stuck at 1020

canerak

i started my wine fermentation with 1110 gravity-25 liter-6 gr yeast-10 gr yeast nutrients-room temp 4 weeks ago. now it stuck at 1020 gravity. i don't like sweety wine so what can i do to lower the gravity.maybe my yeast isn't much tolerant to alcohol.if i add a more alcohol tolerant yeast at this point,will it help?

DBhomebrew

With what tool do you measure gravity? If a refractometer, do you use a refractometer calculator to compute FG?

canerak

no, i use a hydrometer at room temp.

Dr_Jeff

Which yeast did you use?
Sometimes moving the fermenter to a warmer location can help.

canerak

i always get my yeast from a local manufacturer but unfortunately i don't know the details of the yeast .package says %16 alcohol tolerant but i dont know if that is true. thank you for your advice

IslandLizard

To me 6 g of yeast looks like quite an underpitch for that batch, 25 liter at 1.110.
If warming up doesn't resume it, you could make a good size yeast starter and when it's at high krausen pitch that into your stalled batch. keep it on the warm side.

canerak

thank you. i will try that

IslandLizard

Your batch is currently around 12% ABV, so if your yeast can indeed go to 16% it theoretically should be able to finish it, ending up around 15.75% ABV at 0.990 (dry wine).
Is your wine still cloudy (an indication your current yeast is still active) or has it started to clear (yeast not active anymore, and settling out)?.

IslandLizard

Oh, have you checked your hydrometer in distilled or RO water at it's calibration temp?

canerak

it's a little cloudy. even if the yeasts are still active, the gravity has dropped from 1025 to 1020 in the last 7 days so they are very slow. i haven't checked my hydrometer with distilled water but with tap water it's around 1000 so I don't think the calibration is messed up too much

IslandLizard

As long as it's dropping she's still active. The last few miles (points) are always the hardest, but she may pull through.
I'd put her in a somewhat warmer place (70-72F), and check gravity again a month from now. It's important to keep temps constant too, even a slight temp drop may send the yeast into hibernation mode.
And keep her in the dark or covered up, light is not doing any favors.

canerak

in my previous batches fermentation was usually completed in 3 weeks with this yeast.But i have never tried with that gravity and total volume.i have always started with 1090 and 20 liter.Anyway thank you lizard, i will wait and see what will happen.