Cellar Craft Green Apple Smell During Primary Fermentation

[Huey]

I've done two red wine kits and both have had sort of a chemical green apple smell to them while fermenting. This smell has persisted in the primary fermenter after I racked to a carboy and cleaned the bucket. After the first kit I think I got it to go away by soaking the primary bucket with oxi-clean but I don't really remember.

The first kit was the Wine Expert Luna Red. The second kit is the Cellar Craft Showcase Yakima Syrah.

Searching around the best guess I have at this point is it is acetaldehyde.

From Wikipedia:

Acetaldehyde is an intermediate product of yeast fermentation...it imparts a sherry type character to the wine which can also be described as green apple, sour and metallic.

I've been just following the instructions of the kits and sprinkling the yeast on top of the must when it is around 75 degrees and fermenting right around 66 degrees which is the lower range given in the instructions.

Do you think it is acetaldehyde that is causing the smell? Is this a problem and if so what should I do to prevent it in the future?

 

[SouthernChemist]

How did the fermentation proceed for both these kits? Does the smell persist after fermentation? Assuming it is acetaldehyde...acetaldehyde is always formed during fermentation, and the yeast will eventually take it down to ethanol. In other words, just let the yeast do their thing. It is more of a fault if a wine (or beer) suffers some oxidation or if the yeast are removed too early (especially in beer). Acetaldehyde is also rather volatile with only low concentrations of it giving a fruit-like smell.

It is possible that you may be more sensitive to the smell of acetaldehyde than other people would be.

 

[Huey]

Fermetation was vigourous and took about 10 days to get to 1.000 as predicted in the kit instruction.

The smell persists in the primary fermenter after washing and it especially during fermentation it is the dominant smell. My wife noticed the smell as well and helped place it as green apples. I believe the smell lessened and went away in secondary with the Luna Red kit but it was about 7 months ago.

My main reason for starting this thread is that the Luna Red is supposedly a 'quick drinker' but I haven't been happy with the couple of bottles I've had of it. It's been 8.5 months now. It does seem to have improved with the bottle I opened a week ago but the aroma still isn't particularily pleasant. I've been wondering if this green apple smell (that seems artificial or chemical) had something to do with it.

The yeast for the last kit was the EC-1118. I think the Luna Red used this yeast as well.

 

[SouthernChemist]

I'm not sure that the 'green apple' odor is a sign of any problems. Sounds like fermentation went to completion just fine, and EC-1118 is a rather reliable yeast. How would you describe the aroma specifically? How is the taste? Early drinking can be a rather subjective distinction...what one person thinks is great young may not be so great to someone else. I believe the Luna Rossa kit is supposed to be a Valpolicella style wine.

 

[Huey]

The taste has a slight metallic tinge to it which from reading a bit more sounds like it can be a typical young kit wine thing. I pay closer attention to the aroma when I crack open a bottle in a few weeks and report my findings. I'll also have my wife help me out. She's better at describing particular wine smells.

And it is the Luna Red kit that I did not the Luna Rosso but I think the style is the same. I should probably pick up a bottle of Valpolicella to compare it to.

 

[SouthernChemist]

The taste has a slight metallic tinge to it which from reading a bit more sounds like it can be a typical young kit wine thing. I pay closer attention to the aroma when I crack open a bottle in a few weeks and report my findings. I'll also have my wife help me out. She's better at describing particular wine smells. And it is the Luna Red kit that I did not the Luna Rosso but I think the style is the same. I should probably pick up a bottle of Valpolicella to compare it to.

Ah, I was confused and thought you were referring to the Selection Luna Rossa and forgot there is a Vintners Reserve Mezza Luna Red. That may be a different style based on the description.