How to Fix a Stuck Wine Fermentation (2024)

FAQs

How do you fix a stuck wine fermentation? ›

Simply heating it up will get it excited and converting again. Another simple fix is to open your vessel and stick a sanitized spoon inside and stir up your “must,” the product that is between grape juice and wine. This stirring should wake up any sleepy yeast and get it going again. Try this for a couple of days.

Sometimes pulling a batch out of a stall is as easy as stirring up the yeast in your fermenter. This can be done by simply giving the fermenter a few bumps, gently swirling, or by using a sanitized spoon to give the trub a gentle stir.

My two favorite picks for a stuck fermentation are Wyeast 3711 and Safale US-05. Both are clean, high-attenuating, yeasts that can survive in higher alcohol, nutrient-scarce environments. Speaking of nutrients, add a small dose of yeast energizer.

In most cases, too low a temperature is the cause of a stuck fermentation, and bringing the temp up is enough to get it going again. Open up the fermenter, and rouse the yeast by stirring it with a sanitized spoon. Sometimes putting the yeast back in suspension will get it going again.

In reality, the fermentation may actually be done even though you are still seeing some bubbling. It could simply be some trapped, leftover CO2 gas from the fermentation that hasn't been able to release until now. Temperature change can play a role in this kind of occurrence.

You can catch a stalling fermentation within the first 24 hours by noticing that your pH levels aren't falling rapidly. Because beer doesn't ferment at a constant rate, after this one-day window you shouldn't worry until the gravity reading has stagnated for at least 48-to-72 hours.

If after 24 to 48 hours fermentation has truly not begun — or you're just not sure — try adding more yeast. (Situations like this one give you good reason to keep a packet of dry yeast in the fridge for emergencies.)

Raising the temperature, aerating the biomass and provision of nitrogen and cofactors can restore fermentation rates.

Generally, stirring should be done during fermentation, and again during aging, although the exact timing may vary depending on the specific wine being made. During fermentation, stirring promotes yeast and bacteria activity, aiding in the extraction of desirable compounds.

Reds start to taste flat and dried out, and often become bitter. A little air may actually improve very young reds, which is one point of decanting; these wines are so tightly wound that an hour or two of exposure to oxygen makes them more open and pleasant to drink.

How to tell when wine has stopped fermenting? ›

The surest way to establish whether or not a fermentation is complete is by measuring the specific gravity. You can do this using either a hydrometer or a refractometer.

Adding yeast hulls or Nutrient Vit End to the stuck wine prior to restarting the fermentation may help reduce accumulated toxins and improve chances for a successful restart. 1. Add 2 lb/1000 gal (25 g/hL) of yeast hulls 24-48 hours prior to restarting the fermentation.

Yeasts need oxygen in order to permit sufficient growth of new cells, which are what are going to do the work of fermentation. If fermentation hasn't started at all, then try aerating or oxygenating it again, and preferably re-pitch with a fresh batch of yeast.

Rehydrate your yeast

We recommend rehydrating your yeast in a sterilised container using warm water (approximately 30-35°C) and a pinch of sugar. This will help to revive the yeast and encourage it to start fermenting again.

Right at the beginning of fermentation, vitamins, minerals and available nitrogen are consumed very quickly. This can cause sluggish and stuck fermentation as indicated above. It is then key to add nutrients naturally rich in these elements such as Fermaid O™ to feed the yeasts when restarting a stuck fermentation.

The most basic way to halt fermentation is with sulfite additions and cooling the wine down near freezing temperatures (which for a 13% ABV wine is approximately 22 °F/-6 °C) for an extended time.

You can catch a stalling fermentation within the first 24 hours by noticing that your pH levels aren't falling rapidly. Because beer doesn't ferment at a constant rate, after this one-day window you shouldn't worry until the gravity reading has stagnated for at least 48-to-72 hours.