Hi I started a gallonof tea wine a couple of weeks ago and it just seems to have stopped. Any ideas on what I should look for when I check it please? I used the requisite amount of sugar and my basic materials were around a gallon of leavings from the teapot!
Ian
What do you mean by "stopped"? Airlock activity is a bad way of judging whether a ferment has stalled, as it can be affected by changes in atmospheric pressure.
What is "the requisite amount of sugar"? What was your OG? What type of yeast did you use? What's the current gravity of your must?
Equally important, did you check your specific gravity when you started? You can easily tell when it's stopped (or should be stopped) by measuring to see if your sugar has been fully consumed. A "couple of weeks" is generally enough time for the primary fermentation to run its course. It might be a good time to test it and rack it. If you don't have a hydrometer to test the specific gravity (before and after is essential not only to see if its done, but to give you an idea of how much alcohol you're coming up with) then at the very least, you can take a small sample and taste it. Still sweet = not done/stuck fermentation. Not sweet = likely done...this is rough at best, but a ballpark idea.
Trid
-haven't tried a tea wine, sounds intriguing
If you really think it has stopped then it probably has. Then the question is, has it really finished or is it stuck. Tea wine can be low on nutrients, depending on your recipe, so it can stick. If you have a hydrometer, this is when you need to use it. If you do not, leave the wine alone and get one.
Using the hydrometer, if the SG is well below 1.000, say 0.996 or less. Then it is probably finished and should be racked and topped. If it is just arround 1.000, say 0.998 to 1.002, then it is almost finished and probably has stopped. No problem, rack and top it. But watch it and consider using some sorbate before bottling to keep it from restarting. If it is above this range, then the question is whether it has reached it's alcohol tolerance and quit or if it stuck before finishing.. You will have to have some idea of the starting SG to make that decision. If you think it might be stuck and do not have a beginning SG, get back with us to discuss the original recipe and maybe we can guestimate you through it.
Ray
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