The old Problem !

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hector

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Hi there !

My new batch of Red Wine ( using grapes ) started fermenting since Saturday morning , BUT after 24 Hours

the old problem occured ( emitting H2S ) .

This is my Story :

The volume of the Must is 1.7 gallons .

The pH was 4.0 at the beginning . I added Tartaric acid and the pH came down to 3.2 .

12 Hours after adding K-Meta ( 40 ppm SO2 ) , I added 5 grams of Pectic Enzyme and 5 grams of Yeast Nutrient to the Must .

12 Hours later the pH was 2.9 !

Therefore , I added Potassium Carbonate and brought it to 3.3 .

Then I added 26 ppm SO2 to the Must .

12 Hours later , I made the Starter and 4 Hours later as it showed vigorous viability , added it to the Must .

I used "Pasteur Red" as the yeast strain .

After detecting H2S , I added 1 gramm of Yeast Nutrient to the Must and did vigorous aeration .

The Temp. of the Must is 68 Degrees . It's fermenting with a relatively good speed , But I can smell H2S continusly , although it's

not as vigorous as before .

Each time I do the aeration , it disappears but after about 10 Miutes I can smell it again , coming from the Must .

5 months ago , I made a Red Wine batch using Red Grape Juice and I had the same problem .

The difference was that I used Bread Yeast and the pH was 3.0 .

Now , I'm completely confused and disappointed .

What should I do to get rid of this old Problem ?!

Hector
 
Hi Hector,

How do you know it is h2s?

I am terrible at metric but looking at your process I am not sure why you added so much k-meta and I think you are doing too much at the beginning. Add your ingredients, check the acid, adjust if needed, check the sg, adjust if needed and leave it alone. Why did you add k-meta twice? Your recipe and procedure is a little confusing.
 
Hi Hector,

How do you know it is h2s?

I am terrible at metric but looking at your process I am not sure why you added so much k-meta and I think you are doing too much at the beginning. Add your ingredients, check the acid, adjust if needed, check the sg, adjust if needed and leave it alone. Why did you add k-meta twice? Your recipe and procedure is a little confusing.

I'm familiar with such odours because I studied Chemistry at University .

At the beginning the pH was adjusted to 3.2 and a Must with this pH should have at least 20 ppm free SO2 ( according to the Table ) . Therefore , I added 40 ppm SO2 ( assuming 50% will be free and 50% will be bound ) as it was the first time that I added SO2 to the Must .

I had not any Potassium Carbonate and I had to wait 2 Days to receive some .

As I adjusted the pH to 3.3 , I did a lot of stiring and a Must with this pH should have at least 26 ppm free SO2 . I left the Must for another 12 Hours .

By the way , I just did a lot of aeration . If you think there are lots of SO2 in the Must , they should be gone by now .

Hector
 
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Hector, what was the outcome of your lst batch, Im betting when all was said and done it was all good. There are different compounds that will just produce this H2S and it desnt necesarily mean this wine has a problem with it. I suggest usng both nutrient and energizer for every batch of wine, thedse are not the same additives. The energizer has a few more ingredients in it that really keep the yeast healthy and just like our bodies they need lots of minerals nd vitamins. I have been making wine for many years and have never had a batch have this problem since I started adding both of these ingredients to every batch. I use the recommended dosage for both and always have a good fermentation and I even cool ferment lots of my whites and fruit wines.
 
Thanks Wade !

You know about which batch we are talking about . ( The one with a very low pH )

Amazingly I got 2 Days later Potassium Carbonate and was able to bring the pH to 3.3 .

I kept the Must safe for 4 Days ! ( without infection and oxidation )

I already told you that I'm afraid of H2S !

And this time AGAIN !!!

The Yeast Energizer is NOT available to me . I have only DAP .

Now , when I leave the Must covered , there is no vigorous H2S , BUT as I aerate it , H2S is emitted .

What should I do ?!

Hector
 
As long as its fermenting just leave it alne besides the pushing the cap dow and some stirring ev everyday. When its done if we still ave this problem we'll tackle it with the old never fail copper wire stirring.
 
As long as its fermenting just leave it alne besides the pushing the cap dow and some stirring ev everyday. When its done if we still ave this problem we'll tackle it with the old never fail copper wire stirring.

I'm afraid of production of mono-mercaptans which are more difficult to remove .

What do you mean by copper wire ?!

Hector
 
The h2s bonds to the copper of the wire and is revoked from the must.
 
Maybe you should stir the wine with some copper wire while pushing the cap down. Copper sulfite is a chemical used to combat H2S but it can be a poison if not properly dosed but the use of a clean copper wire is not poisonous. It doesnt take much time for this to do its work so dont go leaving the wire in there.
 

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