# Sulphuric Smell



## Katie_1977 (Jan 16, 2007)

That rotten egg smell...is coming a little bit from the fermentor. Is this normal? it got put in there on sunday afternoon, and has been very actively fermenting since, and even now...but we came home this morning, and were greeted by the rotten egg smell i just spoke of.

Is this normal? Its a vintners reserve zinfandel kit btw.


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## FentonCellars (Jan 17, 2007)

Lets say that my Vintners Reserve Cab-Sav didn't do this. During the primary stage, it smelled like sweet wine. Just because I said that, I wouldn't start to think it is bad. Some kits may give off smells of their own. Are you putting vodka in the airlock? When you take the airlock off, and take a whiff of the fermenting wine, do you smell the eggs? What steps did you take so far? Make sure you list all steps and what you did/didn't do.


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## smurfe (Jan 17, 2007)

Its hard to tell really. Is this your first kit? Did you CLEAN and SANITIZE every piece of equipment that touched the juice? If you are not used to the smell of fermentation, it is a different smell. Many are confused by this. BUT, if you have a bacterial infection, there will be a distinct rotten egg smell. Let it ferment for a while and see if the odor you are experience subsides. If it does not, try to find a local winemaker if you can that can drop by and give an opinion. I we restate though, many who have never made a wine thinks they have a problem from the odor of fermentation.

Smurfe


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## Katie_1977 (Jan 17, 2007)

Yes, everything was cleaned and sanitized separately. My husband brews beer, so he is very strict on this, and taught me correctly. He used vodka in the airlock, because that is what he uses for the beer, should he not have? Is that the reason? From what I heard if it is hydrogen sulfide, it shouldn't be this early in the fermentation (I only made the batch on Sunday afternoon)

everything is still bubbling fast and steady, so i know its not because the fermenting has gotten stuck. 

It's not quite full on rotten egg, its kind of a mix of lets say a hardboiled egg and fruit.


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## Caplan (Jan 17, 2007)

Katie_1977 said:


> Yes, everything was cleaned and sanitized separately. My husband brews beer, so he is very strict on this, and taught me correctly. He used vodka in the airlock, because that is what he uses for the beer, should he not have? Is that the reason? From what I heard if it is hydrogen sulfide, it shouldn't be this early in the fermentation (I only made the batch on Sunday afternoon)
> 
> everything is still bubbling fast and steady, so i know its not because the fermenting has gotten stuck.
> 
> It's not quite full on rotten egg, its kind of a mix of lets say a hardboiled egg and fruit.


Vodka is fine for airlocks in beer and wine - it won't affect the brew (just make sure it's cheap stuff that you'd only want to drink with a mixer though!  ) 

What temp are you fermenting your wine at?


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## Katie_1977 (Jan 17, 2007)

during the day we set the heater to 68, at nite to 72, for the whole house...also i read somewhere that hydrogen sulfide is dangerous to breathe and flammable...is this true? It's in a guest room closet now, and the last thing i want is to endanger my family making wine.


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## Caplan (Jan 17, 2007)

Your fermenting temp is okay. 

Dont worry - Your wine isn't producing enough hydrogen sulphide to be dangerous. You'll be fine! Just vent the closet to get the smell out!


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## smurfe (Jan 17, 2007)

I think you are just smelling the yeast from the fermentation myself. It is a turn off to some people. Others, like me think it is a wonderful aroma.

Smurfe


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## FentonCellars (Jan 18, 2007)

Katie - Pick up a copy of the recent WineMaker magazine (lady holding up a wine glass). In there someone wrote in about a similar problem. They provided very good explanations of what is happening. Too much to write here, but if you can't find it, I can paraphrase if necessary.


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## Professional Amateur (Jan 24, 2007)

*Sulphur Smell*

I started my first kit on Sunday, a Vintners Reserve Cab, and I have the same smell. I sanitized everything with a bleach solution as I wasn't smart enough to pick up some sanitizer with my equipment and I wasn't patient enough to wait untill I did.

Since this is my first batch I have just been assuming everything is normal. It's not a real strong smell, I have to open my closet to smell it and I am fermenting with an air temp of 65 to 70 degrees. Please share what you find out.

Thanks!


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## conman610 (Jan 25, 2007)

i thought the wine fermenting smell was a bit different too. not like beer at all really. not really rotten eggs. just different from beer is the only way i can describe it


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## Katie_1977 (Feb 2, 2007)

Well it's been quite some time since i had posted this, and it seems everything is ok. Maybe it was just because it was my first batch , and didnt know what to expect, smell wise. But since the first post, i have already racked it to carboy, stabilized it, waited for everything to settle and, racked it again off its lees, and now its just sitting there bulk aging for a little bit. I also tasted it every step of the way, and it seems to taste perfectly fine, so i dont think i really had a sulphur dioxide problem, it was just my inexperienced nose..thanks everyone for the input.


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## Caplan (Feb 2, 2007)

I'm glad your wine is both tasting and smelling fine


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## Professional Amateur (Feb 4, 2007)

Talked to the local wine and brew shop and they seem to think everything is fine. The smell has subsided and everything seems to be fine now.

Time to get started on my next batch while this one ages for awhile!


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