Wine stopped playing ahead of time: what to do, ways to solve the problem at home

Cooking wine at home is a real art, a family tradition. Making a delicious drink the first time is not easy. It is important to follow the technology, have experience in winemaking and be able to select raw materials. The fermentation process may not go according to plan if a mistake was made or an ingredient was chosen incorrectly. What to do if the wine stopped playing, and the release of bubbles stopped ahead of time? Consider the common mistakes of beginner winemakers.

Why doesn't homemade grape wine ferment?

There are a number of reasons why natural fermentation can be disrupted.First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the temperature regime and the conditions created for the release of carbon dioxide. Success in the difficult task of making homemade wine also depends on the quality of yeast and the original wine material, the amount of sugar and the tightness of the container.

In the process of creating a homemade drink, you need to get rid of the rush and fuss. If the wine has not fermented an hour after filling all the ingredients into the container, this does not indicate a problem. Depending on the grape varieties and the type of berries in fruit wines, the start of the process of carbon dioxide release can be different: from 24 hours to 72 hours. If during this period the desired bubbles have not formed, then you need to start looking for the reason for the lack of fermentation.

Yeast quality

To start the fermentation process of grape wine, you need to add yeast. They must be "live" and correspond to the expiration date. Dry yeast is not recommended.

Before adding yeast to the wine must, it must be softened and activated. Experienced winemakers add juice from one orange or live grapevine juice to a glass of clean boiled water at room temperature. It takes about 40 minutes to soak the yeast in this mix. When yeast starter is added to the wort, the temperature of the connecting liquids is equalized.

Failure to meet the temperature to activate the process

Temperature indicators for starting the fermentation process are extremely important. It is unacceptable to create temperature differences. Before pouring the yeast into the wort, the temperatures of the two liquids are matched, the wine must be kept warm. A common cause of fermentation disruption is the mismatch between the temperatures of the wort and the yeast starter.

Recommended temperature for fermentation - +25 С. At temperatures below +18 ^{C, the process of carbon dioxide release in the wort slows down significantly, pressure drops in the tank, and the number of bubbles decreases.}

Temperature fluctuations

After the successful start of the fermentation process, it is important to maintain the temperature in the containers throughout all stages of winemaking, regularly check the tightness.

If a temperature jump above +30 С or a sharp drop in temperature below +15 ^{С was recorded, it is necessary to introduce the yeast starter again. The winemaker must conduct daily temperature monitoring. Prepare a water thermometer in advance.}

Why did the wine stop playing prematurely?

If fermentation stops abruptly after 2 days, urgent action must be taken to eliminate the cause and restart the process. If the bubbles cease to stand out after a week, then the fermentation process may be over, or the wine has turned sour.

Let's consider the reasons for the cessation of carbon dioxide emissions, we will analyze the mistakes of beginner winemakers.

Hydraulic seal not tight

In this case, the fermentation process may go on, but only a person will not see gas bubbles, and the glove will not “get up”. The fact is that the emitted carbon dioxide will escape through the slot of the hydraulic seal, this is very bad, the pressure is broken, pathogenic microorganisms and bacteria begin to penetrate into the bottle.

The danger of this phenomenon lies in the souring of wine, the required pressure in the container quickly drops. If the tightness is not restored, the wine will be hopelessly spoiled.

Note: experienced winemakers coat the shutter joints with plasticine or dough.

Opening containers is often not recommended. The bottle is opened for technical procedures: removing foam, adding additional ingredients, sugar.

After adding sugar

If the fermentation process stopped right after adding the sweetener, it's too soon. Sugar is an important component of the fermentation process. With its deficiency, the yeast does not have enough "fuel", the release of carbon dioxide stops. But you can’t overdo it with sucrose, because sugar is a natural preservative that can turn the wort into jam.

The recommended sugar content in sourdough is 15%. It is not difficult to check this indicator, a hydrometer will come to the aid of a beginner.

After the separation of the pulp

If the consistency of the wort after separation of the pulp and filtration is too thick, the fermentation process will stop. This problem is relevant for fruit and berry wines made from currant, chokeberry, gooseberry and strawberry.

Thick must must be diluted with water brought to the recommended temperature, but its amount should not exceed 15% of the total volume of wine material.

Mold

The winemaking process must be sterile. All manipulations with the container are carried out with gloves and thoroughly washed hands. The glass bottle must be sterilized in the oven or in a water bath. When pathogenic microorganisms enter the wine material, mold is formed in the must. Most often, such a negative phenomenon is observed when the shutter cover is slightly closed.

One of the first signs of mold formation is a film on the surface of the wine liquid, the number of bubbles decreases sharply.

How to tell if fermentation has stopped?

The first visual sign of lack of fermentation is the absence of carbon dioxide bubbles. You can determine the absence of fermentation by a number of the following processes:

• There are no clicks and hisses at the container shutter.
• A sediment has formed at the bottom of the bottle, bubbles have stopped forming.
• Glove fell off.
• The end of fermentation has come, the wine has cleared.

If the wine is ripe, then you should not panic, the signs of the end of the natural fermentation process include:

• Yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
• No bubbles.
• Natural wine clarification.

If the fermentation stopped before it could start, then it is necessary to take measures and eliminate the cause of the failure, start the process again. Otherwise, the wine will turn sour, the must will have to be disposed of.

What to do in such a situation?

You can start fermentation only after identifying the reason for its termination. If little sugar is used, then its amount must be increased, if there is too much sweetener, then the wort must be diluted with water.

When mold forms, the wort is filtered, yeast and sugar are added, poured into a sterilized container, hermetically closing the shutter. In this case, you can still make the wine ferment again, it is better not to use such a drink for storage.

If the wine material is hopelessly damaged, it is recommended to distill the wine into alcohol or make home-made moonshine. Wine vinegar is made from fermented wine.

You can save a "sick" drink by resuming fermentation by adding new wine to it with an undisturbed fermentation process. But such wine must be consumed in a short time, the drink is not suitable for storage.

Preventive measures

It is better to prevent any problem than to look for the cause and quickly fix the defect. Consider the rules for making homemade wine and ways to prevent the souring of an alcoholic drink:

• The stages of preparation of the drink must be carried out sterile: containers are sterilized, hands are washed thoroughly.
• The contact of air with the wort is unacceptable, it is important to close the bottle hermetically.
• Respect the proportions of ingredients according to the recipe.
• Visual inspection of containers is carried out every day.
• Keep the temperature at the same level.
• Use live yeast and proven raw materials for future wine.

If these rules are observed, the process of making homemade wine will be exciting, and the result will be of high quality. Please note that the technology for making homemade wine from grapes or berries will differ, as well as the amount of sugar required. A thermometer and a hydrometer are prepared in advance, these assistants are necessary for both beginners and experienced winemakers.

Recommended