Stalled Fermentation Wine Kit - under diluted must concentrate

[mpdeem]

Got a Fontana Pinot Grigio wine kit as a present, Being new to winemaking and wine kits, I did not dilute the grape must concentrate. Just put in a carboy and pitched in yeast that came with kit. Silly me missed the explicite instructions to first dilute grape must with 3 liters of water - duh.

Two weeks later brix and gravity barely budged. Added more yeast, this time using 1118 Eparnay yeast (what I had on hand) prepped with a little Fermaid K yeast. Following 2 weeks brix and gravity dropped a little but not much before fermentation stalled again.

Re-read instructions and discovered my error in not adding water to grape must concentrate.

Added 2.5 liters of water - probably not enough as must was in divided among several carboys and a few smaller containers - so erred on the side of caution. Added more 1118 yeast prepped with more Fermaid K.

Following week brix and gravity are starting to slowly decrease but overall must still appears to be too concetrated. Tastes like sweet syrup concetrate. A few of the smaller containers are fermenting at a slightly faster pace but not yet even halfway done but they taste more wine like albeit like sweet fizzy wine. There is a distinct Pinot Grigo spice note and overall flavor profile resembles pinot grigio but in a fizzy dessert wine style.
Should I add more water? Again diffrent wine is in several carboys of varying size (all I had on hand at the time) plus a few pint sized containers. Kit instructions call for addition of three liters of water - have added 2.5 thus far but probably not equally distributed due to varying container sizes. My largest carboy 1 gallon is stalled and looks/tastes super concentrated sweetsyrup.

Should I add more yeast? If so, should I prep with more Fermaid K? When shaken there is sign of yeast activity in that wine fizzes..so maybe be that either more yeast and/or nutrients are needed.
All suggestions and tips welcome

 

[sour_grapes]

Do you have a hydrometer? This is a very cheap device that measures the specific gravity (SG) of your must. It is really a non-negotiable tool to have for winemaking. It can help you determine if any of your carboys are truly stalled or just fermenting slowly.

FWIW, during fermentation, all wine tastes fizzy and sweet. At some point, it will taste like a grape Nehi soda pop!

 

[mpdeem]

Do you have a hydrometer? This is a very cheap device that measures the specific gravity (SG) of your must. It is really a non-negotiable tool to have for winemaking. It can help you determine if any of your carboys are truly stalled or just fermenting slowly.

FWIW, during fermentation, all wine tastes fizzy and sweet. At some point, it will taste like a grape Nehi soda pop!

Yes I have a hydrometer and have been testing brix and gravity. Also have a PH meter, have been monitering PH.

I do not however, have the ability to measure TA or sulfites.

Thanks for your fermentation tasting notes. Assumed fiziness might have been as much due to addition of 1118 yeast

 

[HMH]

Yes I have a hydrometer and have been testing brix and gravity. Also have a PH meter, have been monitering PH.

I do not however, have the ability to measure TA or sulfites.

Thanks for your fermentation tasting notes. Assumed fiziness might have been as much due to addition of 1118 yeast

The question, "do you have a hydrometer" is a general question. It would help everyone to let us know what the gravity reading.

 

[winemaker81]

This your first kit and things are not quite working as expected. Don't feel bad -- if this is the worst problem you ever have, you're doing quite well!

Fermenting in a closed container is both counter-productive and an exercise in masochism. It's counter-productive because wine yeast needs O2 for reproduction, which is limited in a closed container. It's masochistic because working in a tight throated container is painful. You're making more work for yourself.

Ferment in an open container. If you have a Home Depot near you, the 5 gallon orange buckets are food grade. They work fine for small batches. If you're making a 23 liter kit, get a purpose made 7.9 gallon fermenter. If you move on to larger batches, Rubbermaid Brute trash cans are food grade -- I use 20 and 32 gallon for large batches. Note that I purchased these new for the purpose -- they have NEVER contained garbage.

I suggest you get a primary fermenter, then pour all your containers into it, stir well to mix, then check the SG. Cover with a towel and stir it daily.

Following are a couple of posts that will take 10 minutes each to read, and will give you some background on what you're doing.

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/whats-in-a-wine-kit/

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/basic-winemaking-process/

 

[mpdeem]

The question, "do you have a hydrometer" is a general question. It would help everyone to let us know what the gravity reading.

Sorry - my bad.

Large carboy - Gravity is 1.170 Brix is 35. Initial values were even high/off scale - must barely reaching top of hydrometer bulb.

Smaller containers - gravity ranges from 1.085-1.095 Brix 20-25

 

[winemaker81]

Sorry - my bad.

Large carboy - Gravity is 1.170 Brix is 35. Initial values were even high/off scale - must barely reaching top of hydrometer bulb.

Smaller containers - gravity ranges from 1.085-1.095 Brix 20-25

The large one is unlikely to ferment -- too much sugar. Blend them all and check SG.