Tactical-Brewer
Well-Known Member
Hey, my girlfriend started a grape wine Dec 4th and has reracked it but it's now stuck at 1.020 for the last week. Is it drinkable at this point or is it "stuck" and no good? Any suggestions?
Grape Wine Stuck at 1.020
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purplehaze
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Young wines usually don't taste the best, its drinkable but it will be sweet. I'll start with the simple stuff first. What was the starting gravity, yeast you used and ingredients? Each yeast has a different alcohol tolerance you might be at this particular yeasts limit.
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Tactical-Brewer
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The yeast was red star montrachet and she used grape juice concentrate. The staring sg was 1.125
That's a very high OG, and that even though montrachet can occasionally be pushed its normal alcohol tolerance of 13-14%, I suspect without some extraneous effort it'd be finished at 14.1%. It's hard to push a yeast strain higher than its normally alcohol tolerance, but it can be done with incremental feedings and things. Starting with an OG of 1.125 is generally not recommended if your hoping for a wine to finish dry.
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Tactical-Brewer
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It doesn't have to be dry. Sweet is fine. So is it "finished" and okay to drink now or is it shot and needs to be thrown away?
Well it's fine!
Keep it in a carboy, topped up, and wait 60 days. If there are no new lees after 60 days, it is ready to bottle but if there are ever lees 1/4" thick or more, or ANY lees at all after 60 days, rack to a new carboy, top up, airlock and start the time again.
Once there are no lees at all after at least 60 days in a new carboy, it can be bottled.
I use sulfites at every other racking, as an antioxidant and preservative, and many other winemakers do to. We use far less than commercial wineries, but generally keep it at 50 ppm or so of S02.
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Tactical-Brewer
Well-Known Member
Awesome! Thank you Yooper! I'll let her know!
