Stuck fermentation

[Phillip Hertrich]

hi all!
I have been making a red and white wine and both seem to be stuck at 1.030. I started it in February but figured it would ferment slowly but hasn’t been moving at all. I used 1118 yeast in pure grape juice. I used an airlock since day one. I just pitched another yeast pack in both carboys and added a little bit of nutrient. Both carboys are at around 75 degrees F. Any suggestions on getting the yeast going again so I can get the gravity under 1.00? Thanks!

 

[pgentile]

Welcome... need some info to help. What are your juice sources? You are at 1.030 now but what did start at? For primary you shouldn't be under airlock, towel over a bucket suffices, you want some oxygen in and gases to escape during this part.

 

[sour_grapes]

Are you using a hydrometer or a refractometer to measure the specific gravity?

 

[Scooter68]

At this point having kept your juice under airlock is probably a good thing as it may have prevented spoilage. Even if you started on the last day of February, we are looking at almost 5 months to complete fermentation and that's definitely on the L O N G side.

pgentile asked for more info and I second that. Not trying to be blunt or cavalier here but we need to know ALL the details to help properly. What Juice you used, the recipe used, readings at the start, what you actually added and when. Any measurements (SG & pH specifically) you took along the way for the last 4 plus months. And finally the temperature in the room when you started it and now.

 

[Phillip Hertrich]

So my juice was from Bello Chilean. A Syrah and a Sauvigon Blanc. The SG was 1.14 for both. And this was taken with a refractometer. I didn't rehydrate the 1118 yeast prior to pitch. The temperature now is between 75 - 80. In the beginning I had the white at around 65 but brought that up at month 2. I actually just stuck the SG and current gravity into my beer software and it said it was 14.9%. So could this be completed? The guy at the wine shop I got the juice from said my FG should be between .98 and 1.002 so that has been what I have been aiming for. I added yeast nutrient to both at the beginning and then again at 4 months and then i added about a tablespoon to both last night along with hydrated 1118 for each.

 

[pgentile]

So my juice was from Bello Chilean. A Syrah and a Sauvigon Blanc. The SG was 1.14 for both. And this was taken with a refractometer. I didn't rehydrate the 1118 yeast prior to pitch. The temperature now is between 75 - 80. In the beginning I had the white at around 65 but brought that up at month 2. I actually just stuck the SG and current gravity into my beer software and it said it was 14.9%. So could this be completed? The guy at the wine shop I got the juice from said my FG should be between .98 and 1.002 so that has been what I have been aiming for. I added yeast nutrient to both at the beginning and then again at 4 months and then i added about a tablespoon to both last night along with hydrated 1118 for each.

SG of 1.140 is kind of high. Did you add sugar? Both the syrah and sauv blanc were 1.140? Although the yeast you used can sometimes go a little more than 14.9% abv my bet is, it's as far as it's going to go. At 1.140 if it fermented dry you would end up around 19% abv.

You sure your hydrometere is acurate? Taste the wine is it very sweet? If it is you are probably at 1.030. If it's not then maybe your hydrometer is off.

Your starting SG should have been around 1.080-1.100.

 

[sour_grapes]

So my juice was from Bello Chilean. A Syrah and a Sauvigon Blanc. The SG was 1.14 for both. And this was taken with a refractometer.

If you are getting a reading of 1.030 using a refractometer, then you are probably finished. The alcohol in the solution distorts the reading (because its index of refraction is different than water). Please get yourself a hydrometer and measure the SG directly. More information available here: http://valleyvintner.com/Refrac_Hydro/Refract_Hydro.htm

 

[pgentile]

If you are getting a reading of 1.030 using a refractometer, then you are probably finished. The alcohol in the solution distorts the reading (because its index of refraction is different than water). Please get yourself a hydrometer and measure the SG directly. More information available here: http://valleyvintner.com/Refrac_Hydro/Refract_Hydro.htm

i missed the part about the refractometer.

 

[Phillip Hertrich]

I have have a few hydrometers i just thought the refractometer was more accurate. Thanks for opening my eyes to this wrong thinking!