Help - Tinned Strawberry Wine

[GrillMonkey]

I've got a tinned strawberry wine on and yesterday the SG was down to 1.025 so I decided to put it through a mesh bag to get rid of the pulp.

Before returning it to a clean demijohn I added a campden tablet. I don't know if that ws good or bad :S

Now the airlock is going very, very slowly. Have I messed up? Should I add more yeast or some yeast nutrient?

Any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Duffbeer]

Yes you have messed up.
Never add campden tablets during fermentation it stuns the yeasts.
But try not to panic, stirr the must vigorously several times to drive off the sulphite, ferment should commence in 24 hrs or so.

[GrillMonkey]

Thanks Duff,

I think I got confused between straining the pulp and racking.

Have given it a good stir and will do the same later. Hopefully your advice will resolve the problem.

Thanks once again,
Steve

[GrillMonkey]

I took your advice and still no fermenting after 2 days. Is this wine ready for the sink or is there any way I can fix this?

Thanks,
Steve

[Mamgiowl]

Do NOT chuck it down the sink, unless it's turned to vinegar no wine is quite beyond redemption.

Have you been giving it a very vigorous stir? You need to get the effects of the camden tablet completely out of it. You could try splash racking, which means pouring into another DJ from a height so the sulphite gets driven off even more.

When you've done that, put it in a dark place under airlock and forget about it (check every so often to see what's happening). I've found that selective amnesia is a good ploy to adopt with problem wines.

In the meantime, if it refuses to get going, start another, ferment out to mouth puckering dry and blend with the first.

[GrillMonkey]

Ok, thanks for that.

I've been stirring it twice a day for the last two days. I'll try the splash racking thing. I had a small taste yesterday and it's definitely not vinegar.

The problem I have now is finding somewhere dark that I can leave and forget about it in my small 2 room flat. lol

[Duffbeer]

Jan's advice is spot on, the problem may be that the alcohol level plus the addition of sulphite may have stunned the yeast beyond recovery, follow Jan's advice and if no joy after a week or so then as suggested blend with a bone dry wine or you could have a bash at a restart yeast method here but not always guaranteed to work.

[GrillMonkey]

The alcohol content should only be about 7.5% at the moment so I doubt it is that. I'll give it a week as you suggest and then try the restart.

If that doesn't wirk I'll just clear it and let the OH try it. She likes sweet wines although maybe the SG 1.025 will be too sweet even for her!!

I'm having no luck with strawberry wine, this is the second batch I've messed up. But on the plus side I've learned a lesson that I will never repeat!!

[lockwood1956]

DO NOT bottle this wine, there is a danger of the ferment restarting, creating glass hand grenades (not kidding)

regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

This is a good opportunity to learn from mistakes, as you say, but it is also a chance to practice some other techniques like re-starting ferments, the alc level of 7% will indeed coupled with the sulphite addition be enough to stun the yeast into temporary submission, but it may well come around as you drive the sulphite off via splash racking, and as some of it becomes bound in the wine.

Are you keeping notes on all of your wines?

you really should, so that when these things occur, you have a record of it, making sure you dont make the same mistakes again, method in your winemaking is important if you want to produce good quality wines, that you can repeat year on year. you will find a winemaking log in the resources area

CLICK HERE

hope this helps
regards
Bob

[GrillMonkey]

Message recieved loud and clear Hopefully a restart will work and this will all be academic.

I've got a 5 ltr reuseable wine box. Is this something I could use instead of bottles for this wine if I can't get a restart?

Also if I ferment a new one to dry and blend the two would there still be a chance of fermentation restarting if I bottle it?

[lockwood1956]

if you blend it with a wine of 12% then your alc level will be 9.5% this is a level that will help the wine keep, but it would need to be stabilised to prevent refermentation. And yes, the reusable wine box will be a good idea (it cant burst)

regards
Bob

[Hippie]

I really think growing a big starter and gradually adding more and more of the stuck wine will get it going. You should use the same yeast.

[lockwood1956]

Good idea G

spot on as always

cheers
bob

[Hippie]

I am here to help.

Cheers right back atcha buddy !