WineXpert possible stuck fermentation

[sangwitch]

I racked two wines last night. A bergamais and a supertuscan. Both had been bubbling in the primary, but when I got home from work today I could detect noaction. The liquid level in the airlock is even for one and almost even for the other.


When I racked, the SG for the bergamais was .991 and .994 for the supertuscan. The temp right now is 73F so that seems good.I also checked the seals around the bung and airlock and they seem tight.


My plan is to measure the SG tonight and again tomorrow and the next day to see if the wine is, in fact, stuck and then take action from there. Is this a good plan? Is there anything else to do in the meantime? Maybe a littleenergizer?


I hope I didn't contaminate them last night. I've got three other batches that seem happy.

 

[masta]

How many days were they in the primary? The SG is fine for both and no need to add anything since they both can't go much lower and most likely done fermenting BUT please wait the total of 10 days after racking before you do anything.


I know you are thinking "if it is done fermenting why wait?" waiting the 10 days will guarantee the fermentation is complete and also start the degassing phase somewhat.


Give the carboys a gentle rocking back and forth and this will cause some CO2 to come out of solution and fill the head space to make sure the wine is protected from oxygen since the SG was low when you racked.

 

[Wade E]

They might have bottle shock. Did you degass it also or add campden or
P-meta at racking. If degassed, it might have been done fermenting and
just letting off gas. I would leave it alone for a day unless
someone much more knowledgable chimes in and says otherwise but I think
your SG is so low that you might be done and it just letting off gas.

 

[daveb50]

sangwitch, your wines are very close to, or may even be done fermenting.A hydrometerreading of .990 would be completely dry (no residual sugar). Check the SG for the next few days as you planned. I would not add anything extra at this time. Every wine is a little different, and will finish at different points.Most of mine finish between .990 and .995 Younormally rack out of primary at 1.01, or according to your kit instructions if they differ.
Dave

 

[sangwitch]

thanks all. The wines were in the primary for five days. I usually leave the wine in the carboy 20 days before stabalizing. Both the wines I racked last night were bubbling before racking and I have a pinot that was racked from primary about 12 days ago and that's still bubbling so that's why I got worried that something happened.


I didn't add anything when I racked. These rackings were a bit different then my usual methodbecause one is a crushendo so I siphoned half and then poured the rest through the straining bag and with the Bergamais I opened the spigot and let it flow through a funnel and screen.


Should I even bother taking the SG reading tonight then? Or just let them sit a couple weeks and then stabilize?


I will rock back and forth since I had removed the bung and airlocks earlier in order to check the seal so I'm sure there's not much CO2 in the head space.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds like a good plan. Salute

 

[sangwitch]

ok... I think I learned something here. I alwaysassumed that if there was bubbling going on that meant there was still fermentation taking place, but it sounds like that's not the case and that it could just be fromthe wine naturally degassing.

 

[pkcook]

Degassing will definitely do it and barometric pressure changes will effect the fluid level in your airlock as well. Found this out with a wine that had been bulk aging for 6 months and was bone dry. One week the fluid would be level and the next the carboy would show pressure then it would go negative. We were having some funky weather patterns going through.

 

[Dean]

If the supertuscan is a grape pack type kit, then you will always have a higher final gravity on that wine. There are a lot more solids and unfermentable sugars that are left in suspension on grape pack kits. Most of my Cellar Craft grape pack kits finished around 0.996, and some at 0.998. My RJS grape pack kits finish typically aound 1.000 and some as high as 1.002 (and still taste completely dry). So you are well within range on those 2 kits.