pomegranate wine won't ferment

Spar · 01-04-2009, 03:42 AM

I made a wort (can you say that for wines?) of pomegranate wine using 15% fresh squeezed fruit and Trader Joe's pure juice for the remainder. A fair amount of rind made it into the juice--yech! Used Campden tablets according to instructions. Pitched yeast (forget what kind--it was labelled "for fruit wines") and..nothing. 48 hours later pitched a second batch of the same yeast after starting it in warm sugar water. It fermented in the starter, but did nothing once added to the primary.

I'm thinking of trying again with champagne yeast. Any ideas on how to salvage this project? Or what I might have done wrong?

**Nurmey** · 01-04-2009, 03:44 AM

Welcome to HBT!

How do you know it's not fermenting? Have you taken a hydrometer reading? Lots of wines just kind of sit there and look like they're doing nothing.

enderwig · 01-04-2009, 03:52 AM

Did your juice have any preservatives in it?

Spar · 01-04-2009, 04:15 AM

Nurmey--I did not record the hydrometer value. Doh! I'm used to ales which really froth. I see no bubbles in the carboy, and there is no gas passing through the air trap.

enderwig--As far as preservatives, I've unfortunately recycled the juice bottles. The product is called "Just Pomegranate Juice" and is labelled as "All Natural Pasteurized." Acouple of years ago my wife made some very good pom wine using the same juice.

**Yooper** · 01-04-2009, 02:21 PM

Check the SG now, and see where you are. It might be going, but it might not be. I'd see if I could find the containers at the store and read the ingredients- maybe they add preservatives now.

**Nurmey** · 01-04-2009, 02:54 PM

This is certainly a puzzle. If it was the R.J. Knudsen Family juice, the ingredients are listed: POMEGRANATE JUICE. R.W. Knudsen Family® - Just Pomegranate

I can only think of a few possibilities:
- you have a leak causing your airlock to not move
- it fermented so fast, you missed it
- really long lag time with your yeast

Is straight pomegranate juice really acidic?

Spar · 01-04-2009, 08:26 PM

Thanks everyone for all the interest:

--Specific gravity (today) is 1.101

--pH is 6.8 (I used 10 tsp citric-malic-tartaric acid blend)

--The juice vendor (Trader Joe's) asserts that there are NO preservatives in the product.

There is a remote chance the yeast nutrient was contaminated with sorbistat-K, a possibility my wife denies, somewhat defensively(!)

I should probably clarify the recipe included acid blend and yeast nutrient. After 4 days I placed the wine in a glass carboy with air lock. This was about 2 weeks ago. We keep the room in the mid to high 60s °F. When I unstoppered the carboy today there was no yeast smell, only fruit.

I'm still thinking of trying champagne yeast and more yeast nutrient. Any thoughts?

Steve

**Yooper** · 01-04-2009, 08:32 PM

I would suggest getting more yeast in there, that's for sure. The ph seems high for a pomegranite must, especially with acid blend, but that won't stop it from fermenting.

Maybe do a yeast starter this time with your yeast. What I would suggest is rehydrating the yeast, and then add a bit of your must, diluted with some water. When that's foamy, add some more diluted must. Keep doing that until it's going well, and then start adding less diluted must. When you can add straight must, then add the whole starter into your must. (This whole process might take 2 days or so).

Spar · 01-04-2009, 11:00 PM

I'm on it. Using Lalvin EC-1118, for whatever that's worth.

**nebben** · 01-05-2009, 07:06 AM

Ditto on the starter. EC-1118 is pretty tough stuff...hydrate it first, then start adding diluted amounts of the must to it....after a day or two, and additional amounts of must in the starter, it should be rockin'. What recipe are you using? How many campden tablets did you put in? Also, how big of a batch is this (10 tsp acid blend)?