Grape Wine Smells Like Death...

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I've made wine plenty of times before, but this time I am stumped. Sanitized Carboy - check, boiled water and sugar - check, added juice - check, mixed water/sugar/juice into carboy - check, activated yeast- check, and let the mix cool before adding yeast. Now 2 days into it my 6 gallon carboy has my house smelling like rotten eggs. It is working, u can see the co2 and the airlock (thumper) is going at it. It still tastes fine just smells like a boiled egg fart...ANY ideas to help me save it will be greatly appreciated.
 
Did you start this batch and put it in a carboy right away? Usually the first week or so of fermentation you will want some air available to the yeast. A carboy with an airlock seals out all the air which is a common cause of the smell you're experiencing. If this batch is still early on, I'd dump it into a primary fermenter or food grade bucket and stir it a lot to drive off some of the smell and get some air in there.
 
Just take it outside first:)to transfer rather than get that in the home.
Lons right, fermentation needs air to the yeast. Don't rack to carboy till fermented dry or if very slow at 1.015
 
So aeration is what I'm looking for? I've never had this problem so I'm very confused...but it makes sense. So a food grade bucket is what I need? Couldnt I just stir it in the carboy a few times a day and leave the airlock off?
 
Just take it outside first:)to transfer rather than get that in the home.
Lons right, fermentation needs air to the yeast. Don't rack to carboy till fermented dry or if very slow at 1.015


Fermented dry? I know how to make it lol but I'm not up on all the terms.
 
Dry means that all of the sugars have been consumed by the yeast. The opposite of dry is sweet.
 
It happens same as with me too and I know it has to be kept under observation. I remember, it happens for the very first time and my house was smelling like anything. It is like rotten eggs are kept some where in the corners of the house.
 
I have had a similar experience twice and can verify with the above posted that it needs aerated. Both times, the smell dissipated after a few days of stirring hard 3 times a day. The wines turned out fine. Boiled egg fart is the best description I've heard for this!
 
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Look on the bright side. If you can't fix this wine, Boiled Egg Fart would be the perfect name to put on the label; bottle it up and give it as gifts to your closest enemies.
 
:fThis is the classic hydrogen sulfide smell. It is caused when the yeast get stressed such as not enough oxygen or yeast nutrients. Some yeasts are worse than others in producing it. Keep track of which one you used and if the problem returns- change yeast variety. Give it some good stirs and if it gets worse in seconcary, splash it when you rack. If it persists, the safest way to go unless you are a chemist with a gram scale would be to stir it with copper of some sort- either a pipe or my favorite, a piece of shiny electrical wire. The copper reacts with the hydrogen sulfide and makes it precipitate out harmlessly.

(Now if that trick would work on me after a gassy meal, my wife would be happy):f
 
LOL, thats really the only way I can describe the smell. Well not the only way but people get what I mean better by using that description. So, I have splash racked it twice today. I now have a colony of honey bees following me around. The smell isnt as strong now but its still there. It was suggested that I add some sulfites to it, what do you reckon?
 
LOL, thats really the only way I can describe the smell. Well not the only way but people get what I mean better by using that description. So, I have splash racked it twice today. I now have a colony of honey bees following me around. The smell isnt as strong now but its still there. It was suggested that I add some sulfites to it, what do you reckon?

Don't add sulfites until fermentation has finished or the problem could get worse instead of better.
 
Adding more nutrient and energizer could help. What is the SG?
 
You need to get to or order from a wine supply store some yeast nutrient ot yeat energizer. The energizer is better for the problem you have right now. I always use both in all my wines.
 
I respectfully disagree with Wade on this one. Unless I am reading this wrong, you are only three days into fermentation. Yeast nutrient is perfect at this stage. Energizers are more for borderline stuck fermentations because of lack of nutrients, etc. The yeast energizer also includes yeasdt hulls which can help get a stuck fermentation going again, but nutrient is what is needed for an active fermentation.
 
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