Second batch has finished fermenting!

[Dsmith]

Hello,
I have checked my red wine for the third time in a week and it reads 1.008 as my FG. I started at 1.120 and if my calculator is correct i am at 14% alcohol(red star premier classique yeast). I want to back sweeten it. I am curious, at this point should I use K-sorbate and sulfite before sweetening? Or have the yeast petered out to the point It may not be needed. I am going to age one bottle without sweetening. Any thoughts
Thanks,

 

[sour_grapes]

Are you sure it is finished fermenting? With a SG that high, I would want to wait a lot more than a week to be sure.
Are you sure you want to sweeten it more? 1.008 sounds sweet to me...

 

[Dsmith]

It's not sweet enough for my wife's liking, especially with the higher alcohol content.
It's been fermenting for 3 weeks now. I racked from the primary into a carboy at day 5. The sg then was 1.034. A week or so later it is at 1.008 and clearing with light surface activity. 3 readings later still 1.008 and 2 weeks after first racking. Good amount of sediment in the bottom, zero surface activity and racked again, 4 days ago. Its opaque but not cloudy.

 

[mainshipfred]

After looking into it your yeast was formerly called Montrachet. The current version say alcohol up to 15% while the Montrachet says it was 13% so you could have reached your threshold. I have to say though racking to a carboy at 1.034 is a bit early. To answer your question I would say yes to K-sorbate and K-meta.

 

[Dsmith]

Thanks Mainshipfred!
I'm still learning and its trial by fire for now, much appreciated.
What SG would you have racked?
The recipe instructions said at 1.040 or so...?

 

[mainshipfred]

I think the most commonly accepted number is 1.010 but I usually take mine below 1.000. Good luck with it, hope it turns out to your wife's liking.

 

[Dsmith]

Well some good news.
It read 1.008 for a 4th time and I racked and de-gassed it. I was going to sweeten it so I put in the campden and k sorbate. After de-gassing for what seemed like forever we tasted it. The wife loved it, no more sugar needed.It had such a more even flavor than before. Its bottled and aging now. It was crystal clear after 3 weeks?