Sulphur Dioxide preventing fermentation?

[caitlintilt]

Today I began trying to make a wine with elderflower cordial and white grape concentrate, the yeast appears to have died as there is a sediment at the bottom and no signs of fermentation. When I looked on the cordial bottle it has sulphur dioxide in as a preservative... is this what is killing it? And if so what can I do about this problem, I don't really want to waste the ingredients I used :/

 

[LeithR]

I don't profess to be an expert n this area but I seem to recall that you need to boil juices etc with preservatives present for about 10 mins this kills off the preservative before using them. So I'd recommend that approach, so far all you have lost is a batch of yeast.

Good luck with it.

 

[caitlintilt]

Ahh thankyou! I would rather there was an easier way than boiling my 1 gallon solution (like boiling the cordial beforehand) but this does sound like it would work :) this is what happens when you rush homebrewing without properly concocting a recipie, I threw it together rather quickly before I went out somewhere

 

[LeithR]

More haste less speed comes to mind.

Yes, boil before using in a brew is the way forward.

 

[caitlintilt]

I shall keep an eye on it with fingers crossed for a day or two, but otherwise boiling shall commece

 

[caitlintilt]

I boiled it last night and added more yeast, hock wine yeast, which was definitely alive when I put it in, and it is not fermenting :/ I'm tempted to throw it away rather than sink more into it, as so far it has only cost me approximately £3.70 + 3 packets of yeast (I put another one in hoping it would fix it shortly before I boiled) The ingredients were:

1tsp citric acid
1/2 tsp tannin
1 kg sugar
500ml Blossom Cottage Elderflower Cordial (spring water, sugar, elderflowers, citric acid, natural flavourings, preservative: sulphur dioxide)
1 L pure white grape not from concentrate
Hock Wine yeast x2, sauternes wine yeast x1

all I can identify wrong is the sulphur dioxide in the elderflower cordial but I boiled it, and also how much damage can it be doing when 500 ml is dissolved in a gallon?

 

[iceo]

give it a few more days . iv got a wow that took 3 days before i got an signs of live

 

[Jonny69]

...needs more time in my opinion. Be patient!

 

[evanvine]

The level of SO2 used as a preservative will not affect your yeast in any way!
Have you made a yeast starter to prove your yeast is viable?

 

[screamlead]

Chuck some nutrients in it too - Vitamin B1 tabs, epsom salts or Andrews to get it going