# has my wine stopped fermenting completely?



## mixmix (Oct 8, 2010)

Hello winemakers!
I still have two demi johns (2x 15 lires aprox) on apple wine that I preared last october. At the beginning it was fermenting rather vigorously, and throughout the spring, summer period it had ceased completly. well thats what I thought until about a month ago I spotted another bubble going through the air lock! It has been racked three times at aprox 2-3 months inteval, and the 3rd time I got no residue.
Question is whether or not to bottle it now. If the fermentation has not completely ceased then it would eventually make slightly fizzy wine? which I do not like. my stepmother made fig wine once and the result had very tiny bubbles which to my taste wasnt very nice. I think this was due to the fact she bottled them too early. Should I add some sorbate? or taste it to see if there are bubbles present at the moment? 
I think that the theres no harm in just leaving the wine in the demijohns for a while longer?
thank you in advance for any info and advice!


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## Julie (Oct 8, 2010)

There is no harm in letting the wine sit longer. You need to get a hydrometer. I would think it is done fermenting but without a hydrometer I can only guess. You mentioned about adding sorbate, are you planning on backsweetening? If not there is no need to sorbate but you should add sulphite before bottling, actually if you have not sulphited your wine you should add a dose. Get a hydrometer there are inexpensive and priceless for winemaking.


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## NSwiner (Oct 8, 2010)

Did you degas it ?


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## Tom (Oct 8, 2010)

My thoughs as well it needs degassingor its just the change in air pressure / temp


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## winemaker_3352 (Oct 8, 2010)

Yeah try degassing it - draw a sample out - place it in a bottle of test tube. Shack it and remove you hand - if you hear a pop sound - it needs to be degassed.


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## mixmix (Oct 8, 2010)

Ok I'll try the degassing test. I havent put any campdentablets in yet, (which I beleive is what you mean by sulphite?) And why would I need a hydrometer? That would tell me the alcohol content? If the fermening has stopped, that means theres no more sugar or the yeast has died? How do you degass? never heard of it!


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## gesnipes (Oct 8, 2010)

mixmix said:


> Ok I'll try the degassing test. I havent put any campdentablets in yet, (which I beleive is what you mean by sulphite?) And why would I need a hydrometer? That would tell me the alcohol content? If the fermening has stopped, that means theres no more sugar or the yeast has died? How do you degass? never heard of it!



After a year, it isn't likely the fermentation process could still be ongoing unless you've added sugar recently. 

To degas, you have two options. One, stir vigorously. Use the backend of your spoon, or use a degasser attachment on a drill. It will cause the bubbles to foam and escape.

The second option - which I like - is to create a vacuum and suck the bubbles out. 

Whipping the bubbles out is the best option if you don't have a vacuum pump.


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## gesnipes (Oct 8, 2010)

Here is a video where degassing is demonstrated.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1FMHrX0Bo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1FMHrX0Bo[/ame]


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## mixmix (Jul 14, 2011)

*apple wine after all this time*

hi its me again, you can see how long its been by the previous posts... I did try degassing about 4 months ago, with a drill and peice of brake cable with a loose knot on the end. Seemed to work very well as tons of bubbles came arrising, but I never got close to the end of it! 
In seemed like I was introducing air to it more likely, like when you whip egg whites...
Anyway so its still bubbly, and in fact tastes great because it tastes of cider! (it probably IS cider)! So I could maybe put it in glass bottles with those metal security caps to drink as cider,..OR
Get the rest of the gas out somehow and drink it as wine! Degassing seems like I'm making things worse as I said earlier, there are still tons of bubbles that will rise if I start vigorously whipping it with the drill again...
The alcohol I expect to be strong as in maybe 14 to 16 percent but thats just a guess from the amount of sugar I used. If I can remember rightly it is pretty dry which I take to mean that all of the sugar has been transformed into alcohol...I like it dry anyway.
How should I bottle it if I want to keep it gassy?


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## robie (Jul 14, 2011)

When you say it is still bubbling, how often? Is the wine under an air lock?
After this much time I doubt it could possibly still be fermenting! Practically impossible, unless it stopped then later started again. 

If you are seeing random bubbles coming up, it could be CO2, or it could be just atmospheric change, but not likely the result of fermentation. Bubbling doesn't have a whole lot of meaning; it is the specific gravity that really counts.

Did you ever buy a hydrometer? As has already been mentioned, you really need one in order to determine when fermentation has ended. With it, you take specific gravity (SG) readings. If the SG has not changed for three days in a row, fermentation is complete. A hydrometer is not very expensive; only about $7 or so. Without one, it is much harder to be successful.


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## loumik (Jul 14, 2011)

mixmix,
Tom has posted a PDF "Book for Beginners" at the beginning of this Beginners area. I would suggest that you download and read it. Also, as has been suggested, get a hydrometer. You can't tell what's happening in your buckets and carboys just by looking at them. Unless you have added sugar in some form your wine very likely finished fermenting sometime ago. Check the SG of the wine and if it is below 1.000 and does not change for 2-3 days in a row fermentation is finished. Add k-meta (and sorbate if you are going to back sweeten) and either bulkage or bottle. Good Luck


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## mixmix (Jul 18, 2011)

By bubbling I mean that when I stir it up to try and degass, loads of tiny bubles arrise from the bottom. I do have airlocks but they dont bubble anymore. OK I'll get a hydrometer!
basiclly it only bubbles when I agitate it

I guess its abit like beer, if you agitate it bubbles arrise, if I fitted an airlock to the bottle, it wouldnt nessesarely bubble through...


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## Tom (Jul 18, 2011)

this is why you need a hydrometer.

This is trapped gas


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## robie (Jul 18, 2011)

Concerning the hydrometer, I know we sound like a broken record, Mixmix. It is just that we know you want to make a good wine. To do so, a hydrometer is indispensable. It really does take the guess work out of determining when fermentation is done.

Oh, if you are going to buy one, buy two instead; they break easily.


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