I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.

I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about nine
months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
finished.

About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.

I had a refractometer brix reading of approximately 3 when I added the
Potassium salts. Our local winery owner told me that a few other people had
the same thing happen to them. Is it possible that the Sorbate or
Metabisulfite may act as a yeast nutrient of some sort?

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I want to bottle it.

Two tsps of meta sounds like an awful lot. I only use 1/4tsp/5 gallons

Valley Vintner made a spreadsheet for converting a refractometer to a
adj brix/sg reading. With a reading of 3@70deg you had an sg of 1.021
and an adjusted brix of 5.2. As someone else pointed out you can't go
by a refractometer brix reading alone. The alcohol throws it off.

So, given those numbers the blueberry wasn't done fermenting and is
restarted.

Andie Z wrote:
> I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.
>
> I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about nine
> months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
> finished.
>
> About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
> teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
> working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.
>
> I had a refractometer brix reading of approximately 3 when I added the
> Potassium salts. Our local winery owner told me that a few other people had
> the same thing happen to them. Is it possible that the Sorbate or
> Metabisulfite may act as a yeast nutrient of some sort?
>
> Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I want to bottle it.
>
>

Andie Z wrote:

> I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.
>
> I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about
> nine
> months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
> finished.
>
> About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
> teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
> working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.

I made three batches of raspberry wine last year (medio August). In December
it stopped fermenting. I then used 2-3 months to clear it before adding
sorbate and metabisulfite and sugar until proper sweetness. I also added
raw vanilla to two of the batches. About a month later both of those two
batches has began to ferment again. One of the batches still ferment (3
month now).

Guess I just have to wait before it finnish. I suspect this is MLF?

--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes
http://www.dahl-stamnes.net/dahls/

My cellar and wine temp is 58 degrees.

"Marty Phee" > wrote in message
...
> Two tsps of meta sounds like an awful lot. I only use 1/4tsp/5 gallons
>
> Valley Vintner made a spreadsheet for converting a refractometer to a
> adj brix/sg reading. With a reading of 3@70deg you had an sg of 1.021
> and an adjusted brix of 5.2. As someone else pointed out you can't go
> by a refractometer brix reading alone. The alcohol throws it off.
>
> So, given those numbers the blueberry wasn't done fermenting and is
> restarted.
>
> Andie Z wrote:
> > I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.
> >
> > I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about
nine
> > months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
> > finished.
> >
> > About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and
2
> > teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
> > working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.
> >
> > I had a refractometer brix reading of approximately 3 when I added the
> > Potassium salts. Our local winery owner told me that a few other people
had
> > the same thing happen to them. Is it possible that the Sorbate or
> > Metabisulfite may act as a yeast nutrient of some sort?
> >
> > Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I want to bottle it.
> >
> >

That gives:
Reading Temp SG Adj Brix
3 58.0 1.019 4.9

Andie Z wrote:
> My cellar and wine temp is 58 degrees.
>
> "Marty Phee" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Two tsps of meta sounds like an awful lot. I only use 1/4tsp/5 gallons
>>
>> Valley Vintner made a spreadsheet for converting a refractometer to a
>> adj brix/sg reading. With a reading of 3@70deg you had an sg of 1.021
>> and an adjusted brix of 5.2. As someone else pointed out you can't go
>> by a refractometer brix reading alone. The alcohol throws it off.
>>

Another consideration is the age (condition) of your potassium sorbate.
I've read that even with proper storage the shelf life is only 6-8
months.

On 8/2/2006 6:39 AM, Jørn Dahl-Stamnes wrote:
> Andie Z wrote:
>
>
>>I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.
>>
>>I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about
>>nine
>>months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
>>finished.
>>
>>About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
>>teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
>>working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.
>
>
> I made three batches of raspberry wine last year (medio August). In December
> it stopped fermenting. I then used 2-3 months to clear it before adding
> sorbate and metabisulfite and sugar until proper sweetness. I also added
> raw vanilla to two of the batches. About a month later both of those two
> batches has began to ferment again. One of the batches still ferment (3
> month now).
>
> Guess I just have to wait before it finnish. I suspect this is MLF?

Jorn,

MLF will not start in a properly sulfited wine. And it is highly
undesirable in a wine which has been sorbated.
I'm not sure what to suggest at this point, other than that halting this
renewed fermentation is probably in the best interest of the wine.


Cheers,
Ken