What if the homemade wine is not fermented? Even following the recipe with maximum accuracy does not guarantee that the homemade wine will ferment normally. There are situations when the process either does not start at all or suddenly stops after a couple of days. You should not panic - the situation in most cases is completely fixable. We will tell you why the wine refuses to ferment, and what measures must be taken in order to save the wort. Why didn't the homemade wine ferment?

The reasons why the wine has not fermented?

Fermentation lasts a short period of time

The wine should not be expected to ferment immediately after the water seal is installed. The yeast takes some time to activate. And depending on what raw materials are used, the ambient temperature, the type of yeast, and the percentage of sugar content, it can take up to three days before the process starts.

Solution

If all the conditions for making wine are met, you need to wait three to five days, and take action after this period.

There is no sealing

Beginners are often faced with this problem. If the container does not close tightly, then there will be no bubbles in the hydraulic seal (the glove will be deflated), since carbon dioxide leaves the container in a different way. It turns out that the wine continues to play, although this is not visible.

If we reduce the intensity of fermentation, and at the same time the pressure of carbon dioxide decreases, it can be dangerous for air to enter the container. The latter can lead to vinegar souring of the wine liquid, which can no longer be corrected. You can open the wine container, but only once or twice a day for a short period - for example, to remove foam or add an additional portion of sugar.

Solution

It is necessary to check the tightness of the fermentation bottles in the places where they are attached to the water seal. To make the connection more reliable, the joints should be covered with text or other adhesive of natural origin.

Inappropriate temperature

The most common reason why homemade wine is not fermented is temperature inconsistencies. The activity of wine yeast is manifested at a temperature of 10-30 degrees. In the cold, the fungi "dormant", and in the presence of an increased "degree of heat" - they die. For fermentation, the optimum temperature is 15-25 degrees. If the fermentation processes started at 20 degrees, it is necessary to maintain this temperature value. It is impossible to allow constant temperature changes, for example, during the day.

Solution

The temperature of the kitchen or basement must be checked. If its parameters do not correspond to the necessary ones, you need to move the bottle to a more suitable room. If the wine has been in a temperature regime above 30 degrees for a short time, it is imperative to add either wine leaven or a new portion of wine yeast.

Decreased or increased sugar content

The estimated percentage of sugar in the wort is 10 -20. In all other variants, the wine ferments weakly. If the sugar content is low, the yeast has no product to act on, so the process is inhibited. The increased concentration of sugar works as a preservative - as a result, the yeast stops working. The sugar content can be checked using a special measuring device - a hydrometer, or determined by taste. The wort may be sweet, but not sweet or sour.

A similar problem is the consistency of increased density, which can manifest itself when working with a fruit-berry type base. It does not lend itself well to mechanical filtration, and too thick wort can stop its fermentation.

Solution

It is necessary to determine the consistency as well as the sugar content of the wine base. If it is too thick or cloying in taste, it is necessary to dilute the wine base with water or sour juice. The liquid should be added no more than 15% of the original volume. In conditions of low sugar content, you need to pour sugar in the calculation of fifty - one hundred grams per liter of juice.

Poorly selected yeast

Recognized by amateur winemakers, wild yeast strains are characterized by increased instability: they can stop their work for no apparent reason.

Solution

In order for fermentation to resume, it is necessary to add high-quality raisins, wine yeast, as well as crushed unwashed grape berries or home-made sourdough to the base for wine. Grapes with raisins are best purchased in the markets - there is much less risk of treating berries with chemicals that kill yeast on the surface. The best option is to make a sourdough

Mold growth

Molds appear when the winemaker uses rotten wort material or poorly rinsed fermentation bottles. In order to prevent the fungus from contaminating the wort, everything must be thoroughly sterilized. In the initial stages, you can try to cure the mold by removing all films and pouring the wort through a sterile tube into another bottle. However, there is no guarantee that this will help you.

Accurate adherence to the recipe does not guarantee that homemade wine will ferment normally. There are situations when this process does not start or, after a few days, it suddenly stops. Do not panic, in most cases the situation is fixable. I will tell you why wine does not ferment and what you need to do to save the wort. The following options are possible:

1. Little time has passed. Do not expect the wine to gurgle immediately after installing the water seal. Yeast needs a certain time to activate. Depending on the temperature, the raw materials used, the sugar content and the type of yeast, it can take from several hours to 3 days before active fermentation begins.

Solution: if all the conditions for making wine are met, wait 3-4 days and only then draw conclusions.

2. No sealing. A problem often encountered by aspiring winemakers. If the container is not tightly closed, then there will be no bubbles in the water seal (the glove will not inflate), since carbon dioxide comes out in other ways. It turns out that the wine is playing, but this is not visible.

With a decrease in the intensity of fermentation, when the pressure of carbon dioxide drops, the current situation is dangerous for air entering the container, which leads to vinegar souring of the wine, which cannot be corrected. The bottle of wine can be opened, but only 1-2 times a day for a short time (up to 15 minutes), for example, to add a new portion of sugar or remove foam.

Solution: check the tightness of the fermentation tank at the points of its connection with the water seal (glove). For greater reliability, cover the joints with dough or other natural adhesive.

3. Unsuitable temperature. The most common reason wine stops fermenting. Wine yeast is active at 10-30 ° C. In the cold they "fall asleep", and at higher temperatures they die. The recommended temperature for fermentation is 15-25 ° C. It is very important to avoid even small drops. If the wine begins to ferment at 20 ° C, this value must be maintained. It is unacceptable when the temperature is constantly changing, for example, day and night.

Solution: check the room temperature. If it does not meet the recommended parameters, move the container to a more suitable place. If even for a short time the wort has been at a temperature above 30 ° C, either a new portion of special yeast (not alcoholic yeast !!!) follows.

4. Low or high sugar content. The optimal sugar content in the wort is 10-20%, in all other cases the wine ferments poorly. With a low sugar content, the yeast has no product to process, so it stops. At a very high concentration, sugar becomes a preservative that stops the yeast from working.

Another similar problem is too thick consistency that appears when working with fruit and berry raw materials (mountain ash, bird cherry, currant, etc.), which is difficult to mechanically filter. Thick wine may not ferment.

Procedure: Check sugar content and consistency. If the wort is cloying or very thick, dilute it with water (sour juice), adding no more than 15% of the original volume. With a low sugar content, add sugar at the rate of 50-100 grams per liter of juice.

5. Bad yeast. Wild yeast strains used by the vast majority of amateur winemakers are characterized by their instability and can stop working at any time, even for no apparent reason.

Actions: to resume fermentation, add to the wort of your choice: home-made sourdough, store-bought wine yeast, unwashed crushed grapes (5-6 berries per 10 liters) or high-quality raisins (20-30 grams per 5 liters). I advise you to buy raisins and grapes on the market, there they are less treated with chemicals that kill all the yeast on the surface. The best option is to make a sourdough.

6. Mold. Appears in the case of using rotten (moldy) wine material or poorly washed fermentation tanks, hands and other devices. Therefore, it is very important to sterilize everything so as not to infect the wort with fungi. In the initial stages, you can try to cure the mold in wine by removing the film and draining the wine into another container through a straw. But there is no guarantee that this will help.

Solution: pour out the spoiled wort, take into account mistakes and do not repeat them in the future.

7. Lack of nitrogenous elements. For normal reproduction and vital activity, wine yeast needs nitrogen compounds. Usually, the necessary trace elements are present in the juice in the right amounts. Problems arise if juice is highly diluted with water and / or sugar to reduce acidity.

With a lack of nitrogen for the first few days, fermentation is active, then it slows down for no apparent reason (temperature, sugar and alcohol content are normal).

The problem is typical for homemade wines made from cranberries, blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries, wine drinks made from flowers and vegetables, or in the case of very acidic raw materials, highly diluted with water and sugar. Commercial wine yeast usually comes with the right micronutrients. Beverages based on sourdough and wild wine yeast are fed.

8. End of fermentation. At an alcohol concentration of 10-14%, wine yeast dies. It is impossible to obtain a stronger wine by the method of natural fermentation; alcohol is added to the drink to increase the degree.

In most cases, homemade wine ferments for 14-35 days, then this process gradually stops. A sediment appears at the bottom of the container, the wine is clarified, and the water seal does not let bubbles (the glove is deflated).

Actions: go to the next stage - filter the wine and put it to maturation. The ultimate goal has been achieved.

So, we pressed the pulp of red grapes or removed the fermenting white must from the coarse sediment, and got a wine material, your future homemade wine, containing about 1/3 of the initial sugar content. Someone calls it young wine, but I believe that the wort becomes it after the end of the stage of quiet fermentation.

Silent fermentation vessels

Where does secondary fermentation take place at home? Most often these are 10 or 20 liter glass bottles or 19 liter plastic drinking water bottles. Some winemakers use barrels or other vessels. The main requirement for them: they must either be filled almost to capacity, or have a floating lid, which makes it possible to minimize the air gap between the wine and the shutter, since at this stage contact with air is already undesirable for the wort.

I recommend using transparent vessels: they clearly show a layer of the formed sediment of solid particles and dead yeast, which greatly facilitates subsequent transfusions. See for yourself: after the wine has fermented in a bottle for a month, you decide to strain or pour it, without touching the sediment, into a clean bottle. You can clearly see the layer of sediment at the bottom and take measures not to accidentally touch it during the pouring process. In an opaque container, this will be much more difficult. It is necessary to arrange a drain valve at a certain height above the bottom, or else somehow contrive when overflowing.

Try the wort - just to find out how it tastes. The taste will be terrible, I guarantee it. 🙂 Even great wines later at this stage are “sht and gidota” - the must is saturated with yeast, living and dead, full of all sorts of fresh volatile components formed during the fermentation process, possibly “seasoned” with all the delights of YAMB tastes and aromas. Still, a winemaker must know and understand the tastes of must and wine at all stages of its creation. Young wine is like a child, clumsy and unsympathetic at the very beginning, but then developing into a beautiful creation.

Using air blockers

The 19 liter bottle is familiar to everyone. This is what I use. I am sure that in a couple of months the wine will not pick up any harmful components from food-grade plastic. It is also important that they are much easier to work with than with 20-liter glass bottles due to the large dead weight of glass bottles and the danger of breaking them. So if you have a friend who spills drinking water, it's time to reap the benefits of your friendship. I don't have such a friend, and I negotiated with the courier of the company that brought water to our office. It is always possible to purchase from them "at a reduced price" a small number of such cylinders.
Since it is very important from this point on to prevent air from entering the wort, the neck of the bottle is plugged with a plug in which the hole is drilled. An air blocker, or shutter, is inserted into this hole, allowing carbon dioxide and other gases formed during fermentation to freely exit the cylinder with future homemade wine, and does not allow air to enter the cylinder from the outside. There are many types of air blockers. The most common ones are shown in the figures below:

My favorite type (for aesthetic reasons) is the single glass blocker. But, since this model is not the cheapest and rather fragile, I use a single plastic blocker more.
Top up the balloon up to the "shoulders", that is, to the point where the balloon begins to taper in the neck, so that there is enough space for the foam. Never allow foam to rise to the level of the blocker or get inside. Foam can spill over the blocker onto the floor, immediately attracting clouds of insects, and of course causing mold growth. If the wine does not release gas through the blocker, clean and replace the blocker, and pour some wine from the bottle.

Quiet fermentation should take place in a room with a relatively low temperature - from 16 to 21 ° C. Try to keep the container with fermenting wort as far as possible from the direct effect of cold, drafts. At this time of the year, as a rule, it is already late autumn.

When quiet fermentation is complete, the empty space in the can forms a slight vacuum that pulls the disinfectant solution towards the can. This is a signal of the end of fermentation. Do not let the air blocker work the other way around, drawing air (and droplets of solution as well) back into the wine. To prevent this, you should carefully monitor the progress of the secondary fermentation. Over time - this can take from several days to a month or two - the number of bubbles will decrease from many per minute to several per day. A few days after that, when the formation of gas bubbles stops altogether, drain the wine - yes, yes, this is already young wine! - with a hose (this process is also called "removal from sediment" or "decantation") into a clean bottle and seal it with an air blocker, which must be thoroughly rinsed and filled with a fresh pyrosulfite solution. This time the wine should be poured into a bottle, a couple of centimeters short of the bottom edge of the cork. Thus, only the minimum volume of air remains in the cylinder. Some of the gases dissolved in the wine will come out, the air blocker will release several bubbles. Then everything will calm down, and it will be possible to put the wine on aging.

Instead of a blocker, many winemakers use medical gloves with punctured fingers to escape gases. It is possible, of course, and so, but I do not like it: it is impossible to accurately follow the stages of the fermentation process, and it is unaesthetic. Buying blockers today is not a problem. But if you still don't find it, do this: insert a flexible tube (for example, from a medical dropper) into the bottle cap and lower its end into a glass of water. The glass can be placed next to the bottle, or you can tape it to it: it will be more convenient to move it this way.

First removal from the sediment

You need to sulfite your homemade wine a little during the first decantation after fermentation, since the sulfur added by us when crushing grapes has already partly bound in chemical reactions, and partly evaporated along with carbon dioxide during fermentation. Some winemakers add large amounts of sulfite to wine the first time it is decanted. Some don't add it at all. If you have added the minimum amount that I recommended in previous articles, you can add more
25 mg of sulfur per liter, this is about 1 g of pyrosulfite per bottle of 19 ... 20 liters. This makes the wine more transparent and preserves it, especially those wines that are sent to the cellar for storage and aging.

Since the length of the secondary fermentation period and the settling of a clearly visible layer of sediment can vary from one to ten weeks, it is difficult to formulate any clear time frame for the first expression. Suffice it to say that the first expression should be done when all the sugar is fermented into alcohol and gas formation has completely stopped. Almost always, with rare exceptions, this happens already at the end of November-December.
After the first decantation, the amount of wine will be reduced by the amount of sediment that you separate. I have found that, as a rule, from three cylinders of unfilled wine, filled to the "shoulders", you get two full cylinders of finished wine. If you need more wine to top up the bottle, use the same variety, store-bought or good homemade wine. The wine to be topped up must be of the same quality as the wine you are topping up! To express wine, you must have spare bottles on hand. You only need one spare bottle if you immediately wash the first bottle you just emptied and use it to drain the second. A couple of spare bottles are always very handy, and I can afford to wash the used cylinders when I have free time, at the end of the whole process, and not rush from side to side in the process of removing the sediment.

It often happens that when you fill a bottle, there is too little wine left to fill a whole bottle with it. This is where 6 liter bottles will come in handy, in which they sell mineral water. Also keep a few 2- and 1.5-liter mineral water bottles on the farm. The wine should be bottled without any residue under the caps. What else are mineral water bottles good for - if 200 ... 300 ml of wine is not enough to fill it under the neck, you can simply squeeze it, letting out excess air, and twist it. Such small vessels are good for refilling larger containers: bottles or barrels, about the use of which we will talk about when aging wine. In no case should you leave the container with fully fermented wine not fully poured, otherwise the wine will deteriorate.

On this, on the first removal from the sediment, we finished with the fermentation process, the formation of our young homemade wine from the grape must. Now he has to go from the stage of childhood and adolescence to the stage of maturity - to go through the process of endurance. We will talk about it in the next article. Until then, you already have enough information to welcome the start of the wine season! 🙂

04.09.2018

Only ripe and healthy berries are selected for wine. The winemaker kneads them. Next, yeast is taken to work. The aromatic drink is the fruit of their labor. However, a number of factors can prevent them. Learning about them means identifying the reason why the wine stopped fermenting. But first, let's find out how to notice this. How to tell if yeast is working

Knowing the following four stages will help control fermentation:

• Fungi have just got into the wort - winemakers call it unprocessed juice - or pulp, in other words, crushed berries along with skins and seeds. Therefore, they adapt and swell.
• Microorganisms multiply intensively and fill the wine material.
• A detachment of yeast cells absorbs carbohydrates and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. On the surface of the wort, there are many bubbles in the form of a cap.
• The mushrooms ate all the sugar. Then they pass into the lower layers of the mass. There are fewer and fewer active mushrooms. During this time, the taste of the wine is formed. The end of fermentation is indicated by the falling off of the foam cap on the surface of the pulp.

• Bubble formation in the water seal. This is how the carbon dioxide leaves the fermentation tank, or fermenter. Let us remind you that it is emitted by yeast along with alcohol.
• Reducing the size of raw wine. This suggests that fermentation was successful and the sugar was processed into alcohol.

Thus, the yeast is not immediately taken to work and retains its activity for a long time. The whole process can take at least a couple of months. If the wine stopped fermenting early, this is a cause for concern: the sugar remained - the alcohol was not formed. And that's why.

Temperature not comfortable for yeast Wine yeast is active only at a certain temperature. The comfortable range for them is 15-25 °. Sudden changes in heating and cooling are bad for the wort. If fermentation has stopped, the reason may be one of the following:

• The mushrooms fell asleep due to the temperature below 10 °.
• The cells died due to heating above 30 °.

So, the wine has stopped fermenting due to the extreme temperature for yeast, now what to do? Putting the fermentation tank in a warmer room will help you get out of sleep. And if the strains are dead, add a new batch of yeast and place in a less hot place.

Wine material properties

Mushrooms will lose activity with the following features of the pulp:

• little sugar. Because of this, the cells have nothing to feed on. No alcohol is produced. The addition of sugar in small equal portions will correct the situation. You need to repeat this every couple of days;
• high sugar ratio preserves raw materials. Fermentation becomes impossible. Dilution with water in a ratio of up to 15% of the wort volume will help;
• wine is a material that is difficult to filter out, too tough for the teeth and yeast. In this case, water or juice will help make the mass thinner.

The sugar concentration is measured.

Ideal rates are 10-20%.

The wrong kind of yeast

Mushrooms live on the surface of apples, grapes, currants and other berries. They can be recognized by their whitish coating. They are considered wild and have the following disadvantages:

• unpredictability. They can absorb little sugar and produce little or no alcohol. It is impossible to determine the taste, strength of the future drink;
• combination of several strains. They can compete with each other and inhibit fermentation. If lactic acid mushrooms get into the wort, they will turn it into vinegar;
• time for preparation of the starter culture - 3 days or more;
• can generate a lot of foam.

If the wine stopped fermenting earlier due to weak yeast, introduce special wine strains. They will suppress the effect of lactic acid yeast and resume the production of alcohol. They are usually sold as dry powder. You need to activate the mushrooms in the following order:

• heat water to 30 °;
• pour boiling water over a container for breeding yeast;
• dissolve dextrose in a proportion of 50 g per 1 liter of water;
• gently pour in the yeast and at the same time stir constantly. This will prevent clumps from forming. Choose the concentration 1:10;
• leave for 30 minutes at room temperature;
• pour into and mix.

Mold spread

The defeat of disease-causing fungi also becomes the reason why the wine stopped fermenting. The reason is neglect of hygiene rules. At the stage of berry selection, it is important not to miss spoiled specimens. And when preparing the fermenter, do not forget to disinfect it with boiling water, steam or a specialized agent.

"Moonshine B-12" was developed for disinfection of glassware used in winemaking, "". It should be dissolved in a ratio of 1/10 in water and sprayed on the container. After 3 minutes, rinse off under running water. This will disinfect the tank and prevent the appearance of harmful microorganisms.

Air access to raw materials

Carbon dioxide should be free to escape to the outside. Otherwise, the tank will explode. But free access of air will lead to an irreversible change in the properties of the wine mass. It will become vinegar.

A water seal will help to resume fermentation. This device is a valve for removing carbon dioxide. However, it creates a water barrier to the air. This protects the wash from harmful bacteria.

How to choose wine yeast

Modern winemakers prefer store-bought yeast. They are taken out in the laboratory. With these strains, the raw material ferments slowly with a moderate amount of foam.

Yeast differs depending on the type of wine, resistance to high levels of alcohol, acid, extreme temperatures for mushrooms. Therefore, first it is important to decide what kind of wine you will make and from what berries.

For example, if cherry wine has stopped fermenting, you can buy it. Apple raw materials can be processed by strains and acids. obtained with the help of mushrooms of the appropriate variety.

Thus, when the wine has stopped fermenting, it is important to first determine the cause. If the wort has become vinegar, then there is no help here. But next time you will have a chance to work on the mistakes.

Stopped or stuck fermentation is a real problem in winemaking that even the most experienced winemakers face. There is almost always a solution. So, in this article we will figure out why homemade wine has stopped fermenting, why it can ferment badly, and also what to do with it.

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