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Common Problems and Solutions: Stuck Fermentation

My fermentation isn't starting! My fermentation began and then stopped!

Temperature is key for yeast! It isn't going to work well in boiling weather or in frozen temperatures. Be sure that you've got it around 60 to 80 degrees to let it work properly. Keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn't drop below this at night, or soar above during the day.

First off, remember that the SO2 or other sterilizers that you probably used before adding your yeast has the effect of killing off wild yeasts. If you didn't wait long enough for them to dissipate before adding in your own yeast, your own yeast could have fallen victim to it. Just stir up your wine and give it another day to sit, and try again.

Secondly, yeast is a living creature and needs good living environment. This means it needs a nutrient to feed on ... a medium PH range, and a good amount of sugar. The starting specific gravity usually ranges between around 1.08 to 1.12.

How do you get things going again? Fix the surrounding situation, and then add in new yeast. Don't worry about the yeast currently in there - yeast multiplies many times over anyway during wine production, so the extra old yeast in the mix won't make much difference.

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