I would re-pitch asap. Lalvin 1118 possibly. What I have been doing with
good results is pitch a packet of yeast in ~ 1 cup water at 100deg f.
Anywhere from 98 to 102 is acceptable. After 15 minutes, the yeast better
be foaming up in a flask or whatever you use. There is supposed to be
enough food source to for the yeast to go for 15 minutes. At that point I
feed back some of the must into the yeast starter for food and to bring the
temp down. You want to bring the temp of the yeast and must close together
b4 pitching all the yeast. I learned this last summer at a Purdue wine
course and have been using it ever since. My fermentations have gone the
best ever since I have been using it. Hope your time frame has not been to
long for spoilage bacteria.

Good luck
Lee
"Nick Ruchalski" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I've finished my first 3 wine kits with excellent results. I still
> have 3 more in carboys that are progressing according to plan. One
> thing I've learned about wine making is that it's difficult to look at
> an empty fermentor! Seems like such a waste. So satisfied with my
> kit results, I thought I'd move on to some fruit wine.
>
> I'm using a recipe from Winemaking by Stanley Dorothy Anderson. It
> a fruit base with some grape concentrate for sweetening.
>
> Here's the primary sequence:
> Friday
> 96 oz strawberry & cherry concentrate (Vintner's Harvest)
> 6 oz shiraz concentrate (Alexanders)
> 9.5 lb sugar
> 10 tsp vinacid R
> 6 qts hot water
>
> Stir until all sugar is dissolved then add:
>
> 2 tsp yeast nutrient
> 2 tsp pectic enzyme
> 2 tsp tannin
> 5 tablets crushed campden
> 7 qts cold water
>
> Mixed well
>
> Had a SG of 1.096 @ 74 degrees F
>
> Added the Narbonne yeast
> Stirred in
>
> Saturday
> There was no ferment after 24 hours. I stirred a bit and let it sit.
>
> Sunday
> No ferment. Temperature was 70 degrees F, so I wrapped a heating pad.
> Stirred a bit. The temp climbed up to 80 F. I shut it off. Still no
> ferment.
>
> Monday morning.
> Temp at 75. No ferment. Stirred a bit.
>
> Monday evening.
> No ferment. Temp is at 75F.
>
> Help!
> Can the must be saved? What more can I do?
>
> Thanks for following along.
> Nick

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:23:44 -0500, Nick Ruchalski wrote:

>Thanks for your reply. I followed the above to a tee and after 12
>hours, there's no activity. Strange I didn't get a whole lot of
>'foaming up'. Just a whole lot of cloudy yeast colored water. No
>real activity there. The yeast itself should have been good. I
>purchased it yesterday in the refrigerated section of my local wine
>shop. I dunno. If there's nothing by this evening, I guess I'll
>scratch me head and try again with a new must. Thanks again.

No, your must should be OK. Just pitch another batch of yeast. I'll back
up Lee by recommending Lalvin EC-1118, because if there is anything
holding back your Narbonne yeast, it probably won't hold back EC-1118.
Just rehydrate it in 30°C water, and pitch into your must.

cheers,
Ross.
--
Ross McKay, WebAware Pty Ltd
"Since when were you so generously inarticulate?" - Elvis Costello

I would agree with this!!

Please Take a moment to visit www.brucellar.co.uk
Now Open brucellar home brew forums

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 10:38:35 GMT, "LEE WEISS" >
wrote:

>I would re-pitch asap. Lalvin 1118 possibly. What I have been doing with
>good results is pitch a packet of yeast in ~ 1 cup water at 100deg f.
>Anywhere from 98 to 102 is acceptable. After 15 minutes, the yeast better
>be foaming up in a flask or whatever you use. There is supposed to be
>enough food source to for the yeast to go for 15 minutes. At that point I
>feed back some of the must into the yeast starter for food and to bring the
>temp down. You want to bring the temp of the yeast and must close together
>b4 pitching all the yeast. I learned this last summer at a Purdue wine
>course and have been using it ever since. My fermentations have gone the
>best ever since I have been using it. Hope your time frame has not been to
>long for spoilage bacteria.
>
>Good luck
>Lee
>"Nick Ruchalski" > wrote in message
.. .
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've finished my first 3 wine kits with excellent results. I still
>> have 3 more in carboys that are progressing according to plan. One
>> thing I've learned about wine making is that it's difficult to look at
>> an empty fermentor! Seems like such a waste. So satisfied with my
>> kit results, I thought I'd move on to some fruit wine.
>>
>> I'm using a recipe from Winemaking by Stanley Dorothy Anderson. It
>> a fruit base with some grape concentrate for sweetening.
>>
>> Here's the primary sequence:
>> Friday
>> 96 oz strawberry & cherry concentrate (Vintner's Harvest)
>> 6 oz shiraz concentrate (Alexanders)
>> 9.5 lb sugar
>> 10 tsp vinacid R
>> 6 qts hot water
>>
>> Stir until all sugar is dissolved then add:
>>
>> 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>> 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>> 2 tsp tannin
>> 5 tablets crushed campden
>> 7 qts cold water
>>
>> Mixed well
>>
>> Had a SG of 1.096 @ 74 degrees F
>>
>> Added the Narbonne yeast
>> Stirred in
>>
>> Saturday
>> There was no ferment after 24 hours. I stirred a bit and let it sit.
>>
>> Sunday
>> No ferment. Temperature was 70 degrees F, so I wrapped a heating pad.
>> Stirred a bit. The temp climbed up to 80 F. I shut it off. Still no
>> ferment.
>>
>> Monday morning.
>> Temp at 75. No ferment. Stirred a bit.
>>
>> Monday evening.
>> No ferment. Temp is at 75F.
>>
>> Help!
>> Can the must be saved? What more can I do?
>>
>> Thanks for following along.
>> Nick
>

You are either getting bad yeast or you have a problem must. (Too much
preservative?) I would suggest you start with a new packet of yeast. Don't
just pitch or hydrate this time. Make a starter. (See Jack Keller's or a
similar site.) After it is going good, add enough of your must to double
the volume. Set it aside and be sure it is still going after 3 hours. Then
add enough must to double the volume again. Repeat this until you have the
entire batch going.

If the starter will not start, you have bad yeast. If the yeast activity
stops before all the must is added there is something seriously wrong with
it and you might as well give up on it.

Ray

"Nick Ruchalski" > wrote in message
news
> On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 10:38:35 GMT, "LEE WEISS" >
> wrote:
>
> >I would re-pitch asap. Lalvin 1118 possibly. What I have been doing
with
> >good results is pitch a packet of yeast in ~ 1 cup water at 100deg f.
> >Anywhere from 98 to 102 is acceptable. After 15 minutes, the yeast
better
> >be foaming up in a flask or whatever you use. There is supposed to be
> >enough food source to for the yeast to go for 15 minutes. At that point
I
> >feed back some of the must into the yeast starter for food and to bring
the
> >temp down. You want to bring the temp of the yeast and must close
together
> >b4 pitching all the yeast. I learned this last summer at a Purdue wine
> >course and have been using it ever since. My fermentations have gone the
> >best ever since I have been using it. Hope your time frame has not been
to
> >long for spoilage bacteria.
>
>
> Thanks for your reply. I followed the above to a tee and after 12
> hours, there's no activity. Strange I didn't get a whole lot of
> 'foaming up'. Just a whole lot of cloudy yeast colored water. No
> real activity there. The yeast itself should have been good. I
> purchased it yesterday in the refrigerated section of my local wine
> shop. I dunno. If there's nothing by this evening, I guess I'll
> scratch me head and try again with a new must. Thanks again.
> Nick