Stinky Grape wine

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JohnH

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I have had a problem with the smell of my wine when it is young, six months or so down the the road the smell goes away and it is fine. What am I doing wrong. This is my own grapes not a kit, my other wines dont have this problem, just the grape.
 
It probably needs yeast nutrient to keep the yeast healthy. That is especially important fro RC212. Stressed yeast = more hydrogen sulfide production and gives stinky wine.
 
If it ends up fine all the time then you probably just dont luke the smell of yeast. I would not he worried if it works out everytime for you. Lots of people like my wife cant stand the smell of fermentation, me myself I love it but my wife will walk by and say what died in your room! :)
 
So far it has always come out of it, I wait a month or so and try it and all the sudden its gone. I do use Yeast Nutrient, maybe not enuph? It's not that bad when its in the primary, it seems to come on at Stabilization time.
Thanks Guys
 
If your stink is hydrogen sulfide (H2S), then simply waiting for it to clear is not really the best course of action.

The most usual cause of H2S in wine is through what is called "Yeast breakdown". Like most living things, yeast needs more then carbohydrates to survive.

In an environment that is lacking in the required nutrients, fermenting yeast cells will do whatever it takes to get them. This includes devouring other yeast cells. As a byproduct, H2S is formed.

Hydrogen sulfide is amazingly potent! just 2 or 3 ppm will stink a wine something fierce!

If you have it in higher concentrations, and do nothing to deal with it, then it can become "bonded" (or revert to mercaptan compounds). this is much harder to deal with.

The best line of defense is the simply use of yeast nutrient. If H2S forms anyway, and fermentation is complete, try the addition of either sorbate or K-meta to kill the yeast off (thus halting yeast breakdown).

Another recomendation is that you use a yeast that is less prone to yeast breakdown. If you are using Red Star or Pasteur, I would strongly suggest that you switch to Lalvin RC212 for reds or Lalvin D47 for whites as these yeasts are MUCH less prone to breakdown.

To get rid of the stink, most times you can do a simply "splash racking". This should greatly improve the wine.

Another, more drastic approach is the use of copper sulfate. You need to be very carefule in using this as it is poisonous in high concentrations. Bench trials are recomended (were you measure out a somple of wine then slowly add some copper sulfate to determine exactly how much is required to remove the H2S).

Yet another product, Reduless, is much better. This is dead yeast that was grown in a high copper environment. I have used this in the past and can highly recomend it.


Sorry about the long writeup. In short, if you ignore H2S, you will encounter problems sooner or later.
 
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I wonder if what he is smelling is H2S (rotten egg smell) or just the smell of yeast, which will eventually subside as the wine clears.
 
If it is H2S which I highly doubt it is as it wouldnt be getting rid of itself like that then make suer you use a nutrient with DAP in the ingrediwnts or add that on long with the nutrient. Do you use sulfur powder on your grapes?
 
Havent heard of using sulfur powder. I did use yeast Nutrient 2 Tbls(crosby-Baker) for a 13 gal batch and 2 packets of Montrachet yeast.
I would have to identify the smell as dirty sox.
Thanks J
 
Are you keeping your wines topped off or do you have air space in them?
 
That particular batch is topped off to the neck, but I have to admit some times they are some short, I just have a hard time diluting it down with water.

J
 

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