I am getting ready to bottle my 2016 Cabernet that I did from grapes, up to now all was smelling and tasting great. Now I am getting a banana smell to it and from I see from researching it could be acetaldehyde or ethyl acetate. They are saying to add SO2 to inhibit it? Does this sound right and if so how much SO2 to add? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Banana Smell in wine - Is it going bad?
- Thread starter ScottyB
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What I'm seeing is that it is a product of a cool fermentation, and not a huge deal:
http://www.aroxa.com/wine/wine-flavour-standard/isoamyl-acetate and here http://www.ajevonline.org/content/30/3/167
http://debramasterofwine.com/beat-the-banana/
How does it taste?
balatonwine
The Verecund Vigneron
Acetaldehyde smells sour and metalic. Ethyl acetate smells like nail polish remover. Both are wine faults. And acetaldehyde is a carcinogen. It occurs naturally in ripe fruit and will be in all wines, but you want to limit this chemical for sure.
A banana smell is usually from isoamyl acetate. A bit of isoamyl acetate can add to the bouquet complexity of a white wine, but not so much appreciated * in a red wine (except fruit forward wines like Beaujolais). Typically, isoamyl acetate will decrease with age. I once have had a Pinot Gris with a slight banana bouquet its first year that was completely gone by year two.
* But I am not wine convention pretentious, and I think so called "standards" should be constantly questioned and re-evaluated.
A banana smell is usually from isoamyl acetate. A bit of isoamyl acetate can add to the bouquet complexity of a white wine, but not so much appreciated * in a red wine (except fruit forward wines like Beaujolais). Typically, isoamyl acetate will decrease with age. I once have had a Pinot Gris with a slight banana bouquet its first year that was completely gone by year two.
* But I am not wine convention pretentious, and I think so called "standards" should be constantly questioned and re-evaluated.
It even has a slight banana hint to the taste other than that it is fine. Thanks for the reply. I pulled it out of my Variable Capacity Tank and added some SO2 to it and put it on carboys to reduce any haedspace and minimize oxygen contact. I will give it the test of time at this point 
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Serve it to monkeys. They'll love it. ;-)
