Stalled/Extensive Slow Fermentation Question - Please Read

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bpnc9702

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Its been a while since I have been on here and I haven't been as active on my beer and wine making as I was in the fall. That being said I have a wine that has been sitting for almost 3 months now. It still hasn't got to its Final gravity (under 1.00, ~.996). It it still sitting at 1.002. It ran pretty good when it was pitched back in December and I know that the big temperature drop off when I was out of the house for 2 weeks slowed down the yeast but it has been holding steady at about 65 for a while. I read a while back that an option could be repitching yeast could help, but I wanted to chime back in and see what I could get from more experienced winemakers. I guess I could let it sit longer and do its thing but I want to get it bottled soon and make room for another batch. Any guidance and help would be appreciated.
 
Did you make sure this reading is based on the calibration temp of your hydrometer? And the sample is degassed, since gas impairs the reading?

But we do need to know the starting gravity and yeast used. Fruit would be good to know also, as some are prone to having some issues.
 
Orig Gravity = 1.16 - the hydrometer I believe is calculated to read at 60 F, and I use a calculating to make the revision with any temp differential. The yeast was just a winemakers yeast that I get with every kit, thats all I know. When I do beer I always have a specific yeast for the beer types obviously but not here. Its a sauvignon blanc. My recipe manual states not to proceed with degassing until the final gravity is reached or it may not clear properly. My other wines came out wonderful with this process, here just having that temp drop caused my extensive fermentation problem - just curious how to remedy it.
 
A starting gravity of 1.160, FG 1.020 = somewhere around 18%, so I would think its done, that would max out the vast majority of wine yeasts.
 
Which kit is this? Are you sure of that starting gravity 1.16_ because that puts your ACV above 21% and I do not see a standard kit wine yeast doing this, they max out at 18%.
 
Your wine will not move any lower. Even if you used a higher tolerance yeast it won't ferment any more. Hit it with se SO2 to no less than 35 ppm of free so2. With residual sugar in there it will be important to maintain SO2 levels >30 ppm FSO2.

Cold settle it and rack it let it settle for a month. Hit it with with so2 and bottle it.

Everyone likes a little residual sugar. Most popular commercial wine is ménage a trois right now. Why? You guest it, residual sugar
 
Vintners Reserve is the wine kit - I read through my journal and I think the gravity mark I had for 1.16 is indeed high, when I doubled checked I made a note that it may not be at the correct concentration and the kit had the SG at about 1.080-1.097, so the sample had too much sugar and it was not an accurate sample of the wine as a whole.
 
If its at 1.002 and been there for a while I think you are done, you are worried about .002, thats not much left to worry about, I think you are good to go. WVMJ
 
WVMJ said:
If its at 1.002 and been there for a while I think you are done, you are worried about .002, thats not much left to worry about, I think you are good to go. WVMJ

Even 0.5% RS is enough for a referment in the bottle. Keep it cellared and maintain so2 levels
 
I think you should just taste the wine, if you like how it taste then it's done. After all it's 18% or so unless you repitch a strong/tollerant yeast on this which may or may not work it isn't going to make that big of a difference. I think using numbers on hydrometer are helpful to get you started for og but honestly who cares what they are after fermentation is going this is where tasting tinny bits along the way will help you out. After that just stop the fermentation, start racking, and then bottle/age. You'll find this is way easier and easier to get a taste that you like out of the wine.
 
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