wine will not quit working

[Badhibit]

I am sort of new at wine making. I started last year. I grow my own grapes. Some are started from cuttings from my Grandfathers OLD stock. I started them in 2000. In 2001 I made my first batch. Sort of

. One 5 gal batch to sweet. (syrup) Second to dry. This year 2006. I made 21 gal. I have bottled all except 6 gal. It will not quit working? I set it up in Sept. 2006. I added potassium sorbate. It quit. I added super-Kleer. It started working again? And getting darker. It is a red wine. Whats up!!!!!

 

[Bert]

Need a little more information....What was your starting specific gravity??? what was your ending S.G.???? What kind yeast did you use ??? What kind of Temps. did you ferment at??? Answers to these questions might help us come up with some answers to your problem....And good luck on your vinyard... And welcome to the forum..

 

[Angell Wine]

MLF maybe ?

From Jack Keller :
<DT>Malolactic Fermentation:
<DD>MLF for short, this is a bacterial fermentation which can occur after yeast fermentation winds down or finishes. The bacterium Bacillus gracile converts malic acid into lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Lactic acid is much less harsh than malic and thereby softens and smooths the wine, but the wine also is endowed with a cleaner, fresher taste. In addition, diacetyl (or biacetyl) is produced as a byproduct, which resembles the smell of heated butter and adds complexity to wine. MLF is a positive event in some cases and has a downside in others--the fruitiness of wines undergoing MLF is diminished and sometimes off-odors can result. To ensure MLF, the wine should not be heavily sulfited and it should be inoculated with an MLF culture. If MLF occurs after bottling, it produces a slightly carbonated wine which may or may not be appreciated. </DD>

 

[grapeman]

Welcome here Bad. It might also help to know the variety of grapes, and acid content if you have it. What is going on could be a malolactic ferment, which could be a good thing if the TA(total acid) was high. It happens sometimes on its own and quite often with red wine is started intentionaly to smooth the wine out. Just be patien, don't bottle too soon and everything will be fine.

 

[Badhibit]

Hollo, And I thank You all for the answers. Bert, The starting gravity was1.040, I added 3# of sugar in syrup form. Which brought the gravity up to 1.070.After fermenting, maybe a week.was.990. Then I added 3# more to sweeten it.I used LALVIN, EC-1118 yeast. I have maybe 5 different grapes. Concord, California vinifera that I ordered in 2000, They said they would not grow in WV. Freeze easy from cold weather in the spring. But do real well if I get them through spring freeze. I also have two Eroupean stock that was brought to this country in the 1700 &amp; 1800 that I do not know what they are. One is a red grape that is so sour that you cannot eat them. But make great jelly. That leaves a real good taste for a hour after eating it. Some of the grapes i`m stating I just picked up, where people pruned theres. Put a little rooting hormone on the end stick them in the ground below a knot. And watch them grow. I have 160 acres of mountain side here.
The gas makes sense. If I leave it, Will the gas work its self off. I just got into wine making. I live in the mountains of West Virginia. The soil is quit acidy. The first grapes that I had. I took some cuttings from my Grandfathers OLD stock and stuck them in the ground in a garden refuse pile. And they took off. Agin thank You. Buddy

 

[Bert]

If I understand you correctly, after fermention you added 3# of sugar to sweeten....Did you add Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulphite to keep your wine from refermenting???


Sounds like you are off to a good start on your vinyard....I would love to do something like that some day..

 

[Badhibit]

Thanks appleman. What you say makes sense. I will let it go for a while. What about putting it in another carboy? Do you make apple wine. I have golden delicous, and rome apples I would like to try? Here on the farm, I have blueberrys,blackberrys, plum trees. Pear and wild elderberry and peach trees. I want to try. I gave away 15 gal Xmas. Now people want to buy my wine. I`m a retired truck driver. All I do is hunt &amp; fish and farm a LITTLE.

Maybe 5 acres out of 160.

 

[Badhibit]

just sorbate Bert. And the next day ithad quit working I added my super-kleer. About 3 days later I went to bottle it, and it was bubbling again.

 

[Badhibit]

No Bert, I added 3# of sugar to bring up the gr to 1.070 to ferment. Then added #3 more to sweeten it. Then it worked again. Then I added the pottasium sorbate. and the wine is sour again. I hope i`m making sense. I`m new. I have ascorbic acid, What will it do? I started making the wine from a book 50 years old. I had 21 gal. The other 15 gal. no problems. But I buy my tools from fine vine wines. No where here to buy, and ask questions.

 

[Bert]

If I understand it right , you need to put sorbate and metabisulphite in the wine to keep from getting refermention... they don't stop fermention , but keep it from starting again.

 

[Wade E]

Hey badhabit. We need to let this stop fermenting by waiting till it
gets down as far as it will go at this point. We need to make sure it
is stopped by checking with a hydrometer like 3 or 4 days in a row to
make sure its just not going down very slowly. Then we need to add
potassium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate at the same time as
these need to be together to work correctly.

 

[Badhibit]

Wade, I thank You for the info. I think I have enough info to fix it now. I`ll let you know how it comes out. I thank all for the help. Badhabit

 

[scotty]

The sorbate and sulfates must be added before the back sweetning.

 

[Badhibit]

Thanks, I now think I may not have added enough sorbate, from what I read. I hooked a wooden spoon to a drill. It seems to be working some. Like, stirring the heck out of the wine. I try to use as less additives as possible. No water, except to melt sugar. I have some wine from the year 2000, 2001. Had hard freeze 2 years in a row 03, 04. Going to try a kit too. I need more equip. also. I already have money in the project. I just want to make the BEST wine. 9 degrees ice, snow, 29mph wind here in WV. Have a nice day. Badhabit

 

[geocorn]

When adding sorbate, ALLWAYSadd sulfites at the same time; otherwise, you can start a maloactic fermentation. If you have a malo going, the best thing to do is let it finish on its own. You may have to show some real patience for this batch.

 

[PeterZ]

I think it is also necessary to rack before sweetening. Sulfite and sorbate don not kill yeast and bacteria in the doses we use. They just prevent them from reproducing. If there is already a large culture in place, adding more sugar will bring them back to life.

I am only hypothesizing here. I have never back-sweetened a wine.

 

[scotty]

I think it is also necessary to rack before sweetening. Sulfite and sorbate don not kill yeast and bacteria in the doses we use. They just prevent them from reproducing. If there is already a large culture in place, adding more sugar will bring them back to life.

I am only hypothesizing here. I have never back-sweetened a wine.

Ive resurected the fermentation already because i did not follow the correct proceedure

. I like a 2% back sweetening.Edited by: scotty

 

[Badhibit]

Hello All, And thanks for the HELP. With ALL the answers I now know where I messed up. I guess I`ll try to nurse it along for a while. Maybe it will make my best. I just hate to lose 6 gal. Last year I had to through out 5 gal. because I had let it work to long in to hot a place. I will let you know how it turns out. I have already been accused of having wine where the alcohol content is illegal.

 

[Badhibit]

also I forgot to tell you`ll. I grew a culture to make the 6 gal. batch. I had about 1/2 qt. canning jar. made it from 1 packet of yeast &amp; juice and a little warm water. Hot enough to warm it. I didn`t know how much to add. So I poured it all on my mush in a 10 gal. crock? Like I have said I didn`t want any water in it. Even thou I have a real good spring here on the place. Badhabit