Wine kits - fermentation doesn't start

Turbo yeast, wine making kits, beer:
Fermentation does not start

If your wine kit doesn't start do ferment - here are things to check:

Check with a hydrometer to see if the reading is the same for several days. If it actually changes (lower day by day) it means that your wine is fermenting and you probably have a leak somewhere so you can't see any bubbles in the airlock.

You don't have to do anything about it now but before you start your next wine kit it might be a good idea to get some new equipment. Check lids and fermenter necks for damages. Check rubber bungs etc.

If your hydrometer shows the same reading for several days you have indeed no fermentation.

If the reading is low (1000 or below) your wine kit has fermented ok and the wine is ready. Check for leaks as above, replace equipment for next time.

If the reading is high (1070 or above) your fermentation probably never started. That could depend on cool temperatures in the room or if you used very cold water for your wine kit. Cold water may delay fermentation start for 1-2 days so in this case just wait and see.

If your wine kit hasn't started after 2-4 days (the longer time for cold environments) you should get hold of a new wine yeast from your retailer and add it as soon as possible. First check so you didn't add the stabiliser by mistake - if you did, there is no return.

If the reading is below the start value of the wine kit (normally 1070 or higher, check your instruction if you didn't record it) it means that there has been some fermentation but it stuck for some reason. Read more about stuck fermentations here.

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