I have tried to make an apple wine, everything started out fine with the fermentaion, but then it stopped. I was able to get it started agian temp is not a problem, acid test out normal, but the fermentation is steady but has lasted for about three weeks with no change has anyone ever experienced this before?

What was the SG before you pitched the yeast? What was the SG when fermentation stopped? Was this wine started out with an apple juice or from a recipe? When you said no change are you saying the SG is not changing at this point? What yeast? Are you still in the primary, with an airlock or a dishtowel over it? Quite a few wine makers have had stuck fermentations with montrachet yeast.

Fermentations can be difficult to get started or can get stuck during the fermentation. If you are somewhere around 70 degrees the primary fermentation should be pretty much finished in 4 or 5 days. In 4 or 5 days the SG should have dropped to somewhere below 1.030 unless it has a stuck fermentation. If you are in the secondary at 3 weeks with an airlock installed I think all is OK.

when I pitched the yeast the S.G was 1.110 the fermentation started within hours. S.G moved slowly downward so I moved to secondary in 8 days. the fermentation stayed steady for apox. three weeks and started to fall clear. S.G fell only to 1.045 and fermentation had stopped. I racked to get off of dead lees I let it sit for 2 month I then restarted fermentation succsefully and the fermentation is back to a steady fermentation I have not checked S.G at this point, but it has been steady for three weeks. I made the wine from a recipe using fresh apples. I have two differnt batches that are about a month apart and they are both reacting the same they both have been in the secondary under an airlock except for in primary thanks!

I normally stir my primary 2 to 3 times a day when I check the SG. I stir it vigorously. Many winemakers just punch down their fruit bags because they are used to using low flocuation yeast. You didn't mention what yeast you used but sometime a yeast that has a higher flocuation clumps when it falls to the bottom of the primary and attenuation occurs where oxygen cannot get to the yeast in the clumps that is trying to ferment the must. The SG ends up not fermenting totally out. This happens more in beer than in wine because beer makers do not stir their primary. Since you are in the secondary and it is still fermenting I would stir up the lees and replace the airlock. Make sure your stirring spoon is very clean. I suspect stirring will increase the fermentation activity. After describing your wine I would bet it is still at 1.045 and trying hard to get oxygen to ferment.

The next question is what yeast did you use? I would check to see if it is a high floculation yeast.

I will see if I can find some information about flocuation and attenuation for you.

If you check out the below web site their is some info about attenuation and flocuation. This info is about beer but the terms are the same and can give some idea of what may be going on in your wine. Normally I like to pick a low flocuation yeast and I like to stir my primary to make sure oxygen gets to the bottom of the primary container. All of that said, I know that montrachet yeast tends to build SO2 which will slow or cause a stuck fermentation. Different problem but stirring helps solve that problem also by out gassing the SO2. If you had high SO2 you would smell the odor as sulphur. If I have a high sulphur odor I will allow the wine to splash as I rack and the odor will go away. Stirring your primary 2 to 3 times a day eliminates a lot of these problems. At this point I think, as I mentioned before, I would gently stir the secondary to see if it helps speed the fermention.

Check out the web site below on flocuation and attenuation

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-1.html

thanks wyo wino! I will give that a shot.

It is important to get rid of the risidual sugar. If not, before you bottle you will need to add potassium sorbate with the campden to insure that the sugar doesn't start fermenting in the bottles. A little sugar will give you sparkling wine. Too much will blow corks i.e. bottles.