I've not made more that 10 or 15 country wines so this is just a best guess. Others have said Idophor is probably not an issue with wine in general when used in correct ratio's and it makes sense so I doubt sanitation is an issue. I wouldn't be concerned about the sulfite level at this point either but would suggest you throw away those campden tablets and get some potbuttium metabisulfite powder, it's a whole lot easier to use. You needed a jackhammer to crush the campden I had when I started making wine.
As to sanitation, with grapes there is a term for everything else that gets fermented, MOG. Material Other than Grapes includes dirt, bees, spiders, webs, you name it. The pH of musts in general protects the must, a lot of really nasty stuff can go into the fermenter and it still comes out wine. With that said, I would agree that the wine is not lost. If the scum looks or smells like mold I would be concerned but other than that I would not consider it a big deal yet. If it scared me I would remove it by racking or overflow if that is possible.
You already have good comments on nutrient deficiency, that's pretty common in country wines. I always add nutrient, there are many brands so just use what your supply house handles. I like Yeastex and Fermaid and do use DAP when I think it's called for.
MLF question 171Hi Pino, I would not buttume that the MLF is finished until you don't see any more bubbles at all, even teeny-tiny ones when you look...
I haven't seen much said about fermentation temperature. That could be a big deal. At least when getting it started you may want to get the must up to 70F or so. Country wines in general take more care and feeding than grape wines, they emulate meads in that respect. If the must is cold, move it or get a cheap heating pad from the drug store that has a normal three stage switch, no timer. They are getting harder to find.
Joe
