Question about hydrometer reading - I'm a newb

[RACHAEL M BROWN]

Hi! I'm making elderberry (75%) blackberry (25%) wine and I started 8 weeks ago . This is my hydrometer reading. I followed a recipe but I think this is taking a turn to vinegar. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Smellyglove]

That's pretty dry. But it doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. Have you checked your hydrometer in pure water at the reference temp, just to make sure it's showing correctly?

 

[ncbrewer]

Be sure to correct for temperature.

 

[jgmillr1]

All the hydrometer reading shows is that it is dry and long done fermenting. Be sure you keep your sulfites level up, which will help protect your wine from oxidation and spoilage (eg. becoming vinegar). Looks like you are doing a good job keeping your headspace to a minimum in your carboy.

You'll very likely want to back-sweeten the wine to balance the acidity. This means you need to add sorbate to the wine to prevent refermentation. However, you must rack it off your yeast and let it settle out for some time. Then you can add sugar and more sulfites shortly before bottling.