Fermentation Stopped at 1.000

[Mike Parisi]

This is my second Nero D'Avola AllJuice kit. The first kit fermented down to .992, but this one has been at 1.000 for the last 3 days. Same hydrometer, which reads 1.000 in water. And my first kit was just back in October, so not a lot of time difference. I am assuming (maybe incorrectly) that this isn't a stuck fermentation, since the sg isn't above 1.000, but just want to make sure.

I suppose this isn't anything to worry about, but would like to get some experts thoughts on it and how it might affect the wine (taste, sweetness, etc), if at all.

 

[salcoco]

major fermentation is complete. rack according to instructions rack again in three days check sg then. if still 1.00 all okay wine is fine.

 

[Mike Parisi]

I had stirred in the yeast nutrient, as per instructions, when the SG got down below 1.05. Then when it got to 1.02 I racked into the carboy, again, per instructions. At that point, it was at 1.014. The next 5 days saw it go to 1.006, 1.002, 1.000, 1.000, and 1.000.

 

[cmason1957]

That rack at 1.020 often causes problems, I think. I'm glad some of the instructions have dropped it. Back when I did it, I always tried to get every last drop out of the bucket to make sure there was enough yeast to finish fermentation. You are probably fine, you won't be able to restart fermentation probably.

 

[Mike Parisi]

I stirred the bucket as I was racking, to keep the sediment in suspension. I got just about all of it. I will wait a couple more days before racking to degas and put in the potassium metabisulphite, kieselsol, chitosan, and potassium sorbate. Right now, there is maybe a bubble every 30-45 seconds, so I am pretty sure fermentation is finished. Instructions say it should go to .998 or lower and I can't be sure how accurate the hydrometer is anyway. I need to get a second one, just to be able to cross check.

 

[JohnT]

Try tasting it. The tongue makes a great hydrometer.

 

[Mike Parisi]

Duh! Hadn't thought of that. Tasted, and there is no residual sweetness at all. Then I rmembered that I still have my brother-in-law's equipment kit. So I used his hydrometer and the SG measured .994. Mine was still reading 1.000. So tomorrow I will go through the degassing and adding the stabilizing and clarifying additives.

 

[DanL]

I have been doing this for many years but this is the first time I've had a kit (RJS Amarone) that stopped at 1.000 and nothing gets it going. I've tried restarting with a started solution and it still would not get going again. Here's my question: Why would all the yeast be used up and not go to below 1:00?

 

[winemaker81]

Faulty hydrometer? Check them both in distilled water. Also make sure the faulty one is absolutely clean. Even if it looks clean, it may not be. I keep a scrubby that has never touched soap or chemicals for scrubbing my hardware and primary fermenters.

Keep in mind the "3 day rule" doesn't apply if the SG is above 0.998. In most cases, an SG of 1.000 means there is residual sugar, so unless the OG was insanely high or a low potency yeast was used, it's not done.

Last fall I made a second run from Malbec, Merlot, and Zinfandel pomace -- I fermented separately and then mixed the three and produced 3 carboys of light press and 1 of hard press with a combined SG of 1.002. All 4 carboys fermented down to 1.000 and stuck. After 2 weeks I added EC-1118 and yeast nutrient/energizer, no change.

A month later (late December) the light press moved from a 54 liter demijohn to a 54 liter barrel and the hard press stayed in the carboy. The SG remained 1.000.

In early February the bung on the barrel blew 3 days in a row. The barrel gets late morning sun so I thought I over filled it and it heated up. When I checked the SG in March -- 0.992. It may be that a bit of extra heat kickstarted the yeast. I'll never know for sure.

If the SG of a supposedly dry wine is above 0.998 -- wait. Give it time. Yeast does its own thing ....

 

[DanL]

Faulty hydrometer? Check them both in distilled water. Also make sure the faulty one is absolutely clean. Even if it looks clean, it may not be. I keep a scrubby that has never touched soap or chemicals for scrubbing my hardware and primary fermenters.

Keep in mind the "3 day rule" doesn't apply if the SG is above 0.998. In most cases, an SG of 1.000 means there is residual sugar, so unless the OG was insanely high or a low potency yeast was used, it's not done.

Last fall I made a second run from Malbec, Merlot, and Zinfandel pomace -- I fermented separately and then mixed the three and produced 3 carboys of light press and 1 of hard press with a combined SG of 1.002. All 4 carboys fermented down to 1.000 and stuck. After 2 weeks I added EC-1118 and yeast nutrient/energizer, no change.

A month later (late December) the light press moved from a 54 liter demijohn to a 54 liter barrel and the hard press stayed in the carboy. The SG remained 1.000.

In early February the bung on the barrel blew 3 days in a row. The barrel gets late morning sun so I thought I over filled it and it heated up. When I checked the SG in March -- 0.992. It may be that a bit of extra heat kickstarted the yeast. I'll never know for sure.

If the SG of a supposedly dry wine is above 0.998 -- wait. Give it time. Yeast does its own thing ....

I’ve been stirring just about every day and when i stir i get the bubbles like it’s fermenting but then the fermenting stops within two minutes. And no change in SG! I think i’ll rack and let it sit in the carboy for a few weeks and see what happens. It does taste good (for unaged wine). Any other recommendations? All are gladly accepted

 

[winemaker81]

New wine is full of CO2. The bubbles you see during stirring are CO2 being released. FYI, I started stirring all wines post-fermentation, like the kits recommend. With the trapped CO2 gone, the wine clears faster.

If you are making kits, the duration in the instructions are approximate. Fermentation takes as long as it takes. You're using a hydrometer -- it will tell you when to rack the first time, and when fermentation is complete. Ignore kit instructions on fermentation time.

Once fermentation is done, the time frames listed are minimums. I rarely bottle kits "on time". An extra few weeks here and there are fine, once the wine is in the carboy. Some folks age kits for 12+ months. This is all personal choice.

The best advice is patience. Yeast is a natural product and it works at its own pace. We may influence it, but we are never in control.

EDIT: Regarding when to rack the first time, the overall consensus on this forum appears to be between 1.020 and when fermentation is done (0.990 to 0.996), with most folks racking between 1.000 and 1.010. [I didn't do a count of votes, just tallied things in my head so my perception may be faulty.]

I have first racked in the entire spectrum listed above, but prefer to do it between 1.008 and 1.012, and always before 1.000. I want some activity in the carboy and the knowledge that there was a CO2 cushion in the primary fermenter. This is personal choice, and don't be concerned with changing your opinion based upon time and experience.

 

[pete1325]

I think you're done fermenting. Age and drink.