Trouble with kit

[mnwc2004]

I’ve made many wine kits with no issues. I’m currently making the island mist green apple kit. Starting SG was 1.050. After 21 days it’s stuck at 1.000. 3 days ago I tried restarting it with E 1118 yeast. Still nothing. Room temp has been around 74-77. I’m at a loss on what to do. Is the kit ruined??

 

[dralarms]

Sorry, I don’t do kits but the first thing I would have done is up the sg to at least 1.080. That way there’s enough alcohol to protect the wine.

 

[jgmann67]

Sorry, I don’t do kits but the first thing I would have done is up the sg to at least 1.080. That way there’s enough alcohol to protect the wine.

Can he still do that? Jack the SG by .03 or so with some simple syrup, bring the wine temp up to 70* + and hit it with some E1118?

 

[Johnd]

Check your hydrometer in distilled water and see if it reads exactly 1.000, or if it’s off a little bit. I have one that’s off by .003, so when it reads 1.000, it’s reall.997. Worth checking.

 

[dralarms]

Can he still do that? Jack the SG by .03 or so with some simple syrup, bring the wine temp up to 70* + and hit it with some E1118?

Not sure it would help.

 

[salcoco]

the kit is done. start to follow instructions on racking and stabilizing.

 

[BABRU]

I have made this kit many times but always tweak it by adding at start one pack of grape juice concentrate (cost about $15) and about 4# table sugar to raise SG to bring alcohol to 11-12% then follow kit instructions to completion. All of my sweet wine lovers love the finished product!
I agree with other posts that your kit is ready to go into secondary continuing to follow the kit instructions. Should there be a little sugar remaining at this time it will not matter because you will be sweeting the wine when you add the f-pack anyway. Your wine will finish with an alcohol content of 7-8% which is fine for for a refreshing drink as the kit maker intended; just don’t plan on keeping it on the shelf for a long time; enjoy it now and for the next year or so. I don’t think this kit improves with aging.

 

[mnwc2004]

Thank you for the help! It was just disappointing to not have a kit work like I thought it would. This is my first wine making failure so I guess I shouldn't be too upset. ~ Nicole

 

[BABRU]

I don't think any post here indicated failure. Finish the process according to kit instructions and you should have the finished product intended by the kit maker. The slight difference between a hydrometer reading of 1.000 and 0.996 will not make a significant difference in the final product. The hydrometer reading is more likely a result of air bubbles on the hydrometer or a hydrometer accuracy than a stuck fermentation but even if fermentation stopped a bit soon it should result in no noticeable difference in thhe final product. This kit was not intended to result in a wine with a higher alcohol content. I suspect you will have a fine, clear and pleasant fruity wine when you are done. Please let me know how it turns out.

 

[joeswine]

Rack it start the secondary process ,let it sit for two weeks then add your clearing agents and chems stri well let it set until clear.
IvI' made 2 of these and because of the concentrate used it's sometimes harder to get to the finish line.
Be patient go slow ,it's all good.