Plum wine - is my nose deceiving me?

[eric]

Hi All-

Long time since my last post(3yrs), hope everyone has been fantastic since

Decided to make another 5 gallons of delicious plum wine this year!!

Here's my recipe and how I started as well as what I need some advice on:

09/11/12:
crushed and de-stoned 28lbs of ripe plums into 15 gallon primary
added:
2.5tsp yeast nutrient
2.5tsp pectic enzyme
5 dissolved campden tablets
2tbs + 1.5tsp of acid blend
4 gallons of warm purified water
11lbs of sugar dissolved in 1 of the 4 gallons of water
added everything into the primary and came to a SG of 1.095

09/12/12:
Pitched my yeast, used Red Star Cotes De Blanc and stirred into must thoroughly. Must temp was 75 degrees.

I've also made sure to punch down the cap several times a day since to ensure the skins and fruit body gets as much exposure as possible.

Everything seems to be going as planned, must temp has been between 73-77 degrees entire time and the primary is in a controlled environment as to not disrupt fermentation due to temperature variances.

09/14/12:
Right now, SG is 1.085 and seems to be SLOWLY fermenting, it's my understanding that the slower the better in terms of fermentation and overall fruitiness, so this part seems to be on track.

Here's my concern, I've noticed a very slight egg smell. I've researched the possibilities and impacts of H2S. First, it would seem too soon for this to occur, and I doubt that I have a lack of sulfites or nutrients per my recipe?...

Is it possible that I'm noticing the natural odors of fermentation and nothing is wrong?

 

[saramc]

Your nose could be correct, you could definitely be picking up H2S just 3 days post pitching of the yeast. And typically, yeast nutrient is 1 tsp per gallon, but some "versions" are dosed differently.

I would definitely get some air to it, stir stir stir, and consider adding additional nutrient.

When do you plan on removing the fruit?

Were these wild plums by chance, just curious since those are typically high in acid by their own right? Am I reading correctly that you added 2 TBSP + 1.5 tsp of acid blend to this? What was the pH/TA before you added that amount?

 

[eric]

Thanks for the reply. I've made it a point to punch the cap down and stir frequently, about 5 times a day I'd say... is this too much? I no longer smell the H2S since doing this more, so hoping I've corrected this.

right now, SG is 1.062, I was planning on racking and stabilizing when SG is 1.005

You are correct, these are wild plums, and yummy ones too! Also right on the amount of acid blend from a 5 gallon recipe I use.

I did not check the pH/TA, would I be looking for a specific reading if so?