what's that smell?

[georges]

so today i checked the SG of my RJS GCI cab sauv in secondary: 0.996 (its day 15 since starting) so i racked into a clean carboy and did all the stabilizing steps.

1. tasted the wine, it seems to have some strange, unpleasant kind chemically sweetish fatty smell going on. not so obvious on the palate as the nose. i have tried to think what this smells like but can't put my finger on it. maybe glycerol?

2. while degassing with the drill attachment the LHBS sold me the thing snapped. is this common? i dont have a particularly powerful drill. anyway, i had been going for a long while so i figured it was ok. what do people look for when degassing? should i give it another big stir at next racking? is too much stirring introducing air (02)? what do i need to do vacuum degassing?


cheers everyone!

g

 

[Deezil]

Why your attachment snapped, probably depends on where the break happened.

When degassing, you're looking for steady waves of small-small bubbles rolling up the sides of the carboy, not the larger bubbles you find when filling a sink with water but the small bubbles that run up the side of a just-opened soda bottle. The object isnt to create a hurricane/tornado/cyclone type shape, cause when the air protrudes into the center of the carboy and you stop drilling, some of that air becomes trapped. Instead, you want to keep the surface of the wine relatively flat while still agitating it deeper below. Slower, steady pulses will have a better effect than running the drill top speed constantly. Running the drill one way, then in reverse, works, as long as you keep the speed low, although i would probably slower pulses myself.

Vacuum degassing involves a vacuum pump w/ regulator & overflow, some hosing, carboy cap.... Might be missing something.. Someone else will probably chime in before i wake up to check this thread again lol..

Hope to help..

 

[MN-winer]

You may be smelling Potassium Sorbate. Its kind of a chemical like bubble gum smell. I personally don't have a sensitivity to it but many do.

 

[cpfan]

Georges:

Did you taste before or after adding the additives?

Which drill attachment did you have? Plastic or metal shaft? Fizz-X? Whip? Mix-Stir? Something else?

Steve

 

[fifthhorsm]

day fifteen and your worried about degassing.... omg why are you in such a hurry to get drunk? you've killed the wine with what you did... oxidized the heck out of it.... you gave it the equal of decades of normal oxidation... at this rate your wine should reach it's peak about day 25!!!!! hurry and start drinking before it goes beyond it's prime.

home wine making is or should be about making a quality product yourself... if you just want to get drunk it's cheaper and easier to run down to the market and get a gallon jug of the cheapest..... wine making takes time, you shouldn't try and use big commercial wine operations as a model for most of them it's all about cost not quality... your wine will degass on it's own with a little time might take a couple of months or a year.... take your time let things happen on their timetable not yours... and you'll produce a quality wine you can be proud to serve anyone.

 

[diggerdan17]

day fifteen and your worried about degassing.... omg why are you in such a hurry to get drunk? you've killed the wine with what you did... oxidized the heck out of it.... you gave it the equal of decades of normal oxidation... at this rate your wine should reach it's peak about day 25

It may be a couple of days earlier than the directions state but if the fermentation was vigorous and the sg was the same for 3 days straight then its perfectly acceptable to use a whip stir drill attachment during stabilizing and clearing.This is a kit wine and the directions call for the wine to be degassed at this point.

Many non kit home wine makers do not de gas and let time do it for them, most kit wine makers do use a drill mix attachment for degassing because thats what the directions call for.

I do not think any oxidization has harmed the wine and i'm sure it will be just fine.


Digger

 

[georges]

fithhorseman: i can't say i appreciate the tone of your "helpful" reply. i am not some philistine. i am also not a kid looking to get drunk cheaply. i am also not in any hurry to drink this wine. i am simply (as everyone on the forums points out ad nauseum) FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE KIT. they suggested stabilising and degassing etc at day 20 or SG <0.998.
I think your reply was more about trying to make yourself seem like a big experienced guy than helping me out- ironically the really experienced guys on this forum are never condescending mate. Take note.

To the other (helpful) replies: i tasted the wine before the addition of the Ksorbate. the smell may have been bubble gummy. but actually in the night it occurred to me that it was kinda soapy.

I had some generic no-name drill attachment. It had a plastic shaft with a small metal insert to go into the chuck. It snapped mid-shaft.

cheers

g

 

[Randoneur]

First off - the whip degasser is hard to keep in the center if you spin it fast enough to create a whirlpool in the wine. Maybe it bent back and forth enough that it broke. Better to do short bursts with the drill than continuous stirring.

Second - maybe someone else has and idea on what to do to correct the wine, but I'm not convinced that it will not be fine once it gets finish, bottled and aged. Have you added the sorbate, clarifiers, etc. I assume you have based on the taste and smell. I know you are not thinking of dumping it, but good advise is to never dump a wine until you give it time to develop. The kit instruction should tell you when it will peak.

 

[georges]

thanks randoneur- im hoping it will all turn out fine with a little time as you say! definitely don't want to be dumping it. it wasn't an AWFUL smell, but very obvious. hard to describe i guess. anyway, it's in bulk aging now so i will forget about it for 3 months and see what happens.

cheers

g

 

[jnmar]

day fifteen and your worried about degassing.... omg why are you in such a hurry to get drunk? you've killed the wine with what you did... oxidized the heck out of it.... you gave it the equal of decades of normal oxidation... at this rate your wine should reach it's peak about day 25!!!!! hurry and start drinking before it goes beyond it's prime.

home wine making is or should be about making a quality product yourself... if you just want to get drunk it's cheaper and easier to run down to the market and get a gallon jug of the cheapest..... wine making takes time, you shouldn't try and use big commercial wine operations as a model for most of them it's all about cost not quality... your wine will degass on it's own with a little time might take a couple of months or a year.... take your time let things happen on their timetable not yours... and you'll produce a quality wine you can be proud to serve anyone.

That's just downright rude and uncalled for...what a condescending *** you are.

 

[bdcl1977]

fifthhorsm, You have been a member here how long. I have never seen anyone do what you did here in this forum. I have only been doing this a little over a year and have messed up a lot trying to learn how to make a good wine and no one has treated me like you did Georges. There is a lot of respect here on these pages from Newbie to Master Wine Maker.
Georges there are many here who will help with respect no matter the question. A lot of great guidance, assurance and caring help can found here and will continue on. I have done some damage to batches and with the help here salvaged them, they did not turn out great but did turn out good for me and my wife. I hope to continue to improve my winemaking with the help I get from these people from our winemaking family.

 

[closetwine]

fifthhorsm, You have been a member here how long. I have never seen anyone do what you did here in this forum. I have only been doing this a little over a year and have messed up a lot trying to learn how to make a good wine and no one has treated me like you did Georges. There is a lot of respect here on these pages from Newbie to Master Wine Maker.
Georges there are many here who will help with respect no matter the question. .

I agree that was totally uncalled for!!! He was following the instructions, and kits often move faster than other wines.

No one appriciates a condescending jerk, and I think you'll find out very quick that ppl on this forum are like family... We treat each other with respect! And even if he had done something totally ridiculous, which he didn't, there is still no call for that!