If the wine does not wander, what should I do? How to save wine?

A rich harvest of grapes, berries and fruits is an excuse not only to close the jams and compotes for the winter, but also to try yourself as a winemaker. Than many also use. That's just not all so simple, often beginners fall into a situation where something goes wrong. And then there are questions like: "Wine does not wander, what to do?" Indeed, creating a wine is a creative process, requiring special attention to detail. Therefore, for a person who recently decided to join the great art of winemaking, it is not only not shameful, but also extremely necessary to find out why one does not wander domestic wine. Well, we will try to help in this.

What is fermentation?

As the experienced winemakers say: "If the art of making good wine is sometimes on the verge of mysticism, then the magic of obtaining excellent wine is often beyond this side." We, of course, will not insist that mysticism has something to do with the fact that wine does not wander. What to do in such cases will become obvious if we consider in detail the process of fermentation. It is known that fermentation refers to the process of splitting sugar contained in grape juice, carbon dioxide and alcohol under the influence of enzymes produced by the culture of wine yeast. A yeast is a unicellular mushroom, for their normal life requires certain conditions. If they are not observed, the wine does not wander. What should I do in this case? Of course, create a favorable environment for yeast.

Types of fermentation

Note that professionals, as well as winemakers with experience distinguish two stages of fermentation. Stormy fermentation - before removal from the sediment, and quiet fermentation or "after-fermentation." We, in this case, will be interested in the stage of rapid fermentation. Because before the separation of the pulp of wine, as such, there is not yet - there is a must, and after removing from the sludge the situation is not so critical. Thus, we have clarified at what particular period a dangerous situation arises when the wine does not wander. What to do in such cases?

Conditions of fermentation

In order to clearly understand what stage of production will be discussed, let us briefly describe the part of the technological process that is of interest to us. So, after fermenting the grape must and separating the pulp, a turbid liquid is obtained, which is a fermented juice and is a prototype of the future wine. This liquid can be transformed into wine of one or another quality only if the necessary conditions are met and in the case of the correct actions of the winemaker. The physical conditions necessary for fermentation are, above all, the temperature of the medium. The most favorable temperature is 15-20 ºС. At temperatures above 25 ° C there is a high probability of ruining the wine (the process will go too quickly and it will be impossible to control it), at 10 ° C fermentation will stop. To the physical conditions should also be attributed the size of the container in which fermentation occurs, and the possibility of access to oxygen. Important biological conditions are: the purity of the yeast culture, their concentration, as well as the saturation of the nutrient medium. In the case of using wild yeast, especially at a lower temperature, fermentation can significantly slow down. With a low sugar content, it may even stop altogether. Too high sugar content also threatens to stop fermentation.

Your actions, which will lead to the resumption of fermentation

If wine does not wander, what should I do first? To begin with, make sure that the temperature in the room did not fall below the critical (sometimes it is enough to increase it by only a few degrees). Check the sugar content with a hydrometer (household wine maker) most precisely in grape juice. If the sugar is low, you need to take some of the juice, add a portion of the required amount of sugar and dissolve it, heating to 50-60 ºС. After the juice has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the fermentation tank. Then you should "restart" the wine with a new yeast starter. It is hardly worth reminding that the result can be more convincing in the case when the pure culture of wine yeast will be used. Usually 2-3% of sourdough (on the amount of juice) is enough, it depends on what kind of wine you want to get for the fortress.

Conclusion

And now, when you know how to make the wine wander, it remains for us to wish you luck in getting a positive experience of preparing a wonderful drink of the gods - grape wine.