Hydrometer Reading

[browning348]

I've got a strawberry banana wine almost 2 months in. The hydrometer is showing .998 and it tastes pretty well dried out. However, the airlock is releasing about every 5 seconds. Logic in my head says dry, no more bubbles. Is that too simplistic?

 

[pumpkinman2012]

What was the starting gravity?
Take a gravity reading three consecutive days, if it doesn't move it is either done or stuck.
You can try to stir it up gently to mix any yeast back into suspension without introducing a ton of oxygen, and you can increase the temp (depending on what the temp is currently), sometimes just getting the fermenter off the floor will help, the floor is normally cooler and can easily lower the temp of a fermenting wine.

 

[browning348]

Starting gravity was 1.070. What's causing all the bubbling?

 

[bernardsmith]

Three different but plausible reasons: There could still be sugar in the wine. Wine yeast can ferment out to a gravity of about .996 or even lower. Changes in temperature and or air pressure can force the CO2 currently absorbed in the liquid to be released as gas and that gas will bubble through your airlock. And your wine may be undergoing an MLF with bacteria that are producing byproducts that are either producing gas or helping to nucleate the CO2...

 

[Scyntherei]

My white grape + raspberry wine just finished with a gravity of 0.900 from 1.110 using lalvin 71b yeast in just 5 weeks. Like pumpkinman said, take a gravity reading each day for 2-3 days and if it hasn't changed, it's probably just releasing co2 and probably ready for bulk aging or bottling.

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Probably just CO2 still in solution from fermentation, sounds like a younger ferment right? Totally normal, it will continue to off-gas for many months while bulk aging. Also, Homebrewing hydrometers are woefully inaccurate, but are ok for the purposes of making wine at home, so it maybe still be chugging through the last little bit of sugar left.

 

[browning348]

Probably just CO2 still in solution from fermentation, sounds like a younger ferment right? Totally normal, it will continue to off-gas for many months while bulk aging. Also, Homebrewing hydrometers are woefully inaccurate, but are ok for the purposes of making wine at home, so it maybe still be chugging through the last little bit of sugar left.

I've wondered for the last few weeks if the hydrometer was off. I drink commercially made wine and it's supposed to be the same % as my homemade but the homemade definitely is higher. Any way to adjust or is there a rule of thumb when measuring with a home brew kit?

 

[jensmith]

I've wondered for the last few weeks if the hydrometer was off. I drink commercially made wine and it's supposed to be the same % as my homemade but the homemade definitely is higher. Any way to adjust or is there a rule of thumb when measuring with a home brew kit?

I don't consider .998 to be done fermenting. With such a low starting sg I would expect this wine to go down to .992, or even lower.
If you put your hydrometer in water and get a reading of 1.000 then it is accurate. Water temp at 60.
Wine is wonderfull. The hurry up and wait part will fix many things So, hurry up and wait!




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[pumpkinman2012]

I agree with jensmith,

I don't consider .998 to be done fermenting. With such a low starting sg I would expect this wine to go down to .992, or even lower.
If you put your hydrometer in water and get a reading of 1.000 then it is accurate. Water temp at 60.

As Bernardsmith stated, there is probably sugar left in the wine, and at this point the yeast could be tired, try moving the fermenter to a warmer area (if the room is cool) to help the yeast finish their job.