Plum Wine Not Fermenting

[drummer4gc]

Hi all,

I started a batch of plum wine according to this recipe last Friday:

https://eckraus.com/content/plumwine.pdf

I didn't pay any attention to it all week, and I just transferred it to a secondary carboy. Didn't see a whole lot of yeast activity when I popped it open, but there was some funk and foaming so I figured all was good. Very little yeast trub at the bottom of the bucket....I took a sample of the last drips from the transfer, which measured like 1.150ish on the hydrometer.

Doesn't look like any fermentation took place. Not sure why, but trying to figure out where to go from here. Can I just throw in a new packet of Montrachet and hope for the best, or is my juice potentially bad after sitting a week without fermentation? I'm hoping the campden may have kept it safe. Thoughts or ideas for next steps?

Thank you!

 

[Seamonkey84]

If it hasn’t started to mold, I’d re-pitch. Make sure to hydrate the yeast, and then step feed some of your must into the yeast. Or make a starter, maybe with some of that must but diluted down to 1.100 first. I know yeasts can handle it, but that’s still a pretty high gravity to try and get growing in if other things aren’t optimal.
You may have pitched before the Sulfites gassed out, but maybe check your ph and make sure it didn’t hinder the yeast.

 

[bernardsmith]

Let me assume that your gravity reading is correct and so that may very well be the source of your problem. Are you trying to distill this plum juice or ferment it? A gravity of 1.150 is close to a potential ABV of 20% . That's not wine territory. That's more like syrup and in fact most yeast will suffer from osmotic shock given that concentration of sugar in solution. That's a lot like you swigging down a couple of pints of olive oil after eating a few gallons of ice cream and wondering why you can't race up the stairs. A wine is around 10-14% ABV. Yeast can handle that kind of concentration. You are almost certainly killing the yeast. Of course 1.150 may be a typo. We gotta hope it is..

 

[Seamonkey84]

Let me assume that your gravity reading is correct and so that may very well be the source of your problem. Are you trying to distill this plum juice or ferment it? A gravity of 1.150 is close to a potential ABV of 20% . That's not wine territory. That's more like syrup and in fact most yeast will suffer from osmotic shock given that concentration of sugar in solution. That's a lot like you swigging down a couple of pints of olive oil after eating a few gallons of ice cream and wondering why you can't race up the stairs. A wine is around 10-14% ABV. Yeast can handle that kind of concentration. You are almost certainly killing the yeast. Of course 1.150 may be a typo. We gotta hope it is..

I’ve made a mead with the BOMM protocol, the recipe called for A starting gravity of 1.150 (finished at 1.030), but you need to degas daily and step feed nutrients. But I agree, he did mention that it had fermented “some”, so that would of been an even higher gravity at starting.

 

[drummer4gc]

Thanks all. 1.150 wasn't a typo, but it may not be accurate. I took a quick and dirty sample and thought I eyeballed it around there, but I was only looking to see if it had fermented or not, so it could be lower.

I have a new packet of yeast rehydrating now, so I just went to look at the must to make sure no mold started growing overnight. Figured I'd take a new sample, do some calculations to see about watering it down. Pic is below - looks like it's fermenting to me! Guess I'll wait it out and see what happens...