Wine Not Fermenting Fast Enough

[Radobrewer]

Beer guy here trying to expand to winemaking. My Pinot Grigio kit has only gone from 1.096 to 1.075 in 8 days. I'll admit I haven't been good about stirring it daily as the kit instructions advised. It's been kept at about 72 degrees. Should I re-pitch another packet of 1118? Maybe make a starter? I'm supposed to add yeast nutrient when it gets down to 1.040 - 1.050. Should I do that now to help it out? Thanks in advance for helping a wine noob!

 

[jgmillr1]

That's just dragging along. I would add another packet of the yeast. Be sure to hydrate it properly though. This means let the 5gm of yeast rehydrate in 50ml of 100'F water, wait for like 15min then add 50ml of the kit juice, and wait for another 10min then add 100ml more juice. Wait a final 10min. By this time it should be used to the juice environment and at the same temp, so you are safe to pitch it in.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Radobrewer, Finding a solution to what appears to be a slow fermentation is one thing but identifying the root of the problem would seem to me to be at least as important. If you plan on pitching more yeast does that suggest that you think that you may have done something to make the yeast you pitched less than viable? Is the problem in the must (now the wine)? Did you rehydrate properly? Did you pitch the yeast while there was too large a difference between the temperature of the yeast and the temperature of the must (10 degrees, I think, is the maximum difference that can exist before this can affect yeast viability? Could the wine be too acidic? too cold? Could the concentration of sugars be too high?

 

[Radobrewer]

Hi Radobrewer, Finding a solution to what appears to be a slow fermentation is one thing but identifying the root of the problem would seem to me to be at least as important. If you plan on pitching more yeast does that suggest that you think that you may have done something to make the yeast you pitched less than viable? Is the problem in the must (now the wine)? Did you rehydrate properly? Did you pitch the yeast while there was too large a difference between the temperature of the yeast and the temperature of the must (10 degrees, I think, is the maximum difference that can exist before this can affect yeast viability? Could the wine be too acidic? too cold? Could the concentration of sugars be too high?

I didn't re-hydrate my yeast at all- just poured it over the must. I assume this was my problem.

 

[Radobrewer]

I didn't re-hydrate my yeast at all- just poured it over the must. I assume this was my problem.

I also discovered a crack along the lid of my fermenting bucket. Sealed that up, re-pitched and it's bubbling away.

 

[bernardsmith]

And so you discovered for yourself why counting bubbles is neither a reliable nor a meaningful method of determining whether a fermentation has begun, is continuing appropriately , or has ended where it should...