Cellar Craft I think I have a real problem with this merlot

[olusteebus]

The original sg was 1.09 but I bumped it up to 1.100 and added raisins and the supplied oak chips (which were very fine. Normally I put it a paint strainer bag in the bucket but I didn't. I finally got what I could racked off after fighting with clogged lines and canes and such. I left may 500 to 750 ml in the bucket with lots of oak and raisins. I think I misjudged the water in the primary because I had probably 1500 ml or more head space.

I put water in to where now I am about 750 ml of headspace left. No problem in that I can top it off with a commercial wine.

However, my ferment stopped at 1.000 exactly. I suppose I need to get it down below 1.000 to near .9940 or so, right. If I add a commercial wine with sorbate, it should inhibit ferment, right.

I can add yeast energizer and some champagne yeast to start up a ferment in the carboy but I don't see how I can have enough sugar. I could start a ferment in a small container I guess.

With the sg of 1.000, do I have enough sugars to start a ferment?

Will the commercial top off inhibit restarting a ferment?

will the difference between a sg of 1.000 and say .9500 make a difference in sweetness.

The manufacturer said it will make a sweet wine. And of course she said I messed up the balance with the additional sugar but I wanted a little more abv.

 

[Boatboy24]

Have you adjusted your hydrometer reading for temperature? How long has it been at 1.000? If it is cool, simply warming it up might do the trick.

 

[wineh]

1.100 to start isn't horribly high if your measurement was correct, and I guess it was the raisins that got the SG too high, and got stuck. When I get a fermentation that doesn't flocculate well, I sanitize a strainer and pour the remaining must through that to get that last 500-750ml.
I believe that .996 is considered "dry", so you would be hoping to get there. Comercial wines do not use sorbate (possible if the wine is off dry, but they have other methods), so that's not a big deal. However, you don't want to top up at all if you are going to try to re-start fermentation. First, wait a week to see if fermentation might just be slow. If it has stopped, just re-hydrate another yeast packet and add it to the carboy. My be is that this would be sufficient to get you going again, although a yeast nutrient could help.
You have discovered the drawback of experimentation; one of the reasons I stick close to the instructions is so I can get the guarantee if I need it. I have had a couple of kits replaced.
Good luck and don't give up.

 

[Olbuscap]

Olusteebus, was this a CC Showcase kit or a CC other?

 

[olusteebus]

Olusteebus, was this a CC Showcase kit or a CC other?

Showcase

Thanks to all

 

[olusteebus]

Talking to Olbuscap and now I realize that the alcohol may have been way high. I was not aware that skins crank it up a good bit over time.

anyhow, I tossed some more 1118 and energizer and it took off again.