Help!!!Blueberry wine problem

[moosher]

I have been fermenting my blueberry wine for two months now and still is not dry(but close).This is a insane amount of time I suspect.I got the recipe off of the wine makers magizine web site .the recipe is below. The starting brix was 1.13and now it is 1.01.It seems to still be fermenting ,I see tousands of tiny bubbles rising to the top of the 5 gal carboy and it is popping the airlock every couple of minutes.Is it still fermenting or something else?Should I stop it with addition of mete-k?or pour down the sink?RECIPE: Summertime Blueberry Wine
Makes 5 gallons (19 L)

15 lbs. (6.8 kg) blueberries
9 lbs. (4 kg) sugar
2–3 cups grape concentrate
(optional — this will add to the
wine’s fruitiness)
2.5 tsp. acid blend
2.5 tsp. pectic enzyme
3 tsp. yeast nutrient
0.18 oz. (5 g) potassium metabisulfite
(approximately 150 ppm SO2)
2 tsp. potassium sorbate
1 tsp. tannin
Yeast (Lalvin EC1118 or
Lalvin 71B-1122)

 

[janij]

Same question

I was just going to post this same question. I started a blueberry wine 2 weeks ago and it is only at SG 1.065 down from 1.095. The reason I am posting to this is to see what everyone has to offer you as suggestions. But can I ask you a question? At what point did you take it out of the primary and put it in the carboy? I took the blueberries out about a week ago, added a yeast starter but I still have not put it in a carboy under airlock. What did you do?

 

[moosher]

I kept in the primary for 7 weeks then strained berry skins with a bag into the carboys.I could not take it any longer.I have made wine before with good success but this blueberry is driving me nuts.( by the way I doubled the above recipe-30lbs blues 18lbs sugar and so on)Your starting point 1.09brix is where I should have started but did not want to dilute

 

[janij]

Is it just slow?

This is my question. Is blueberry just slow or is there a problem with it. 7 weeks in the primary is a long time. I am worried it is going to get contaminated. I just started a cherry melomel and they are sitting next to each other. It is driving me crazy cause every time I open them the cherry is fizzing away and the blueberry has like 3 bubbles on the top. I was even thinking of throwing a cup or so of the cherry in with it when I rack the cherry and see if that kicks it off since it would be a different yeast. I want it out of the primary cause I have peaches I want to get started. URGHHH!! Hopefully someone else has ideas.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Okay first off, is your hydrometer reading still declining? If so then yes it is still fermenting. Most should be done @ 7-10 days. If you rack into a carboy it will take a little longer.

If your s.g. is not declining then it's probably degassing itself. Then you could go ahead and clear it. (sparkolloid/bentonite) I prefer sparkolloid as bentonite can take some color and flavor out of the wine.

If you have almost no headspace then I wouldn't worry and don't pitch it. Your recipe calls for sorbate, I hope you haven't added that yet.

Did you ferment in the primary first then rack or do everything in the carboy?

 

[countrygirl]

how does it taste jani?
if u've racked to carboy, just let it keep going. if ur berries were in a bag, i think alot of the fermentation takes place INSIDE the berry, so u may not SEE alot of the action. if ur s.g. is lowering, it's still working. if it tastes ok, don't throw it out. just rack it, airlock it, and check the s.g. in a couple or 3 days and report back.

 

[janij]

Sweet

and slightly alcoholic. Not bad. Sorry I think I accosted the other guys thread. On Fri I was at 1.065, now 1.063 SG. I already took the blueberries out. Should I put it in a carboy with muslin on top/airlock or will that slow it more? Should I try adding some of the other fermenting wine hoping that will help? I have already used 2 pkgs of yeast. Is it just slow? When I added the second pkg I took like 2 c waited til it was going good, added 2 more, waited, added 4 c, waited etc. The blueberry just will not ferment as well as the others.

 

[TwinMaples]

Like someone else mentioned, I hope you have not used the potassium sorbate yet.

For future reference:
I've made blueberry wine for several years, and it does sometimes ferment slower than other wine. What I do to minimize that is to always use a vigorous yeast starter. The more yeastie friends you start with, the more likely you'll avoid a sluggish fermentation.

Good luck with your blueberry wine!

Jim

 

[countrygirl]

i need some more experience to chime in here, but could he have discarded his best yeasties when he took the berries in the bag out?

 

[mmadmikes1]

I have blueberry going right now and after the stuff kicked my butt last year, I did some changes. I used the bottom of my blackberry primary after rack blackberry to carboy. It is hard to stop an active fermentaion and that sucker was cooking. I kept the temp 75 and up to 79 the entire time. I stirred way more than normal to keep O2 to yeasties. I will try my air stones next year. The wine just finished at 995. Blueberry is a pain but not as bad as plumb