WineXpert Gravity Sticking- Vintners Reserve Pinot Gris

[otownpyle]

What's up amigos? This is my first wine kit.

I'm doing my first wine & it's a Vinters Reserve Pinot Gris kit I bought from AHS.

Here's a copy of the instructions.

www dot winexpert dot com/pdfs/kit-instructions/vintnersreserve-instructions.pdf

The OG was 1.075, could have been 1.070 though.

I'm basically at step 3 Stabilizing & Clearing but the instructions tell me I have to wait on the SG to get to .996 to start degassing and adding the additive packs. I put it together on 8/26, then transfered it to secondary on 9/1 where it had a SG at 1.009 (needed to be 1.010 or less). I was supposed to wait 10 days and check the SG & it be below .996 as stated earlier.

I checked it on 9/12 at it was 1.002 (BTW these have been takin at a temp of 72 degrees F so I've been adding a .001 per my hydrometer instructions). I figured it would take a few more days so I took it on 9/18 @ 1.001 SG. And Sunday 9/26 it was still at 1.001 SG...This is now 25 days after transferring to secondary & the kit said it should take approx 10 days.

I "calibrated" my hydrometer yesterday at it looks like it's reading tap water at 1.002 at luke warm temp , so I don't know if I need to adjust a few for that.

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should I just go ahead and proceed to the next steps? Is it done fermenting? Should I just continue to wait? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[robie]

72 F is a good temperature at which to ferment. Sounds to me your fermentation has stopped.

You might try stirring the wine up really well, seal it and wait a few more days to try SG again. Stirring helped one of my kits restart at about that same SG.

If you are taking your SG reading in a sampling tube, when you are taking your readings, make sure the hydrometer is not sticking to the sides of tube. Be sure and spin the hydrometer as you instert it into the wine.

Typically, if a little heat and a good stir does not restart fermentation, at an SG at or below 1.000, it will do no good to pitch more yeast. Your wine just may not be as dry as it was intended. I have had that happen to me. The wine was fine, anyway.

My advice to you is to contact AHS (whoever that is) and ask them for further instructions. They sold you the kit, so they should step in and advice you.

 

[Wade E]

Its very typical of these W.E. kits to stop early which is 1 reason Im not huge on this brand. Im also not to fond of racking wine at that low of a sg as lots of yeast has settled out to the bottom so racking off of it and leaving it behind leaves your wine suceptible to these stuck fermentations. I ferment to dryness in primary and just would seal the lid and airlock it at around 1.015. Dead yeast is actually a food for thriving yeast, its actually the hulls of the dead yeast and is actually an ingredient in yeast energizer.

 

[otownpyle]

Thanks Guys. Yeah I got the gravity readings covered as I'm a beer brewer already. Tho I'd love to get a refractometer to replace the traditional spinny mabobber... I'm gonna give it some stirs w/ my degasser this evening I reckon before I bottle my Golden Palisades IPA?

Then I guess just wait till the weekend and see if it drops? If not do I just go ahead and proceed? The wine tastes pretty good already IMO. HA... I just didn't want to screw up this batch over a couple hundredths of a point..

Thanks for your help guys. Is this website administered by the same people as on homebrewtalk?

 

[robie]

Thanks Guys. Yeah I got the gravity readings covered as I'm a beer brewer already. Tho I'd love to get a refractometer to replace the traditional spinny mabobber... I'm gonna give it some stirs w/ my degasser this evening I reckon before I bottle my Golden Palisades IPA?

Then I guess just wait till the weekend and see if it drops? If not do I just go ahead and proceed? The wine tastes pretty good already IMO. HA... I just didn't want to screw up this batch over a couple hundredths of a point..

Thanks for your help guys. Is this website administered by the same people as on homebrewtalk?

Yes, if temperature, stirring, and time don't workout, about all you can do is proceed. Actually, your wine will still be fine. I likely won't be able to taste any extra sweetness at that SG.
Did you contact AHS? They will likely tell you what Wade already told you... it's a W.E. kit, which can stop early.

 

[otownpyle]

I'm assuming W.E. stands for Wine Extract? Have not contacted the supplier. I was bottling my IPA last night but plan on stirring the liquid w/ my degasser tonight.

 

[phermenter]

WE in this case stands the Winexpert, the company that makes Vintners Reserve and World Vineyards and Selection this and Estate that.

They would be the best ones to contact with problems. They've helped me in the past. Just go to winexpert.com and click on the "contact us" link at the top left. Linda, or someone else will guide you through the jungle.

Jim

 

[otownpyle]

Thanks man. I'm a new home brewer (6 personal batches) and just now starting to get the beer lingo.. Wine, so I've found out, is a whole other animal!