Question regarding odor during the primary fermentation

arcticsid · Mar 26, 2009

My latest batch(5 days into the primary)is smelling pretty strong. Nothing that I am concerned about it is brewing right along.

This is the same exact ingredients(it is a frozen concentrate "Dole" orange/pineapple/mago). The last time I did this recipe I used Cuvee, this time I used Lalvin 1116. I did all the procedures and all the ingredients were EXACTLY the same, except for the yeast.

As I just said, I am not concerned, but was wondering what factors would make fermenting wine stronger smelling than others. In my case, I did nothing different and the last batch had no odor comparable to this. I've been blaming it on the cats!

Someone I met on my computer forum said she remebered when she was younger a Portugese family next door made wine and they could smell it through the whole neighborhood. At least she didn't live next door to any Koreans. I make Kim Chee myself quite often. I guarantee you it will make any wine smell like a fresh spring rain!!!!HaHa.

Troy

Luc · Mar 27, 2009

A very famous wine-writer who has a lot of humor and whose writings I actually enjoy (he is Dutch called Nicolaas Klei) once wrote:

Good Burgundy smells like $HlTT

When making wine some of the smell which would normally stay in the wine is blown of by the forming CO2. And as we all know it can be blown out of the airlock rather vigorously.

Just remember that anything that gets blown out of the airlock is not staying IN the wine. Good and bad parts.......

Remember any wine you made like pineapple, strawberry etc and your complete house (or at least the fermenting environment) smells delicious. Well all that smell is not staying in the wine where it actually should be......

That is the reason why many prefer white wines slowly fermenting. The aroma's and flavors stay more in they wine that way.
Reds have enough flavor potential.

Luc

arcticsid · Mar 27, 2009

Perhaps I AM destined to be a wine maker. As I have said I LOVE, I repeat LOVE my Kim Chee. What I have learned from all of you is that "funky" smell isn't bad at all. I have grown used to it and know, as you have pointed out. It's not that bad, only for a few days through the primary and all is good, except for the Kim Chee. So now when my friends ask me, "say, whats that funky smell?", I again refer them back to my cats. Which really isn't fair I spend more money on my cats litter box than I do on my own heat. Thats true.

But I am unsure of your answer. Why is this batch smelling stronger than the last? The ingredients and environment are identical.

So for now, funk never smelled so good. i am thinking about making wine from my socks.

Still looking for a recipe for a fireweed or rose petal wine.

Good to be here, always a pleasure to pop in hear each day.
yall take care.
Troy

Luc · Mar 28, 2009

What I was trying to say is that the smell is not so important unless it is really bad and the wine is spoiling.

What you are experiencing is the differences yeast strains make.

Two years ago I did an experiment with a Dutch winemaking forum. People from all over the country were making exactly the same wine from exactly the same supermarket apple-juice and using all exactly the same recipe which we made ourselves by discussing on the forum and then voting democratically which way to go with the amount (and variety) of acid sugar etc etc etc.

Then at a meeting with Withsun the wines were compared.
They were all different !!! Some were harsh others smooth etc etc. All just because we had 1 ingredient which everyone was free to chose by availability in their neighboorhood and that was the yeast.

So in your case that will be the cause: yeast makes the difference.

Luc

Wade E · Mar 28, 2009

Like Luc said about white wines also pertains to fruit wines and is the fact why I use a less active yeast when making a fruit wine and also why I ferment them cold. I use mainly Cotes Des Blanc when making fruit wines as its a very slow acting yeats which helps keep all the flavors in my wine.