11.16.06 - Must it be a yeast infection? - THE CONCLUSION

The grape juice is now fermenting! I can now see it fizzing from the carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the yeast converting sugar to alcohol. This is very exciting stuff, or I am very easily amused. Probably the latter. See Chapter 1 for more details about the problems: 10.30.06 - Must it be a yeast infection? (a.k.a. "Why won't my grape must ferment?") (view more).

Here's the recap: I pressed a little over five gallons of himrod grapes almost two weeksago. I added way too much sulfite, let it sit 24 hours, and then pitched the yeast. Nothing happened. I aerated repeatedly and then pitched a package of yeast two days later. Nothing. I then transferred it back and forth between the carboy and a plastic bucketsix times. I waited 24 hours then pitched the yeast, still nothing. The temperature of the must was always at the package's recommendation. I tried three different yeast varieties. Then, I transferred it back and forth again (20 times) to try to get the sulfites to dissipate. Then, I pitched more yeast after 24 hours. Nothing.

Then I separated out 2 liters and pitched some yeast in it. Nothing again. It keeps killing my yeast. Nothing is alive in there. I made that must so sterile that you could wash a wound with the grape juice. Then, two weeks later I re-hydrated a double batch of yeast and pitched it after adding some yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. And the next day, this is what I saw (see video for the exciting conclusion).

Since then I've been adding a couple of liters of must to the fermenting batch every day. I should have the full 5 gallons in a good fermentation by week's end. I'll then transfer it back to a carboy with an airlock and let it finish up. I hope to make this a sparkling white wine since Himrod grapes apparently don't taste too good as wine because of their low acidity. I bet it will taste better than my tomato wine though (see blog from 9.16.06)