Aromas of bubble gum.

[sgift]

I have made three high end kits, Barolo, Brunello and Italian Rosso, all with grape skins. First two WE third RJS. All three have gone into the bottle with a strong component smell of bubble gum, Bazooka Bubble Gum, specifically. There are other notes but this note is strong and present in all three. Is this normal? Does it age away? Does an ingredient in these kits cause it? Does anyone else smell this? Is there a chemical reason? It's not objectionable, in an of itself, and I have picked it up before in a few commercial wines but it is stronger??? Is it just a smell of super young wines?

 

[cooldood]

I am not an expert here but in homebrew beer fermenting at high temperatures will create esters which will account for these aroma/ flavors.

are you controlling temperature?

 

[Runningwolf]

Did you add Sorbate? Did you backsweeten. If you did not backsweeten there is no need for sorbate. Too much sorbate is the main cause of bubblegum taste.

 

[sgift]

Runningwolf, Thanks, as a newby, I followed the instructions. All three provide, direct and I used potassium sorbate. None were back sweetened. Will this dissipate? Do others agree? Is the sorbate optional and a safe stop to continued fermentation? An over reaction to corks popping down the road?

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, my corroborating Dan is like Bill Nye backing up Einstein. However, I will say that, using advice from many, many on this forum, I have never used potassium sorbate (on unsweetened wines), and have never had a problem in my (admittedly short) career.

 

[Boatboy24]

Yes, the bubble gum essence can come from the sorbate. If you are fermenting completely dry and not backsweetening, it is not necessary, but it is 'cheap insurance' to prevent fermentation in the bottle. Another thing that might be contributing is (at least in my experience) a lot of kits are very fruit forward early on. In 6-12 months, it'll be completely gone.

Again, the sorbate is not necessary in wines that are fermented completely dry and NOT back sweetened in any way. I used it for my first several kits, but once I was comfortable with the process, stopped using it.

 

[sgift]

Thanks folks! It's nice to have this source for deeper understanding.

 

[winemaker_3352]

How much sorbate did the instructions say to use per gallon?

I do a 1/2 tsp per gallon and I haven't had any issues with that "bubble gum" smell..

 

[Treeman]

I'm pretty sensitive to the bubble gum and tongue coating properties of sorbate, so I checked several sources and they indicated a sensory threshold for sorbic acid is 135-150 mg/L. I try to keep mine at 133mg Ksorbate per liter (100 mg sorbic acid), and I only use it right before back sweetening and bottling.


Cheers!

 

[sgift]

Will the smell disappear with time and aging?

 

[ibglowin]

Yes, usually 6-12 months maximum.