Newb mistake and stalled fermentation

[creekbottom]

Ok, this is our first batch of wine from scratch. Raspberry from our own gardens. We followed a recipe and everything was going great. Except the recipe said to let if ferment for 5 days, we went a week to be sure and then transferred it into the carboy. MISTAKE. We didn't let it ferment long enough and so it's really sweet still and only about 5%. Guy at the wine store advised to add more yeast and finish the fermentation. Jump to last night, we sterilized everything and put it all back into the primary fermenter, activated the yeast and added it. Today, it looks like nothing is happening.

Do we need to wait longer? What else did we do wrong?

SG 1.135

 

[Tnuscan]

What was your starting SG?

 

[richmke]

Jump to last night, we sterilized everything and put it all back into the primary fermenter, activated the yeast and added it. Today, it looks like nothing is happening.

Pitched last night, and nothing today? ... Pretty normal.

Even a new batch of juice can take 24-48 hours before seeing anything.

If nothing in 48 hours, next time try making a yeast slurry - where you take your yeast, and let it grow in progressively larger jars of juice. Then pitch it.

In any case, 1 would try to think why it was really slow fermenting during that week.

 

[topper9520]

Do not add any more yeast , what is the temp that you are fermenting in and what type of vessel are you fermenting in?

 

[topper9520]

What was brix after you crushed

 

[user 32114]

If you sterilized with k meta you need to let it air for 24hr, what was your starting SG, and to restart I'd use either EC-1118 or K1V-1116 as my yeast,
Dawg

Ok, this is our first batch of wine from scratch. Raspberry from our own gardens. We followed a recipe and everything was going great. Except the recipe said to let if ferment for 5 days, we went a week to be sure and then transferred it into the carboy. MISTAKE. We didn't let it ferment long enough and so it's really sweet still and only about 5%. Guy at the wine store advised to add more yeast and finish the fermentation. Jump to last night, we sterilized everything and put it all back into the primary fermenter, activated the yeast and added it. Today, it looks like nothing is happening.

Do we need to wait longer? What else did we do wrong?

SG 1.135

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi creekbottom - and welcome.
When you add a second pack of yeast after fermentation has been taking place you are throwing the yeast into a pond of low pH and high alcohol liquid and asking them to begin as if there is no alcohol in the liquor and the pH is typically higher. At best this produces a shock to the cells of the yeast and it takes them a while to adjust themselves to this rather hostile environment. Indeed, one of the things that yeast need is O2 and at this stage I would bet that there is none in the liquid. You may then want to help the yeast by whipping air into the liquid - Ignore any fear of oxidation: the yeast cells will immediately assimilate any O2 that you incorporate into this liquor long before the air will bind with any fruit.
If you have some yeast nutrient I would add some also. Given what you suggest was your starting gravity and given the ABV you suggest the wine is at now I am a little surprised that you racked the wine and did not see an enormous amount of activity in the airlock (I assume that you had affixed an airlock- but it is always (IMO) better to use a bucket as your primary and the activity you can see is in the foam and bubbles produced by the yeast in the liquid itself)... and I am very surprised that even after racking there was not enough yeast to continue fermenting. It is possible that your fermentation has stalled (perhaps because of lack of oxygen or lack of nutrients or the pH is too low). If it has stalled then simply adding more yeast may not achieve the result you are looking for. But let's wait and see. Bottom line: aerate, add nutrient and give it a day or so.

 

[creekbottom]

Update - I added some yeast nutrient and things have started up again!!!