Selfsufficientish.com

that's quite ok russ, mike stepped up to the mark in your absence!
it's still blubbing away, though more slowly now, OH really wants some to be ready for crimble, but time is ticking. The temp in the kitchen varies rather.
on last taste it was less yeasty and heading in a lovely direction, 3rd off the must is mega dry tho anything i can do about that?

suziq wrote:that's quite ok russ, mike stepped up to the mark in your absence!
it's still blubbing away, though more slowly now, OH really wants some to be ready for crimble, but time is ticking. The temp in the kitchen varies rather.
on last taste it was less yeasty and heading in a lovely direction, 3rd off the must is mega dry tho anything i can do about that?

1. add more sugar till you have some residual once the yeast has worked out all it can (very strong wine and long process)
2. sweeten at table with sugar syrup once finished
3. add sugar and stop fermentation using metabisulphate and potassium sorbate at the alcohol level you want then rack off to mature
4. Sweeten with lactose - normal yeasts are unable to ferment it so leaves a residual sweetness (typical used in beers but i see no reason not to use it in wine too)

thanx!
glad to hear there were more options than just add sugar!
have added some tho, watch this space

Sorry forgot to add you could also use stevia - a herbal sweetener that contains no sugar but is less likely to be bad for you then other synthetic artificial sweeteners like aspartine of sodium saccarin

too late!
adding sugar seems to have slowed it down again, i swear it's the most confusing thing.
getting excited about racking one off, tother 2 are still on the bubble

STOP PRESS!

3rd dry one is done, and i think the other 2 are giving up too! at rising 3 months so they should be lol
good job i'm collecting a DJ from freecycle today,
how do you guys steralise your syphon tubing?
ever greatful and overly excited suziq :)

suziq wrote:STOP PRESS!

3rd dry one is done, and i think the other 2 are giving up too! at rising 3 months so they should be lol
good job i'm collecting a DJ from freecycle today,
how do you guys steralise your syphon tubing?
ever greatful and overly excited suziq :)

I use tongs to run boiling water thru them for 1-2 min, this is not really a great ideas as some bacteria may survive, and heating the clear tubing i use could potentially release nasties from the plastic.

If i was more pedantic and less lazy i would submerge it in a sulfite solution for 1-2 min. it is a pain to get all the air out and stop the tubing floating to the top though, so. . . .

NB: sulfite solution - brew sterilizer in water - can use campden tablets, say 2 per Liter(ish) (i bet MKG could be more specific here - i use the crystals not the tablets)

oh golly! i just ran some boiled water thru, but it was new so maybe it will be ok
satdy night of racking and testing, a lovely warm ish glow before bedtime :)

Oh help!!!

My port just didnt ferment . I was using a no-yeast recipe and added yeast after a couple of weeks when nothing happened. Its been in the airing cupboard in a dj for 4 months with no fermentation. Any ideas on how I can rescue it?

There's always a reason for a non-starter - working out what that was is a problem But are you completely sure it didn't ferment while you couldn't see it (that can happen if the airlock doesn't provide a complete seal)?

First things first, though - smell it. Does it still smell OK? No bad egg or rotting cabbage type odours? If not, it should be startable and non-toxic. Now, taste it - hopefully it will be sickly sweet and that will confirm your suspicions. If it tastes like wine, then it confirms that it DID ferment.

So, let's begin with the usual lecture - no-yeast recipes are chancy and, in my opinion, not worth the risk, especially if you live in an area where the wild yeast population is not famous for its efficacy. End of lecture.

Now to the problem, which may have been caused by old yeast, too-high temperatures, or sheer bloody-mindedness on the part of the wine fairies. Get yourself a clean bottle or jar and put a couple of teaspoons of sugar in it. Now take a couple of tablespoons of the non-starting wine and add it to the sugar. Add a small squeeze of orange or lemon juice (really - just a small squeeze) and then top up with a half-pint of tepid water (round about body heat is perfect). Add a level teaspoon of your yeast and then give the whole thing a damn good shake (you're trying to get oxygen into the liquid). Put a stopper or lid on the bottle or jar LOOSELY. Put it somewhere warmish and go and have a cup of tea.

A couple of hours later, take a look. You should see little bits of yeast rising and falling in the liquid. If you can't see this after 24 hours, your yeast is defunct and you need a fresh batch to begin the whole procedure over again. If you do see it, wait a few hours for a decent colony to build up and then dump the whole lot into the wine (you may have to take some of the wine out if you overfilled your demijohn).

The fact that you started the yeast with some of the original must in the liquid will give it a whole lot of tolerance, so your fermentation should now begin in earnest within 48 hours. If it fails again, then there's something seriously wrong with the must, which is unlikely.

Best of luck

Mike

OK, what am I doing wrong? Our elderberry 'liquid' needs help to get out of the d/john - no body of any kind. This has been maturing [ha!!] since October 2008.

Can anyone advise how to give this stuff a bit of body please? Or is it too late? Hope not, the colour and clarity are both amazing...does 2 out of 3 count for anything?!

Mmmm - I wondered about that. I always use a minimum of 4lbs of elderberries these days, but some people like the lighter touch. However, try a teaspoonful of glycerine in the gallon. Stir and allow to settle for a few minutes, then see if it has improved. If not, a second spoonful might just do the trick. Another approach, depending on the taste of the wine, would be to add a glug of Ribena (or even elderberry cordial if you happen to have some handy) - but it's easy to overdo that one.

If the worst comes to the worst and you can't get it to the point you want, don't chuck it out. Make a really strong elderberry this year (use 6lbs in a gallon) and then blend it with the one you've got.

Mike

Sent you as PM, Nana Caz.

Mike