1.012 bottling?

[Redfutz]

I have a plum wine that started at 1.1 specific gravity, and has since stopped at 1.012 for multiple weeks. I have racked it several times to remove any lease. I just picked up some potasium sorbate, but I dont want to use it if I dont have to. I was wandering if it would be safe to go ahead and bottle without risk of explosion or my corks becoming projectiles. the wine is perfectly clear and has no sediment every time I check it.

 

[lumpher]

Sounds like it should be ok, but I'd still use a little Sorbate as a precaution. If there is any sugar left in there to ferment, and there might be at that FG, bottling it could stir up the yeast and give it a little extra kick.

 

[mkmobe]

I have a plum wine that started at 1.1 specific gravity, and has since stopped at 1.012 for multiple weeks. I have racked it several times to remove any lease. I just picked up some potasium sorbate, but I dont want to use it if I dont have to. I was wandering if it would be safe to go ahead and bottle without risk of explosion or my corks becoming projectiles. the wine is perfectly clear and has no sediment every time I check it.

Multiple weeks at the same reading says finished and ready to rack. Did it retain some sweetness or taste dry?

 

[bernardsmith]

No expert, but wines with unfermented sugar AND yeast can wake up and ferment even after months of inactivity. Your call , of course, but I would suggest that unless you like to gamble, the risk is far greater than any benefit in not stabilizing if the level of sweetness is OK and if it is too sweet, you may want to either simply wait or treat the wine as stalled and so create a new starter and help the yeast attack the sugar..

 

[Raptor99]

If the SG is 1.012 then the fermentation is not finished. It is possible that it could restart, depending on conditions. What temperature is it at? Sometimes if the temperature goes up it can restart fermentation.

If you like flavor and level of sweetness, you could rack off the sediment (if needed) and then add the appropriate amount of Potassium Sorbate and Kmeta. Then wait for a week or two to be sure that fermentation does not re-start before bottling. Sometimes racking or stirring can restart the fermentation.

There *is* unfermented sugar in your wine, so I would not bottle it without adding Potassium Sorbate and Kmeta. You can't predict if or when it might start fermenting again. Bottle bombs are no fun.

 

[DBhomebrew]

With what tool do you measure gravity? Refractometer? With a calculator?

1.100 roughly corresponds with 25 Brix.
1.012 roughly corresponds with 3 Brix.

OG 25 and FG 3 Brix is roughly 0.996

https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/

 

[Coffee49]

Unless you age the wine in a vessel with airlock for 10 months prior to bottling I would add sorbate and sullfite

 

[DBhomebrew]

Unless you age the wine in a vessel with airlock for 10 months prior to bottling I would add sorbate and sullfite

Would that be your suggestion whether the wine is at 1.012 or .996?

 

[Coffee49]

After 10 months the suspension is inactive only worry is O2 contamination at bottling