slow fermentation...?

[Phador]

I started a batch of welchs on 2/3/14. 6 gallon batch with 8 lbs of frozen blueberry and 1 lb of chopped raisins. S-G -1.009, rc212 . Transferred to secondary at 1.002 and now, almost a month later I still see fermentation in the carboy via bubbles and occasional activity in the airlock, and a gravity reading of 1.000. I threw in a little energizer and nutrient, and noticed an uptick in activity...briefly. Should I be worried about this slow fermentation? Is it worth trying to tweak it along to get it to dry faster?

 

[Pumpkinman]

Once the wine has fermented down to 1.000, adding energizer and or yeast nutrient is only going to lead to nutrient and energizer being left in the wine, this in itself isn't a terrible thing, unless you somehow get spoilage organisms in the wine that will use them to their advantage.
what appears as slow fermentation could be CO2 being released, did you degas the wine?
You say that your starting gravity was 1.009, did you mean 1.090?
I do not rack my wine until it has fermented dry, .992, racking it off the yeast can cause it to slow down to a crawl and/or stop fermenting all together, any reason why you racked early?
What temp is your wine at?

 

[Phador]

I did indeed mean 1.09. I tend to rack out of primary around 1.02 as a matter of practice...is that not necessary? I have not degassed this wine, so as you say, maybe it is just releasing C02. My thermometer strip went missing the past few days so I need a new one. If it helps, it has been sitting in a room with a constant temp of 63-66 degree range.

 

[Pumpkinman]

I wouldn't put too much faith in those stick on thermometers, I hear good and bad about them. I'd personally leave the wine alone until it is fermented to dry, the worse case, if it gets stuck before racking, you can always try to stir up the sediment in an attempt to put the yeast back into suspension.
I'd degass the wine, but if I'm not mistaken, wine degasses faster at a slightly higher temp.

 

[Phador]

So a, long slow fermentation isn't a bad thing?

 

[Pumpkinman]

Not at all.

 

[salcoco]

Your wine is done. I would rack off the gross lees as soon as possible to prevent off odors. Add k-meta and then rack again in three weeks. wine will clear and degas on it own. wait another three months and rack. if tastes fine good to bottle. sweetening at this time can also be done.