Re fermenting elderberry wine

jap1122334 · Mar 12, 2018

Hi All I have placed 2 Gallons of already fermented elderberry wine into a 25l container and added some summer fruits high juice and blackcurrent high juice and then topped up with water. 3.2kg sugar pectalace and yeast with some nutriant as well. After 4 days nothing no fermentation what am I doing wrong as far as getting the fermentation going again. Reason for doing this is my other half did not like the elderberry but loves high juice wines I just did not want to throw it away...

Nicks90 · Mar 12, 2018

Never heard of high juice before. Does it have preservatives and stabilisation additives?
If so, that might be why it's not gone off like a rocket.

BeerCat · Mar 12, 2018

The alcohol already present in the wine prevents re fermentation.

jap1122334 · Mar 13, 2018

BeerCat said:
The alcohol already present in the wine prevents re fermentation.

Right you are so then i think the whole mixture should go in the boiling pan then to remove alcohol and start again ? or would you advise other. I really do want to save the elderberry.

IainM · Mar 13, 2018

I would suggest getting a restarting yeast, Mangrove Jack SN9 is a good one. Then you can give it a head start by rehydrating it in 400ml or so of tepid water for 10 mins, with an occasional stir to make sure that the yeast it well wetted and starting to disperse, then stirring in a tsp of sugar and leaving it for another 5 mins. This way you will have added an alcohol tolerant yeast which has already awoken from dormancy and has its metabolism geared for fermentation.

VW911 · Mar 13, 2018

Easiest (Though drawn-out) way, is to make a starter, and add your wine to the starter, a little at a time, rather than add the starter to the wine.
You need to leave about a day between additions.
As said above, the alchol already present will prevent new yeast from working if added in one go...

jap1122334 · Mar 16, 2018

I decided to put my heater in and after a day it has started to glug, but speeding up now a steady 17seconds thanks for all the help I guess it just needed a little time and patience. :)