Horrible smelling Traminette

[randomhero]

I made 6 gallons of Traminette this year, fermented on R2 yeast which was hydrated with go ferm and used fermaid k for nutrients.

I racked to secondary after 10 days and it has been sitting there for a couple weeks now.

Well I added sulfite the other day and it SMELLED!! Ive never delt with hydrogen sulfide so I did some searching and thats what it sounds like.

Problem is that I added bentonite amd have it outside to clear. Should I bring it inside and splash rack it a couple times instead?

Also Im including a picture of the stopper it changed colors from the time i transferred it to now. Could that be from the supposed hydrogen sulfide?

 

[Pumpkinman]

A few questions:
Did it smell before adding the sulfite?
Did you have the wine topped off or was there head space?
Was your SO2 level adequate for the amount of wine?
I'd bring it in and splash rack once or twice and smell it, if it dissipates then you are on the right path, if not, you could get a new piece of copper pipe, wash and sanitize it, and run the wine through it, I personally prefer to avoid using the copper pipe.
I would purchase Redulees from Morewine or M&M, follow directions, pitch the recommended dose into the wine, after 3-5 days, rack to a clean carboy and it should be fine.
I would keep a packet of Redulees in you wine "tool box", it is nice to have on hand in an emergency.

Keep us updated.

 

[randomhero]

It was topped up to about an inch to the stopper.

I dont have a tester for so2 so i added 1/8th tsp to the six gallons.

Also I just finished splash racking it and getting it back into the carboy with a new stopper. It smells alot better! Hopefully that was all it needed. But I will put an order in for that stuff from morewine soon.

Thanks!

 

[randomhero]

I ordered the riduless last night at work...said itll be here by friday.

Got home this morning and I can still smell the funk on the wine

 

[Pumpkinman]

Good deal, I would add 1/4 tsp meta to the wine, you initially added 1/8 tsp, this is half of what is necessary to stabilize your wine. After you treat the wine with Redulees, and rack it over to a clean carboy as per the instructions, I would add the meta.
One last question, was there a white film on the wine in the neck of the carboy?

 

[randomhero]

Nope no white film...it looked fine.

Weird thing it tasted alright too. Just had the nasty smell

 

[Pumpkinman]

Probably stressed yeast during fermentation, a good yeast nutrient such as fermaid K or Fermaid O would have cured that for you.

 

[randomhero]

The weird thing is this year every batch i made this fall I used fermaid k with.

 

[seth8530]

Scheduling of nutrients is also quite important. Also, you need to have an idea how much nutrient you need to add based on the nutrient need of the fermentation and the nutrient provided to you by the must.. All things to take into consideration.. Also, temperature is important..

 

[randomhero]

How do you figure out what it requires?

 

[Pumpkinman]

I agree with Seth8530 100%, although I knew about adding yeast nutrients, you really opened my eyes with the research that you did.

 

[seth8530]

How do you figure out what it requires?

Well to do it exactly you would need to test the YAN of the must and then make your additions according to that.. However, for things like mead it is safe to assume the initial YAN is 0.. Presently, ( I am no expert) I assume for grape and juice wines that my YAN is somewhere between 100 and 150mg/l ( on the low side) and aim for 320 mg/l via scheduled additions of fermaid O.

If you want you could reference the below linked thread which has a discussions on such matters. You will find that Deezil and I come from the same general angle on the issue but we do not quite agree on just how much more efficient organic ammino nitrogen sources of YAN or than DAP based sources.. So that is up for you to decide.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f86/got-off-phone-fermaid-people-38704/

I agree with Seth8530 100%, although I knew about adding yeast nutrients, you really opened my eyes with the research that you did.

Thanks, I appreciate knowing that someone other man me is making use of the research. (;

 

[randomhero]

Well I ordered the riduless yesterday from morewine...checked at work tonight and it will be here today haha.

Talk about good shipping.

 

[randomhero]

When i woke up earlier tonight my package was here so i dissolved the right amount in some water and stirred into the wine.

And that thread that you posted will be my homework tonight at work haha.

 

[Pumpkinman]

keep us posted!
Seth, I am a data junkie, the info that you provided is invaluable, I've been very attentive about the applications, so far, I haven't had any issues with my wine.
Thanks again!

 

[seth8530]

When i woke up earlier tonight my package was here so i dissolved the right amount in some water and stirred into the wine.

And that thread that you posted will be my homework tonight at work haha.

Hopefully that should fix your issues. If not, live and learn...

Ha, well hopefully it should be enjoyable if not only slightly disjointed reading. Even if you do not go about measuring YAN out.. Hopefully the conceptional knowledge of how yeast needs YAN and how to supplement it should come in handy.

keep us posted!
Seth, I am a data junkie, the info that you provided is invaluable, I've been very attentive about the applications, so far, I haven't had any issues with my wine.
Thanks again!

I am glad you find it interesting. Unfortunately, my research on that front is at a standstill because I do not have the means so safely test the YAN of my must.. So I must limit my research to reading other people's research on the matter since I can not accurately test the results of varying amounts of YAN myself.

If you enjoyed that discussion perhaps you would find this article interesting. It pretty much summarizes the perceptional changes of a chard that is fermented with both DAP and Aminnio nitrogen at varying levels of YAN and attempts to compare them.

http://www.practicalwinery.com/summer2012/dap1.htm

My other research ( developing a new ABV equation) is presently also at a road block because I can not test my equation against actual experimental data thus I can not verify my results. However, I can say that my equation follows the existing equations fairly closely so I know it is in the right direction.. But I am having trouble finding out an accurate way to measure the actual brix post fermentation.

So if any one has any ideas that would be much appreciated!

I guess another source of investigation that I am pursing is cold vs hot fermentation techniques.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/fall-wine-plans-storm-brewing-39460/ I am afraid that my comparison between the two pinot noirs might end up being flawed because I had add nearly 6 liters of commercial pinot noir to my cold batch while I only needed like 1.5 liters for the hot batch.. So hopefully the differences between the two will be so different that the addition of the commercial pinot will not ruin the experiment.. However, the chard comparison is looking like it will be quite valid since neither batch has needed commercial additions.

BTW, sorry to jack this thread!

Other than that, I think that sums up my active wine research.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Seth, thanks for the link, I know that you probably have read them, but I'll ask anyway...have you read the Scott labs fermentation handbook? lots of good info on YAN in it.
And yes, I apologize for jacking this thread.

 

[seth8530]

Yep, I actually had a copy of it shipped to me from Scott Labs. I have not read it cover to cover, and it is not quite as full of data as say some of their more specific papers on certain topics.. However, it is quite the usefull little reference to have in the wine room when you are not in the mood for searching. So, I agree, it is quite the recourse.

I might need to give it a second look however, never hurts to refresh!

 

[Pumpkinman]

Well, at this point, you've become the WMT "Go to Guy" for all yeast Nutrient and YAN issues...lol....I just nominated you...LMAO!!!!

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Deezil]

Well, at this point, you've become the WMT "Go to Guy" for all yeast Nutrient and YAN issues...lol....I just nominated you...LMAO!!!!.

Phew! Dodged that bullet ::