I am a wine making newbie and have ventured on to my second batch of wine which happens to be a cranberry wine. I am second guessing making this wine at such an early stage in the learning process as I am having a terrible time getting it to ferment. I am day 5 and have been making adjustments, repitching yeast, etc to try and get an environment that should work for the yeast. Currently, this is where things are at. SG 1.100, Temp 70 F, pH = 3, TA = 0.5%. I started yeast again last night and it starting fermenting overnight in a cup of must which I have now added to the 6 gallons of must. Any tips, suggestions, recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I think I am running out of time to get this wine going. Thank you for your help!
Cranberry Wine Folly
- Thread starter Jeich
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- cranberry fermentation fruit yeast
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have some patience cranberry is hard to start. your ph number and TA number donot match.How did you measure?
At any rate add some yeast nutrient, stir twice a day and wait. fermentation will not be strong so use your hydrometer to detect it.
At any rate add some yeast nutrient, stir twice a day and wait. fermentation will not be strong so use your hydrometer to detect it.
I used a pH meter and titration test. By your comment, I am assuming the the lower TA amount should have resulted in a higher pH?
BernardSmith
Senior Member
Hi Jeich - and welcome. Could you perhaps provide a little more detail about the recipe. Are you fermenting cranberries or cranberry juice? Might there have been some preservatives added to either the berries or the juice? If sorbates were added then you are not going to get the yeast to be able to ferment the sugars in the fruit.
That said, if there is some other problem with the must (the unfermented liquid) then re-pitching the yeast is unlikely to resolve anything. What you need to do is up-end the process and place it on its head. By that I mean that you make a very small starter by pitching the yeast into a cup of say, apple juice (NO preservatives) and when you see that that is really actively fermenting you then take a cup of your must and add that to this starter. If - and when - that becomes active you repeat by taking TWO cups and adding those to this starter and you repeat doubling the volume until you have removed every last drop from the stalled fermentation and have added it to the new batch
That said, if there is some other problem with the must (the unfermented liquid) then re-pitching the yeast is unlikely to resolve anything. What you need to do is up-end the process and place it on its head. By that I mean that you make a very small starter by pitching the yeast into a cup of say, apple juice (NO preservatives) and when you see that that is really actively fermenting you then take a cup of your must and add that to this starter. If - and when - that becomes active you repeat by taking TWO cups and adding those to this starter and you repeat doubling the volume until you have removed every last drop from the stalled fermentation and have added it to the new batch
Thank you for the advice. The recipes are cranberries. If fermentation is not moving this evening I will get a batch of yeast going and making additions from the must that is not fermenting.
Here is the recipe that I am using.
Ingredients :
Ingredients :
- 15 lbs. of cranberries
- 10 ½ lbs. of sugar
- 1 tbsp. Yeast Energizer
- ¾ tsp. Pectic Enzyme
- 1 Packet of Wine Yeast: Montrachet
- 10 Campden Tablets (5 prior to fermentation and 5 at bottling time)
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with a TA of .5 I would think the ph would be 3.5,3.6
Follow BenardSmith procedure it should work.
Follow BenardSmith procedure it should work.
Arne
Senior Member
When it gets going, make sure you get some nutrients in there. Montrechet needs nutrients to stay healthy and not make the dreaded rotten egg smell. Arne.
BernardSmith
Senior Member
I generally add all my nutrients once the yeast has begun to ferment. In mead making there is now a view that you should add 1/3 nutrients at the start, 1/3 when half the sugar has been fermented and 1/3 when 2/3 of the sugar has been converted to alcohol but yeast will not take up nutrients when the ABV is about 9% so rather than monitor my meads and wines that closely, I give the yeast a single large feeding and expect the critters to use what they need when they need it.
