Rhubarb wine hydrometer question - reading at .986

[CAKEJUMPER]

Hi all - new to fermentation and trying some back garden wines to 0 success so far!
So I'm making a rhubarb wine, following this recipe: How to make rhubarb wine

I've had it in a demijohn clearing away for a month, and I came to rack it into a sterilised demijohn as per the instructions, and I though as it was reasonably clear I'd check the hydrometer reading.

Now I've only just got a hydrometer, so didn't have it before I added the yeast so don't have a comparison. However the reading was belo.990 and I don't know what that means - or what to do about it!!

Any advice? What even does it mean!! Image below

 

[toadie]

Wow that seems a little low! Try floating the hydrometer in water to see if it is close to 1.00 to see if it is faulty or miscalibrated. Realistically the number is meaningless (other than to let you know when fermentation is finished) without a starting gravity reading to determine abv. Taste it, it should be "hot" but taste a little rhubarby. Definitely let it sit in a clean carboy for a while and try again later!

 

[CAKEJUMPER]

Thanks Toadie - I checked the hydrometer and it was bang on 1.00 so its not faulty. I tasted it and it didnt necessarily taste like rhubarb (not sure what you mean by tasting hot I'm afraid!). I'm wondering if I should stop fermentation (surely this will only decrease the reading?) and add some sugar, then bottle? But that is based on literally nothing as I am completely new!

Honestly with this and my crazy thick elderflower champagne I'm wondering if I'm cut out for this winemaking malarkey!

 

[toadie]

Hot means alcohol. I personally would let it sit for quite a while before bottling. Use the hydrometer again, see if it has changed. If you have to bottle and backsweeten now you have to hit it with potassium meta and potassium sorbate but that is not my field of expertise. Good luck!

 

[Rice_Guy]

I would expect an error of .002 between the common hydrometer sold at the wine toys store. Lab tools are calibrated against salt solutions ol various density.
Alcohol has a lower density than water, high alcohol (hot) can give low readings.

In the scheme if things what we are looking for is lack of change. We can use a non-calibrated hydrometer and see that the reading has been stable for months, therefore the wine is stable. Yes it is also nice to estimate potential alcohol in the must.
CO2 on the weight end can give a high reading, spinning should get rid of this error for a few minutes.
Very pretty color/ clear wine.

 

[winemaker81]

@CAKEJUMPER, I've had a few wines come in at 0.988, so the reading is not totally crazy. Is the hydrometer touching the side of the test jar? If so, that will throw the reading off. There is also a matter of temperature adjustment, as most hydrometers are calibrated at 60 F.

Either way, fermentation should be done. I do not see a problem.

Fermentation is the process of the yeast eating sugar, emitting alcohol and CO2. When the yeast runs out of sugar to eat OR the alcohol level exceeds the yeast's tolerance, fermentation end. [Yeast can produce enough alcohol to poison its own environment.] With the SG reading you've got, fermentation is done.

You're in the clearing and aging phase of winemaking. At this point, let the wine age at least a few month months before bottling.

If you are going to backsweeten the wine, you must dose it with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite (K-meta) prior to bottling. Sorbate in conjunction with K-meta prevents a renewed fermentation in the bottle. If you don't do this, the yeast is likely to re-activate, and the CO2 will blow your corks.

At this point you've done all the hard work. Now you just need to be patient to let the wine bulk age, then bottle.

 

[DizzyIzzy]

Thanks Toadie - I checked the hydrometer and it was bang on 1.00 so its not faulty. I tasted it and it didnt necessarily taste like rhubarb (not sure what you mean by tasting hot I'm afraid!). I'm wondering if I should stop fermentation (surely this will only decrease the reading?) and add some sugar, then bottle? But that is based on literally nothing as I am completely new!

Honestly with this and my crazy thick elderflower champagne I'm wondering if I'm cut out for this winemaking malarkey!

Cakejumper..................DON'T GIVE UP!! Your hydrometer reading would indicate your wine is "dry" (if it has held that reading for 3 consecutive days). If you want it to taste sweeter than you might want to backsweeten with 2:1 simple syrup (sugarater), then dose with K-Meta and potassium sorbate. Transfer into a glass carboy with airlock for bulk aging. Remember to top off the wine to within 2" from the top of carboy to prevent oxidation. Let Father Time do its thing, but DO NOT give up................................you CAN do this.......................................................DizzyIzzy

 

[DizzyIzzy]

Cakejumper..................DON'T GIVE UP!! Your hydrometer reading would indicate your wine is "dry" (if it has held that reading for 3 consecutive days). If you want it to taste sweeter than you might want to backsweeten with 2:1 simple syrup (sugarater), then dose with K-Meta and potassium sorbate. Transfer into a glass carboy with airlock for bulk aging. Remember to top off the wine to within 2" from the top of carboy to prevent oxidation. Let Father Time do its thing, but DO NOT give up................................you CAN do this.......................................................DizzyIzzy

Don't know where the above emoji came from?, but the parentheses should say 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.................................DizzyIzzy

 

[sour_grapes]

Don't know where the above emoji came from?, but the parentheses should say 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.................................DizzyIzzy

It came about because the emoji tag is prefaced by a colon [:] I have had this happen to me, too.
You used the colon to indicate a ratio, and the forum software interpreted the colon of your ratio and the w of your "water" as : w together, which is emoji-speak for "whip."

 

[CAKEJUMPER]

Ah thanks all! OK - I'll just age it and run a few more tests after a little while, then decide what to do in a few months! Appreciate your time and care in explaining the basics!

Weirdly the first batch of wine I made (lilac wine) is showing the exact same reading! I guess its just a waiting game on both...

Now on to blackberry wine!

 

[wetneck]

Im a rookie but I would just keep checking it every day. If it dont drop anymore then its probably done. Its not going to hurt to leave it be.

By the way i want to do some rhubarb wine but its hard to find now. Maybe i can find some frozen stuff. Ill try meijer first though, they are big on rhubarb and they have old orchard tart cherry juice.

I'd like to try rhubarb with strawberry too.

 

[winemaker81]

Im a rookie but I would just keep checking it every day. If it dont drop anymore then its probably done. Its not going to hurt to leave it be.

I'm invoking the "P" word (patience). When a wine stubbornly refuses to finish fermentation, the best choice is to put it under airlock and ignore it for 1 to 4 weeks. I've had wine stick at 1.000 and with no warning fermentation restarted a couple of months later. Checking SG daily may introduce contaminants without producing any benefit.

By the way i want to do some rhubarb wine but its hard to find now. Maybe i can find some frozen stuff. Ill try meijer first though, they are big on rhubarb and they have old orchard tart cherry juice.

There are a lot of good rhubarb recipes on the forum. Search and compare recipes. Start a new thread and post your proposed recipe to get feedback, as it's easier to provide direction than it is to fix problems.