# Sloe (Blackthorn) Wine - SMELLS



## rowan57 (Nov 11, 2013)

Hi All, 

First time poster & wine maker. 

At the weekend I started 1 Gal Pumpkin Wine & 2 Gal Sloe Wine, largely following Jack Kellers recipes. I used EC-118 for the Pumpkin & Wyeast 4267 (Bordeaux) for the Sloe. I made up some of the Sloe requirement with Blackberries, really for colour. 

It is now 24h since I pitched the yeast, and the Pumpkin all looks (and smells) good. The Sloe on the other hand, looks good (i.e. no sign of infection, bubbling nicely) but STINKS. I am currently stirring twice a day. 

I suspect all is fine and the bad smell will go away, whatever it is, but some reassurance / advice / explanation would be fantastic 

Thank you, 

Rowan


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## sour_grapes (Nov 11, 2013)

What does it smell like, i.e., what does the smell remind you of?


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## rowan57 (Nov 11, 2013)

sour_grapes said:


> What does it smell like, i.e., what does the smell remind you of?



I had to go and check… And I'm not sure. Almost very strongly of yeast, possibly sulphury. The fermentation looks really healthy which is why I am puzzled. 

I pitched a full pack of the Wyeast for 2 Gal if that might make any difference? 

I did also pitch a full pack of EC-118 for the Pumpkin with no apparent side effects.


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## sour_grapes (Nov 11, 2013)

What I have learned here is that many yeast can give off H2S (rotten egg smell) when they don't have proper nutrition, or some other stressor. It is advised that, if your must does not contain a lot of free nitrogen, that you add a nutrient to it. Read this thread; I think it is illuminating: 

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f86/yeast-nutrients-39655/


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## rowan57 (Nov 12, 2013)

sour_grapes said:


> What I have learned here is that many yeast can give off H2S (rotten egg smell) when they don't have proper nutrition, or some other stressor. It is advised that, if your must does not contain a lot of free nitrogen, that you add a nutrient to it. Read this thread; I think it is illuminating:
> 
> http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f86/yeast-nutrients-39655/




Ahh thank you! That makes sense. I did add nutrient as per the recipe, but have added another dose this morning. The smell was greatly reduced this morning anyway, so hopefully this will fix it! On the plus side, theres nothing quite like a snort of CO2 in the morning before work


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## TandooriRelic (Jan 16, 2019)

Hi there! New to the forum so not sure where I should post this but.....

I’ve been making sloe gin for the last 10 years but this year is the first time I’ve had this happen.

I made 10 litres and the whole batch smells like marzipan!! Nothing else!! Pure marzipan!! It smells nice to me but I’ve read a lot about cyanide!! Worried that the batch might be poisonous. I know it’s in the seeds and the concentration is low but it’s still a worry. 

Any ideas what to do?

Any help would be appreciated! I don’t want to tip 10 litres of gin down the sink but I also don’t want to die!


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