H2s

[Rocco]

Chilean crush, fermentation and press went well. Used d254(low h2s producer) and stuck to a strict nutrient schedule with go ferm and fermaid k, etc exactly according to morewinemaking. Racked off gross Lees 48 hours later. Wine was great at press and for 2 weeks after. I had a one gallon jug with some left over wine from press that had some lees in it and I noticed a horrendous rotten egg smell from it when I opened it today.

Now I think I may detect a little smell in my other 30 gallons which are all in a steel tank but maybe I'm being paranoid. The smell I'm getting from the main batch is "funny" but different. Not the overt rotten egg. I mixed Cabernet and malbec.

Once I get this smell out of my nose im going to smell the big batch again and figure it out. But just in case, what can I do now to save my wine. Not real interested in using copper.

I used my lees stirrer attached to a drill at the surface of the wine to oxygenate and agitate it and splash it around. It's in a steel tank. Maybe slightly better---but smells funny

 

[JohnT]

Chilean crush, fermentation and press went well. Used d254(low h2s producer) and stuck to a strict nutrient schedule with go ferm and fermaid k, etc exactly according to morewinemaking. Racked off gross Lees 48 hours later. Wine was great at press and for 2 weeks after. I had a one gallon jug with some left over wine from press that had some lees in it and I noticed a horrendous rotten egg smell from it when I opened it today.

Now I think I may detect a little smell in my other 30 gallons which are all in a steel tank but maybe I'm being paranoid. The smell I'm getting from the main batch is "funny" but different. Not the overt rotten egg. I mixed Cabernet and malbec.

Once I get this smell out of my nose im going to smell the big batch again and figure it out. But just in case, what can I do now to save my wine. Not real interested in using copper.

I used my lees stirrer attached to a drill at the surface of the wine to oxygenate and agitate it and splash it around. It's in a steel tank. Maybe slightly better---but smells funny

try redueless. this stuff is simply amazing. you could also try splash racking.

 

[Rocco]

Ok. I'll order some. Why this issue two weeks after press? And I know H2S was the issue in the 1 gallon jug(I suspect as it was the last gallon of the wine after I racked off about 3 gallons of gross lees and still had some gross lees in it.

I'm not sure the smell I'm getting from the main batch is rotten egg. It just smells funny.

 

[Rocco]

Just checked it today. Main batch appears fruity again after aerating.

1) do you think the 1 gallon jug got the H2S because there was proportionally a high concentration of lees in it?

2). Do you think I destroyed my MLF w the aeration? I added vp41 2 wks ago

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Yes reduceless. works very good
I found out that the root cause was because of lack of nutrients
since I started using goferm and fermaid no issues

 

[sour_grapes]

Just checked it today. Main batch appears fruity again after aerating.

1) do you think the 1 gallon jug got the H2S because there was proportionally a high concentration of lees in it?

That would be my guess (although my opinion is worth about as much as you paid for it!).

 

[Rocco]

The smell is back. Its not completely awful, just funny. Not really rotten egg (the one gallon was definitely rotten egg). This is different. I can't fit it into any category. I don't know what to do. MaybeIll add reduless and rack. Please help

 

[sdelli]

Welcome to the world of Chilean grapes! That is why I skip that fruit and only do frozen must or fresh CA every fall.... My last batch is still not bottled but getting better.... I say a couple doses of Reduless and make sure your so2 is up... Then bulk it away for a couple years.... Oak will help as it ages too.... My first time I got nervous and thought it was Brett... Dumped a carboy until I calmed down and figured out it was h2s....

 

[Rocco]

Welcome to the world of Chilean grapes! That is why I skip that fruit and only do frozen must or fresh CA every fall.... My last batch is still not bottled but getting better.... I say a couple doses of Reduless and make sure your so2 is up... Then bulk it away for a couple years.... Oak will help as it ages too.... My first time I got nervous and thought it was Brett... Dumped a carboy until I calmed down and figured out it was h2s....

I followed a meticulous nutrient schedule w go ferm/ferm k etc. fermentation, pressing and racking went perfectly. Now this. I will never do Chilean again.

So if I add sulfite, I guess I can forget MLF. I added the vp 41 2 weeks ago. What do you think? Hold on sulfite?

 

[Treeman]

I would Test to see if MLF is finished before adding sulfite.

In terms of the aroma, can you describe it? Malbec can have a vegetable (bell pepper) aroma. Is this all Malbec, or a blend? Have you tried a comercial Malbec, or cab franc from Loire valley to compare aroma and taste profile?

How ripe were the grapes? What was your brix, pH, when you started the ferment?

 

[Rocco]

I would Test to see if MLF is finished before adding sulfite.

In terms of the aroma, can you describe it? Malbec can have a vegetable (bell pepper) aroma. Is this all Malbec, or a blend? Have you tried a comercial Malbec, or cab franc from Loire valley to compare aroma and taste profile?

How ripe were the grapes? What was your brix, pH, when you started the ferment?

Brix was 23, pH 3.55. TA .5.

Bell pepper is possible. That might be it. I blended 9 lugs of cab sav and 9 lugs of malbec

 

[Treeman]

I would suggest waiting this out. Doesn't seem like an H2S problem. Might mellow faster with some microxidation. Will you be moving this from the steel tank to barrel aging? .

 

[stickman]

I'm just repeating what I said on your other post. Given that you said it smelled fine, and now two weeks into ML it smells "funny", I suspect the wine is going a bit reductive. I would stir, wait 24hrs and then rack off the lees and transfer the oak into the clean vessel. I would consider adding additional fresh oak at this point. This will add a small amount of oxygen, remove the heavy lees, and allow the bacteria and the light lees to be carried over for ML completion. Test for ML completion and add sulfite when complete as usual.

 

[sdelli]

Yes... Let it finish mlf now before adding so2.. But adding a little Reduless now would not hurt.....

 

[Rocco]

Do you think I ruined MLF by aerating it w my lees stirrer to get any potential MLF out?

 

[sdelli]

If you see no action just add a little more culture and keep warm... Around 70 degrees

 

[Rocco]

Smell seems to have gone away.....why would it come and go...I didn't do anything yet

As far as MLF, will the fact that I aerated it mean that I killed the bacteria? Im hoping MLF is still going but no definite way to tell....when I unscrew my airlock it hisses like gas is being released by that can just be degassing right??