sediment so I racked again condensing down to 6 gal. and a 1 gal. carboys I added 1 camden tablet / gal. at this time.
s.g 1.1015
there has been almost no bubbling at all since I put into secondary, and s.g. is not changed.
Wine is a pretty color and taste good too sweet but good flavor.
What is the best way to restart fermentation
I already know I started with too much sugar.

Buddy in south Louisiana

 

[Wade E]

Are you stuck at an sg of 1.015 or 1.105? Why did you add campden (sulfite) during a fermentation? Sulfites are for protecting a wine from oxidizing which there is no chance of when its fermenting as its loaded with C02 which is a heavier then air gas that displaces 02. The other use for sulfite is to stun yeast into not fermenting!!!!! Post back with sg that you are sure of and Ill help you from there.

 

[boudreaux]

That is a typo 1.015 is where I'm at, and I thought I needed campden for sanitizing reasons

 

[Wade E]

You only add campden in the beginning to to kill off micro-organisms and to stun the wild yeast while your wine yeast starts as wine yeasts are more tolerant of sulfites and will start fine in its presence. Get the temp up to around 76* and stir it up really good to get some 02 in there and the yeast suspended again and maybe itll get them going again. Some nutrient also would help!

 

[Dimigync73]

I dont know what would cause a stuck ferment but 20sec of pure O2 is probably fine and you didnt need to make a starter with dry yeast.
What kind of extract did you use and how old was it?

 

[mmadmikes1]

My plum stuck at 1.and being as I dont make sweet wine it could not be. So I made a super yeast starter, also known as a 1 gallon batch of another plum wine. This morning I added 1 gallon of the stuck wine to it and it is popping away at airlock in no time. Just added another 1/2 gallon. It is foaming away as I type. I will continue adding the stuck wine untill I have added all 6 gallons. so far it is working. Dont know if this is a accepted method but I always like to figure out away to solve stuff. I aslo dont mind messing stuff up and throwing it out if I learn from my mistakes. The mistake: was letting batch get to cold. I have been messing with temp aroung 67 for fermenting this batch got down to 65 one night. I think 68 is as low as I will go from now on

 

[Wade E]

Using a wine that has finished or the yeast cake after yiu rack a wine off is an awesome method and is what most good beer makers do as you get the beer fermenting very fast that way with much less lag time resulting in less of a chance of infection.