I've made 3 wines this autumn. Blackberry, elderberry and sloe. The
blackberry fermented OK but the other 2 stopped short, one at 1.020 and the
other at 1.060 from a starting sg of about 1.090. All were fermented in the
same temp controlled chest which maintains a must temp of 20 degs C. I've
made these wines in previous years to the same formulation with no problems.
Any suggestions?

Graham, You can try aerating the must by a racking with a bit of splashing.
Add some yeast nutrient if you haven't added excessive amounts already.
Consider a yeast starter with an agressive yeast such as lavlin's EC 1118
which is good for restarting a stuck fermentation. You can use a "doubling
technique" for restarting the fermentation process. Basically you start out
with a yeast starter which is about 1/2cup 100f water, pinch of sugar, pinch
of yeast nutrient. Let it rehydrate in a glass for about 15-20 minutes until
it froths up or "proofs". Now add 1/2 cup of your must, when it is obviously
refermenting good, double the amount and repeat the process until the whole
batch is going good again. There is a section on Jack Keller's website that
is a bit more detailed you may wish to reference that deals specifically
with stuck fermentations. HTH
John Dixon
"Graham Wright" wrote in message
...
I've made 3 wines this autumn. Blackberry, elderberry and sloe. The
blackberry fermented OK but the other 2 stopped short, one at 1.020 and
the
other at 1.060 from a starting sg of about 1.090. All were fermented in
the
same temp controlled chest which maintains a must temp of 20 degs C. I've
made these wines in previous years to the same formulation with no
problems.
Any suggestions?