# Possible "rotten egg" smell



## Swede (Sep 29, 2008)

I just did an Island Mist Peach-Apricot Chardonnay that went through secondary fermentation for the normal period of time. I noticed that it had a slight rotten egg smell which I'm still not sure if it's just me not smelling correctly or if it really existed. This is my first of this type of wine so I don't know if it's supposed to smell like that or not. (It wasn't very strong.)


I went ahead and did the stabilizing routine, adding the k-meta,k-sorb, fining, degass and F-pack on Friday evening, and let most of the stuff settle out on Saturday, thenracked it off the substantial lees on Sunday to let the remainder settle out.


I had read here from someone that if you detect that rotten egg smell, to get it off the lees as quickly as possible.


That smell appears to be gone now, but will it finish clearing properly since most of the lees are gone? It's still cloudy since it never had a chance to clear in the 1.5 days after stabilizing and fining before I racked again.


Is this wine batch going to be ok? Is it possible that I really didn't smell what I think I did and was just smelling the normal stuff from the Chard? My first Chard batch so I have no idea if it's supposed to have that slight bit of smell or not.


-Kelly


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## grapeman (Sep 29, 2008)

I think I would have left it alone until it cleared which would have likely been in a week to 10 days, but if it bothered you then it is best to have got it off the lees. It will probably continue to clear on its own if you give it a few weeks. If after that time it hasn't cleared, get some SuperKleer and it will finish clearing up.


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## Swede (Sep 29, 2008)

I figured I would leave it alone now for at least a month and just let it sit off to the side and kind of forget about it. I figured I would filter it before I bottle it when I get to that stage. I'm just hoping that it tastes ok in the end if there was sulfer dioxide forming.


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## Wade E (Sep 29, 2008)

As I have made a few whites lately Ive noticed that they seem to give off a smell that can resemble what you are talking about. Im pretty sure that whites just seem to give off this smell which can resemble a sulfur problem but in most cases its just the nature of whites or white kits. Appleman, with all the whites you have going even though they are not whites have you ever noticed this? My temps were around 69-72 the whole time for the must.


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## grapeman (Sep 29, 2008)

Swede don't worry about Sulfur Dioxide- that is the stuff to protect your wine. It is Hydrogen Sulfide that causes the rotten egg smell. I doubt if you have it and are just smelling byproducts of fermentation that will dissipate.


Wade I generally have a few nice odors with the wines, but haven't noticed any real off smells in the whites(and yes they are true whites)


Quote Wade "Appleman, with all the whites you have going even though they are not whites have you ever noticed this?" Yes, Wade these are truly Whites.


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## Wade E (Sep 29, 2008)

Oops, I meant even though they are not kits!!!!!!



Im sure you have a REAL White somewhere in there.


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## Swede (Sep 29, 2008)

wade said:


> As I have made a few whites lately Ive noticed that they seem to give off a smell that can resemble what you are talking about. Im pretty sure that whites just seem to give off this smell which can resemble a sulfur problem but in most cases its just the nature of whites or white kits.




That's good to know! This was my first white and none of the others had that smell so I thinkit made mepanic. The first whiff I got off that was pretty specific to my nose andI was like oh oh! And yeah, this was definitely a cheaper kit. I don't want to take a chance and ruin an expensive kit while I'm learning.



I'll know next time. 


As usual, thank you all very much for your expertise. You folks are awesome.


-Kelly


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## Swede (Oct 13, 2008)

Just a follow up on this one -- I'm still playing the waiting game on it but I'm pretty sure I've probably screwed this batch up. Lots of learning though and it wasone of the low-cost ones so it's not that big of a deal.


I let it set for awhile and it definintely was not clearing so I hit it a week ago withSuperkleer as appleman suggested, and after a week, it'sconsiderably more cloudy than it was before I added the SK. I'm going to continue to let it sit and just put it off to the side for now but it doesn't look like it's wanting to clear at all. What's worse, is that it looks like all the color from the wine is being settled to the bottom. All the golden yellow is in the bottom 1/3 of the cloud leaving the top a very, very pale yellow. Kind of like dish water maybe. 


So I have to wonder the following things... 


1) Should I just toss it out or ride it out and just let it sit for like 4-5 months and forget about it? When I tasted it before adding the SK it really wasn't that bad tasting at all. Just really hazy.


2)Does the SuperKleer stay in the wine? Is it safe to drink with that stuff in there if it doesn't all settle out to the bottom, and it stays couldy?


Things I've learned from this:


1) Whites may have a bit of rotten egg smell to me, just ignore it and follow the normal procedures.


2) Trying to clear for a second time may strip all the color from the wine.


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## JimCook (Oct 13, 2008)

Kelly,
By chance did you degas the wine before either of the clarification attempts?


- Jim


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## Swede (Oct 13, 2008)

I did degas thoroughly before the initial clarification, however I did not degas before that second attempt. I guess I assumed it wassufficiently degassed from the first time. Should I have degassed a second time before the second attempt?


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## JimCook (Oct 13, 2008)

Kelly,


I haven't made an Island Mist kit - I do not know what the specific instructions or chemicals are for clarification (stirring with the lees or racking off first, etc.). CO2 in the wine can hamper the clarification process, so I was just trying to rule that out first. 


- Jim


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## Wade E (Oct 13, 2008)

What temp is this batch at? Im wondering if you had a bad kit at this moment unless tour temps are too cold for the fining agent to work or for the wine to properly be degassed. You should have your wine at a temp of around 75-78 to properly degas and clear.


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## Swede (Oct 14, 2008)

That might be it... it's in a room that has it's own air conditioner and I keep it at a constant 70 degrees. Fluctuates between 69 and 71 roughly by my digital thermometer. I store my wine and ferment in that room as well since that's the only place I have for that. We keep the rest of the house around 73 or so. Do you think It would beadvantageous to have something like a Brew Beltto helpclearing?


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## Wade E (Oct 14, 2008)

I would just take that carboy out of that room for a few days to degas and then a also time to clear. Those temps arent that bad but if you are using just a spoon by hand to degas then Im guessing that is your problem as in my opinion that is not sufficient regardless of the instructions.


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## Swede (Oct 15, 2008)

I'll give that a try and see if that helps. If it doesn't look any better in a few weeks, I think I'll give up.


For degasing I'm using the drill mounted paddle thingy, followed by vacuum on the carboy, switching between the two until very little gas comes up. I should be ok on the degassing part from what I've read. I think it's just bad judgement on my part. Looking back now, I can see where at severalpoints I should haveleft it alone and I probably would have been fine.


I may take some pictures if I get time and post them.


Thanks!


-Kelly


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## Wade E (Oct 15, 2008)

If you cant post them then email them to me and I will do it for you. If your fining agent is still in there then re stir it and leave it in those warm temps but Ive seen quite a few wines just drop clear when they hit the warmer temps, I would re stir anyway and if it dont work hit it again with SuperKleer before giving up.


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## rgecaprock (Jan 26, 2009)

*I was degassing and stablizing my Pinot Grigio yesterday and for the first time I thought that I smelled the rotten egg smell but then it seemed like a yeasty smell. My nose has been way off on alot of things lately with these allergies but it wasn't extremely preceptible with uncertaintly that, that is what I was smelling. Curtis took a wif and he was also unsure but then he just smoked a cigar. I haven't topped it up yet was going to give it a few more whirls. Would the odor be very pronounded? Do you think that it is just a trait if a white and maybe the yeast? I'll let you know if it has disapated in a couple of day.........Ramona*


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## Swede (Jan 26, 2009)

About all I can comment on this is that I have since done the exact same kit again, and it had the same smell as before (Peach Apricot Chardonnay) so I just ignored it and went on with all regular steps. I'm guessing to my nose, that's just what they smell like. I also did a All Juice Chardasia and it had the same smell to me but to a lesser extent.


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## whino-wino (Jan 26, 2009)

Swede said:


> So I have to wonder the following things...
> 
> 
> 1) Should I just toss it out or ride it out and just let it sit for like 4-5 months and forget about it? When I tasted it before adding the SK it really wasn't that bad tasting at all. Just really hazy.




Don't toss it. I haven't done very many "whites". In fact, technically the only one I've ever done is a MM AJ Sauvignon Blanc. However I have done Apple, Pineapple and Dandelion. I haven'thad this troublewith the apple, but the pineapple and dandelion both seemed fairly clear when I added the Super Kleer and both of them instantly got very cloudy and stayed that way for several weeks. On the bright side, they both eventually cleared beautifully. I would agree with the opinions offered by others on this thread about keeping the temp up as this will aid the clearing process.




Swede said:


> 2)Does the SuperKleer stay in the wine? Is it safe to drink with that stuff in there if it doesn't all settle out to the bottom, and it stays couldy?




I think it is only dangerous if you have allergic reactions to shellfish. But you shouldn't need to worry about it as I believe that in a few more weeks it will clear out anyway.


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## u01dtj6 (May 23, 2009)

Hey, 


I seem to be having the same problem as 'Swede'. I started an apricot wine in a bucket about 9 days ago and has been very hazy, almost like a milky colour. I decided to put it in a demijohn to see what it does. It is still bubbling vigorously, and I'm sure I didn't leave it in the primary fermenter long enough and have totally screwed the batch up.


Here's an image of the wine when I put it into the demijohn for the first time:
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</A>http://www.enterthemystery.com/imgs/DSCF0330.jpg</A>


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I'd be greatful if any of you could tell me if I have really screwed this up.


Thanks guys.


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## grapeman (May 23, 2009)

What size jug is that? It seems like it will be an odd amount. If it is fermenting vigorously it will probably be alright. Don't give up on it yet. Keep us posted and we can give more help at the appropriate times.


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## u01dtj6 (May 23, 2009)

Hey,


Thanks for your reply. It's a UK-sized 1 gallon carboy. Yeh, it's bubbling vigourously so I'll just keep it away for a few weeks and see what it does.


Cheers mate.


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## Wade E (May 23, 2009)

Usually a wine that is fermenting good does not produce S02, its typically a yeast that is struggling that will do so and its due to malnutrition.


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## u01dtj6 (May 24, 2009)

Sorry, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Is that bad in my case?


Thanks


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## gaudet (May 24, 2009)

What he means is that if you don't have proper yeast nutrients in your must then the yeast may struggle to ferment, it can cause off flavors. One way to stop that is to use yeast nutrient and yeast energizer when preparing your must.

I have yet to experience the smell of rotten egg (H2S or hydrogen sulfide) or geranium like smells. I'm sure I will get it one day. I think in my limited experience that as long as you have a vigorous or active ferment then you are probably just fine.


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## Wade E (May 24, 2009)

How many wines have you made cause every wine will smell different and sometimes it can even smell similar to a rotten egg but most of the time its just the yeast doing its thing. Usually like we said if you have a vigorous fermentation there is no need to worry. What kind of wine is this and what yeast did you use. Red Star Montrachet is notorious for creating this smell but like I said before its usually due to malnutrition and youve said this isnt the case. Can you post the recipe please.


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## u01dtj6 (May 24, 2009)

Hey,


Thanks for your replies. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and leave it for a few months to see how it goes. Aye, it's bubbling that much that I might need to keep adding water to the airlock, as the gasses are slowly bubbling the water over the top!


It smells of rotten eggs just a little, so I'm not too bothered about that.


It's apricot wine, and I followed a recipe from a guy called "wykedtube" on Youtube, here's the link: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHsRTECUf8&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=8759AB8063C21FA1&amp;index=0&amp;playnext=1"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHsRTECUf8&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=8759AB8063C21FA1&amp;index=0&amp;playnext=1[/ame]and I used standard Young's U Brew Wine yeast I got from the homebrew store.


Thanks for all your replies guys. I'll let you know how it goes!


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## u01dtj6 (Jun 11, 2009)

Hey guys,


Well it's been nearly a month since I last took that picture a few posts back.


However, I've keptthis apricot winealongside my other wines I've got on the go at the moment (Tea + Sultana and Apple - they are coming along just nicely) and it it has stopped fermenting. There is no bubbles coming through the airlock. However, it is clearing up just nicely which I thought it wouldn't do this quick.


Here's a picture of it:
http://www.enterthemystery.com/imgs/DSCF0391.JPG</A>


Should I be worried that the fermentation is coming to a halt?


Thanks.


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## u01dtj6 (Jul 1, 2009)

Last week I decided to top the apicot to the neck of the demijohn. However, I did taste some a few days ago and I think I've diluted it far too much and it seriously lacks body... 









Is there anything I can do to salvage it? Or would it be worth just discarding it? I can tell you now, I won't be making another apricot wine in the foreseeable future!


However, my other wines are going fine. Below is Tea &amp; Sultana on the left (it was a nice clear golden colour until the sediment got disturbed by me topping it up to the neck by a pint) and apple wine from juice concentrate on the right.


I'd appreciate your thoughts guys!








Dan


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## Wade E (Jul 1, 2009)

By diluting too much do you mean it has no flavor left cause if this is the cas we can fix that but it will require more fruit or juice. What some of us do is get about 1/3 the amount of the original fruit used to make the batch and simmer it in a pot on medium temp with just a little water until it gets mushy so that you can extract all the juices out of it and let it cool and add it back to a stabilized wine that has had both k-meta and sorbate added so as that it wont start fermenting again. The other option is juice and it is usually cheaper(I get mine from health food stores). I use about 2-3 quarts per 6 gallon batch and reduce them down in a pot till its about 1/3 its size and then do the same as I mentioned with the fruit. Keep the lid off the pot while condensing these so as the water can evaporate.


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## u01dtj6 (Jul 2, 2009)

Yes Wade, there is little flavour, and I think I have also diluted the strength of the abv. I could tip some out as you say, and in fact, is a really good idea, but I am afraid of further diluting the strength?


I measured in my vinometer, and was around the 11%abv mark.


Cheers
Dan


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## u01dtj6 (Jul 2, 2009)

Would it be feasible to add more sugar, and perhaps use a yeast restarter pack to get the fermentation going again, and would this be possible to do straight in the carboy?


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