Newbie needs advice!!

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Iwanabrich

Junior
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
About 6 months ago I started my first batch wine using a Winepert Selection Original Series Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Kit. I followed the instructions to the letter and while it was fermenting I noticed a "sulfurish" odor. I was concerned at the time, posted a question and some folks recommended that I stir some air into the fermenting wine...which I did and odor stopped. I bottled it on Jan 30, 2010, well I just cracked open a bottle and it has an odd taste and wasn't that good. Any thoughts on what went wrong? I've been brewing beer for 15 years and I've never had a batch I couldn't drink... I was thinking of trying again....posibly a white wine...any recommendations??
 
maybe needs to age a bit longer.....im not good with these questions but i wanted to bump it for ya, maybe someone else will help ya a wee bit more !!

as far as next kit, if u want something fairy fast aging, try a mist kit or a breezin kit. ive had good luck with those, they arnt real full bodied, more like a wine cooler (but better) but u can drink it within weeks of bottling. i had the apple breezin one and its my fav waine of all time, to bad its all freaking gone :( LOL!
 
Can you describe the off taste? It is a little young for a Cab but there are other things that can give an off taste also like not being degassed enough and you would also notice if it was that if it was a bit tingly on your tongue.
 
I can't really describe it...it wasn't bitter, yeasty or tingly on my tongue. What does raw Cab taste like?
 
I wouldn't say it was astringent or harsh.

Is it normal for fermenting Cabernet Sauvignon to give off a rotten egg smell?

If not could this have ruined my whole batch?

If it was the sulfur odor, can anything be done to save it?
 
Rotten Egg smell or taste is indicitive of a contamination.
did you ever have film coving the top of your wine during secondary furmentation?

did you sanitize your bottles, corks and all other equipment?

A young wine will have a harsh bitter taste.
 
I used one step sanitizer as I do with beer. I did not see any film or any sign of contamination.

I used Winexpert CHILEAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON, which I was told yielded a nice bottle of wine. I started on 11/06/09 and bottled on 1/30/10. While fermenting it gave off a rotten egg odor that actually filled the room it was in. Is this normal??

I cracked open a bottle 2 weeks ago and it tasted like a not so good Cabernet Sauvignon, due to an extra odd flavor. It didn't have a rotten or vinegary odor or taste.

Can I crack open another bottle, take a sample and reseal it without ruining the rest of the bottle?

If I didn't screw this up and everything is okay.....this is about the worst Cabernet Sauvignon I've ever had.... :(
 
Last edited:
"Can I crack open another bottle, take a sample and reseal it without ruining the rest of the bottle?"


If you mean re-cork, I think you could do this if you don't leave too much headspace, and make sure you identify the bottle for future reference.
 
How much k-meta did you add? One year i added too much and it gave a weird taste :h - aerated a bit and it turned out fine.
 
do you know what the additives were in the kit?
I have yet to have one fill a room with a rotten egg smell.
though i did get a bactiria infection in one that turned in to a episode of the outer limits.
I would not pop one more yet if it was an additive it may age out or have soem sediemnt in the bottom. I would check them again after 3 weks and see if any of the bottles are pushing the corks or have additional sedement in the bottoms.

how is the color and feel? does it feel like wine in your fingers or oily?
 
The rotten egg smell is hydrogen sulfide (H2S04)and formed during fermentation by a fermentation without adequate yeast nutrients, particularly nitrogen. If you had mentioned it soon enough before bottling, you can eliminate it by stirring with a copper wire. That binds the H2S04 and eliminated the smell. You let it go a while, rack again and then bottle normally. If you notice it in another bottle, you can uncork them, pour back into a carboy, aerate well and stir with the copper. Once the smell is gone you can rebottle and it should be rotten egg free.
 
Last edited:
The rotten egg smell is sulfur dioxide and formed during fermentation by a fermentation without adequate yeast nutrients, particularly nitrogen. If you had mentioned it soon enough before bottling, you can eliminate it by stirring with a copper wire. That binds the S02 and eliminated the smell. You let it go a while, rack again and then bottle normally. If you notice it in another bottle, you can uncork them, pour back into a carboy, aerate well and stir with the copper. Once the smell is gone you can rebottle and it should be rotten egg free.

Note: that is clean copper wire not pipe!
 
as for another wine try this
2ltr pineapple juice
1 ltr grape juice
600g sugar
petolyse
yeast
all the juices are supermaket juices not concentrate
should be ready in a month and you can drink it sraight away
be carefull it has a very powerful ferment at the beginning so leave plenty of head room and top up later
 
Before I attempt to do this..let me first make sure I understand. I first uncork the wine and pour it pack into a sanitized bucket, then with the copper wire (Not pipe!!...I was going to use pipe so thanks) I stir it around. Then re-bottle it. How long do I stir? Can I use a copper ground wire? Also I though air was not a friend of wine once it's fermented?
 
Last edited:
Before I attempt to do this..let me first make sure I understand. I first uncork the wine and it pack into a sanitized bucket, then with the copper wire (Not pipe!!...I was going to use pipe so thanks) I stir it around. Then re-bottle it. How long do I stir? Can I use a copper ground wire? Also I though air was not a friend of wine once it's fermented?

That is true - oxygen should be avoided but in this case - i believe but could be wrong - i think the oxygen aids to get rid of the extra hydrogen sulfide in the wine.
 
Think it could be an so2 issue?
Maybe a good stir with a cleaned copper wire will help.
 
If your sure it really smells like rotten eggs then getting it out of the bottle and into a bucket is what needs to be done. If you hae not added sulfite in awhile then now would be the time so as to avoid oxidizing your wine because what you are about to do can inrtroduce quite a bit of 02. I would add 1/4 tsp of k-meta and then stir this up good witha copper wire and yes a ground wire is fine as long s its clean (preferably new) but freshly stripped or cleaned will do. Stir it for a few minutes and then get it into a carboy to reduce the amount of oxygen to the wine.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top