Fermentation End a Little Too Soon

[Scooter68]

Well My Vinter's Harvest Black Currant wine (Large Can - 3 Gallon batch) is in the aging process now. Somewhere along the line my SG reading was wrong or the Yeast died a little early. I was aiming for a higher ABV and still got to about 16.8% but I was hoping for a dryer wine that I could sweeten back up a little if needed
Overshot my desired starting SG Aimed for 1.125 and ended up with 1.132. The Yeast (EC1118) should have been good even for that high an SG but fermentation stopped cold with the SG at 1.004. (Resulting in a 16.8 ABV) The result is a little sweeter than I wanted. On the plus side I won't have to back sweeten. Several of my other batches stopped at .995 - .997 but as they aged they ended up at about .990 - very dry which is fine.

Anyone have any ideas? - the batch is plenty strong but I would rather not water it down. I did ferment this at about 60-65 degrees and waited about 12 days after moving into secondary fermentation Carboys. I dropped the Campden tablets then as I was seeing absolutely no bubbling and the bubbler had dropped to the bottom of its chamber.

What I have now is a strong but sweet wine that will sneak up on you if you don't pay attention. I bottled one of the 3 x 1 gal carboys knowing that it's a very young at 60 Days age but the taste was very balanced and both the wife and I liked the taste even if it was a little on the sweet side. Still have 2 gallons aging and will probably let them stay in the bulk age carboys for at least another couple of months or more.
Oh yes - very clear, no haze at all with no filtering or fining agents. This has been something I've experienced with my darker wines (Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry and now the Black Current) they seem to clear quicker than the lighter colored ones like Peach, Strawberry and Apple (Still hazy at 7 months)

 

[Arne]

I believe I would keep a close eye on those you have already bottled. You mite still have some active yeast in there. If they start turning cloudy, I would open them up and check for more fermentation. Or open them up and drink em. Arne.

 

[salcoco]

some yeast nutrient like Fermaid-K might have helped it reach dryness.

I think you will achieve a more balanced wine with a 12% ABV and then sweeten based on bench trials.

 

[Scooter68]

Hopefully I will not have a problem It's been racked 3 times since fermentation ended at end of fermentation I used a Campden tablet and 3 days before bottling I racked the 3rd time and added a Campden tablet along with Potassium Sorbate. BUT I will be keeping an eye on those 5 bottles. The clarity along with the taste is what convinced me it was ready to bottle. While they age I keep watch on the bubblers to watch for any gassing off. The bubblers on these 3 have been rock steady after the Campden tablet gas out.

Live and learn on these batches. Quite drinkable but I was hoping for something a little dryer. We'll see how it ages in 2-4 months from now for the other 2 gallons. The pH is little high so I may have to add a little acid blend. All 3 gallons carboys came in at pH 3.75 Thinking of using a about 1/4 tsp/gal of Acid Blend to get it bit lower. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Right not it doesn't have any real bite to it so a little more acid won't hurt - is my thought.

 

[WineYooper]

I would think if you ferment at a higher temp you might carry it out longer to dry. Usually my ferments do best in the 70-80 degree range. An extra five degrees may help.

 

[Floandgary]

At 1.132 start and at 16% still above 1.000 I'd be inclined to speculate that alcohol stunned/killed the yeast!! Don't know for sure that EC118 can tolerate that much.
Correction,,,,,, Spec. says good to 18%

 

[Scooter68]

I would think if you ferment at a higher temp you might carry it out longer to dry. Usually my ferments do best in the 70-80 degree range. An extra five degrees may help.

I agree especially with the darker fruit where the flavor loss is not an issue - my problem is that I am doing my wine making in another house that we keep at minimum temps of 60-65 (Not currently occupied) and I couldn't justify heating it up to the higher temps for this.

Live and learn - next time I'll be sure to:
1) Check my SG more carefully - I wasn't intending to go that high
2) Time my fermentation start to warmer weather. When the house temps are closer around 70
On the plus side I won't have to backsweeten and the basement of the house keeps a fairly steady temp from fall to winter (About 55-58 F) so it's a great place to store and age my wine projects.

 

[WineYooper]

Sounds similar to my situation except I bring it upstairs in the cooler part of the year and use a brew belt & towels for insulation. Would like to get a temp controller but have not made the jump yet.