Fermentation stopped

[Smok1]

What yeast could get you too 21%? Even ec1118 is only 18% and thats in a perfect enviroment. Starting sg or finishing sg reading are most likely not correct

 

[Scooter68]

It's always good, just as JohnD says to have a few odd size bottles on hand. Head for the local recycling center and keep a sharp eye out. I pick up all my wine bottles there now, lots of 4 liter carboys (Carlo Rossi empties) and even a couple of Split bottles for use as gifts.

I actually found a couple of 20 oz and a 16 oz glass bottle that serve for those odd leftover amounts as the loss from lees drop my volume. There is no pressure issue so they don't have to be heavy-duty glass. My screw on caps with a hole for the airlock fits these perfectly.

 

[Gambit]

I'm a waiter and bartender. I get ALL of my wine bottles and beer bottles from work. Lol. I've got anything from a double mag down to a Champaign split for bottle size. We have street side recycling pick up so I don't even know where the local recycling center is, though that could be fixed with a quick Google search. I think I'm going to take a little out of the 3 gallon, 3 or 4 racking canes worth, and if need be a little spring water. Is it supposed to smell like watermelon bread? Lol. I'm assuming that will go away as it clears and the yeast fall out?

 

[Ajmassa]

I'm a waiter and bartender. I get ALL of my wine bottles and beer bottles from work. Lol. I've got anything from a double mag down to a Champaign split for bottle size. We have street side recycling pick up so I don't even know where the local recycling center is, though that could be fixed with a quick Google search. I think I'm going to take a little out of the 3 gallon, 3 or 4 racking canes worth, and if need be a little spring water. Is it supposed to smell like watermelon bread? Lol. I'm assuming that will go away as it clears and the yeast fall out?

Don't worry about that just yet. I edited my post yesterday. Like others have said, you don't need to worry about topping up again until you knows for sure your SG is completely done dropping.
At that point you will rack off the wine so you can ditch all the gunk and yeast at the bottom that has collected so it can clear. And you will lose a little bit more volume in doing so which you would then deal with. No need to mess with it more than you have to.

 

[Scooter68]

Gotta say I'm jealous of your access to wine bottles. Split bottles are so expensive I won't buy them and I rarely see them at the recycling center. (I would use them for gift bottles for folks who are curious but not sure they like fruit wines. - Hey why waste my wine on a full bottle for them.)

 

[Gambit]

Figured I would use the splits as tasting bottles. When the wine peaks, crack open the bigger bottles! Lol

 

[Ajmassa]

Figured I would use the splits as tasting bottles. When the wine peaks, crack open the bigger bottles! Lol

"Wine"? Perhaps. "Port" maybe. But at 21% it sounds more like watermelon flavored MD 20/20!

 

[drainsurgeon]

WOW, getting a wine up to 21% without fortifying is something! I have a port bulk aging right now that I was able to get up to 19% using EC1118 and step feeding the sugar every day or two. That yeast is rated for 18% and I nursed it a little past but it took some work. Especially with watermelon. I've heard that it can be a tricky one to ferment at all.

The wine gods are with you grasshopper.