First wine kit SG trouble

[Redskins]

I am bottling my first wine right now a grand cru pinot grigio and when trying to take a final gravity reading it is floating below the numbers. The instructions said to fill the carboy after clearing and stabilizing with water up to a inch or two below the air valve so i am thinking maybe it is too watered down? It does not taste bad at all. It definitely tastes like pinot but maybe a tad watered down. I figured for my first kit i would follow instructions exactly and for my next kit i have a smaller carboy of 5 gallons so i will not have to top off as much. I used a 6 gallon one for this. Any ideas??? Thanks!

 

[novalou]

I am bottling my first wine right now a grand cru pinot grigio and when trying to take a final gravity reading it is floating below the numbers. The instructions said to fill the carboy after clearing and stabilizing with water up to a inch or two below the air valve so i am thinking maybe it is too watered down? It does not taste bad at all. It definitely tastes like pinot but maybe a tad watered down. I figured for my first kit i would follow instructions exactly and for my next kit i have a smaller carboy of 5 gallons so i will not have to top off as much. I used a 6 gallon one for this. Any ideas??? Thanks!

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uu6fu

What is the temperature of your sample? Check it against your hydrometer's calibrated temperature.

 

[Redskins]

it was right about 70 degrees even

 

[TonyP]

Watering down would create a SG nearer 1.000. It seems to me there's three possibilities in order: 1) the wine stratified and you took a sample from the top, 2) the hydrometer's broken, or 3) you took the reading on Mt Everest.

To check on possibility 1, take a sample toward the bottom of your container.

Also, I'd like to see the instructions. Let us know exactly which kit you're making.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Also, when you rack, take everything but the last 1/4 inch or so. It then takes less to top up.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

when racking, put what ever is left into a 750 or larger bottle and let it settle for a few days, then add that back to the carboy ( the clear wine only). The first time I made wine I lost about 2 gallons by tossing good wine with the leas.
As for the hydrometer, float it in some water only at the temp in the instructions. It should read 1.000. As for the reading in the photo, aside from it being off, you could have some really high alcohol.

 

[ibglowin]

I would say you got a bad hydrometer. Check it in distilled water. It should read 1.000 or close depending on the solution temp.

 

[Dugger]

The other possibility is that your hydrometer is stuck to the side of your test jar. Try giving the hydrometer a spin and keep it away from the sides (difficult, I know) and see if this gives you a more realistic reading.

 

[Redskins]

I think it is a bad hydrometer it was not floating at 1.000 in water. I could check the gravity once i open a bottle in a couple months to get my final gravity right?

 

[TonyP]

Yes, SG should not change. If it does, that would be because fermentation didn't end prior to bottling. You won't need a hydrometer to figure that out. You'll hear popping corks.