My Mullberry wine stinks

[Madriver Wines]

As the title states the Mullberry is stinking pretty bad. It isn't so much a sulpher smell but it is bad. Not like any I have made to date. The taste is not so bad but I cant get past the smell.I used Montrachet yeast and didnt have energizer so I put 1/4 tsp extra nutrient in 3 different times during primary fermentation. It semed to help at the time but wore off quickly. I used Wade's recipe but for 4L. The Sg to start was 1.085 and now is .996 after 2 weeks in the secondary. I was thinking of splash racking it and adding Ascorbic acid to retard oxygenation. Any advise will be appreciated, Steve

 

[smurfe]

Try the racking you suggest. It will more than likely help. The non use of energizer isn't really that big of an issue. You did use nutrient which was most important. This is one of the main reasons I rarely use Montrachet yeast. I use Champagne yeast for almost all of my fruit and white wines.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Yea I know , went by Wades suggestions ha ha. Thanks smurfe I will rack it tomorrow and reply, Steve
No need to dump it yet??

 

[Wade E]

This is why I use energizer. The Montrachetreally needs the yeast hulls and B-complex to thrive well but if its not sulphur smell then thats not the problem. What were the temps while you were fermenting. You really should be fermenting fruits like these in cooler temps to avoid problems.

 

[Madriver Wines]

The temps were in the 73 to 75 most of the time with one afternoon of 78. I splash racked it and degassed. It must be SO2 Wade as it smells like sewer. It stunk up the kitchen and released alot of stench but I am still po'ed. It had to happen on a batch I picked the berries instead of buying!! Any ideas on stench removal? Long term bulk aging is the only next step I have now.
Thanks everyone,
Steve

 

[Madriver Wines]

Try the racking you suggest. It will more than likely help. The non use of energizer isn't really that big of an issue. You did use nutrient which was most important. This is one of the main reasons I rarely use Montrachet yeast. I use Champagne yeast for almost all of my fruit and white wines.

I really like the Champagne also. I used the Montrachet on 2 blueberry batches with success but then I did have the energizer for those. It let off alot of stench so maybe that and getting off the Lees will help.
Luc any ideas? I have put out a fruit fly trap per your blog so I am hoping to get that little bastard!

 

[Tom]

Just a FYI.
On all my fruit wines I use Cote des Blancs. To date (kmock on wood) I have not had a problem gettin it started except my Cranberry. Yes I add nurrient every time.
Just my .02 cents worth.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Update

The splash racking seems to have reduced the stench. That and a good degassing I suppose. I am going to let it sit for quite a while and check it again. Real bummer though.

 

[jlmclean]

Madriver; I'm showing my ignorance here, what's degassing? Also, what's splash racking?

 

[BettyJ]

So Steve, you think that your wine was contaminated? Did you wash your fresh fruit with K meta? COuld it be too much K meta? I would be interested in how this plays out...

I had a 5 gallon batch last year of mango that I still don't understand what happened (other than the temp was too high - could have gotten >90 degrees). It smelled horrible right after fermentation and tasted worse - acid and metallic. I bought an acid test and it was high, treated it with max Calcium stuff, used fining agent - nothing worked. I kept a few bottles for cooking that now taste "ok", but had a brown/ rust colored sediment in the bottles and still tastes slightly metallic.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Jimclean
Degassing is removing the co2 from the wine by stirring it. Most use a whip that attaches to a drill but I dont have one so I stir it in the carboy or jug till my arm says stop. Splash racking is racking but adding air by letting the wine splash off of the sides ect. . This causes it to give off gas and in my case stench.
Bettj
I am pretty sure it was from the yeast not getting all the nutrients it needed. When I racked off the lees this last time the lees smelled of the same stink I was trying to get rid of. I have used Montrachet with nutrient and energizer with sucess but was out of energizer. I used sulfites (1 campden tablet) at the beginning.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Bettyj you may be right about the temp being too high 90s. That can leave a bad taste in the wine .

 

[donnaclif]

it was long back i had tried to make mulberry wine my self the must had a very pungent smell, sort of like sulfur or rotten egg, somebody had suggested me to rack it utill the smell is gone.. i gave it a regular splashing & racking na dit really helped!

 

[Wade E]

Mine was just racked and it smells wonderful.

 

[Manimal]

If it smells like sewer or rotten egg, the problem is likely Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) not SO2 (sulfur dioxide.) Anything that stresses the yeast can cause an H2S problem, such as temperature issues, insufficient nutrient, etc. Vigorously racking the wine and aerating it can often remedy the situation, but if it continues to stink pretty bad, you might want to consider using copper sulfate to treat it. Copper is toxic, though, so you want to make sure you really know what you're doing with it first.

 

[Wade E]

Before using the sulfate try stirring i with a sanitized copper pipe or some copper electrical wire for a few minutes, it works and will not poison you.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Before using the sulfate try stirring i with a sanitized copper pipe or some copper electrical wire for a few minutes, it works and will not poison you.

I will try that, thanks. The smell improved alot with the first splash racking so after 2 weeks i did it again. I will let it sit for a while and check it.

 

[donnaclif]

.... you might want to consider using copper sulfate to treat it. Copper is toxic, though, so you want to make sure you really know what you're doing with it first.

but i have heard that Copper sulfate is poisonous. is it true?

 

[Wade E]

It is very true!!!!!!

 

[donnaclif]

then how do you recommend using it. i am not much of wine maker. i am a more of a wine enthusiast.. however would love to try it myself