Ideas? Black Currant stalled out SG 1.056

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Scooter68

Fruit "Wine" Maker
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This was supposed to be another batch of dessert wine with an ABV between 13-15% *
Black Currant wine (Vintner's Harvest) 3 gallon batch from 96 oz wine base.

Starting SG 1.102 (Achieved with Simple Syrup 2:1)
EC-1118 Yeast
Yeast Nutrient added well before pitching yeast.
pH 3.49
Usual starter mix of 2 oz warm water, 1 oz Juice, 1/16 tsp yeast nutrient full packet of yeast

Nothing out of the norm for this temps were in the mid-lower 70s.
It started out normally with good layer of thick foam then that faded by about day 4. SG dropped normally until about that time and at day 4 it was 1.068.
Added a little more yeast nutrient and Fermaid K (sp?) 1/8 tsp
Since then the rate of drop is has been about .001 per day if that.

Leaving for two weeks in about 1 week - so I racked it to a carboy and a 1.5 l jug with some headspace...just in case.
After 3 days of very slow airlock activity I topped up the 3 gallon carboy to just below the neck and put the remainer of the 'extra' into a 16 oz glass with an airlock
Added another 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient when I topped off and some foam appeared and remains but since that the SG has dropped only .001 in three days.

Out of ideas. Figure it's safe in a carboy when I leave but I'd like to see it moving a little more before then - about 5 days out from leaving.
Only options I see if it quits completely now are:
1) Another batch (step feed) to completely dry with at least 12% ABV
2) By some everclear to raise the ABV to at least 9% but then it will still be WAY to sweet.
3) Find another dry wine I can add to reduce the sweetness but not lose the character of a Tart Black Currant.

As the title says... Ideas?

* (Yes, next time Step feeding will be the method. This is my third batch and I should have learned from the first two that both stopped a short of 1.000 (1.004 & 1.010) Those were fine because that left enough residual sweetness that I didn't need to back sweeten much at all.)
 
Last edited:
Well...on the road now. Checked the wine and it's down to 1.039 slow slow slow. So since this is wine from juice with no pulp and still slowly fermenting I decided to let it keep going. It's in a carboy with an airlock and bouncing the airlock about every 9 second. Wait and see time.
 

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