Cantaloupe wine, good taste - bad smell. common?

[Kentuckyhomebrewer]

So a friend gave me a bunch of cantaloupes so of course I made wine. after fermenting and clearing and everything when it came time to bottle I gave it a taste test. The flavor was very mild, fortunately a little back sweetening help bring out the melon flavor but the smell is horrible. It smells like rotten cantaloupe but tastes quite good. it's definitely drinkable but the bouquet is off putting.

has anyone else made cantaloupe wine and had this problem?

 

[user 32114]

is it degassed very well?
Dawg

 

[Kentuckyhomebrewer]

I believe so, I degassed it and after clearing I let it mellow for a month before bottling and it created no pressure during that month. there was no noise like when you open a soda bottle or anything when I opened it up to back sweeten and bottle. It's completely still with no bubbles left that I've seen.

 

[G259]

I have never made a 'melon' wine, but I'll assume that it's like an apricot/peach wine as far as the solids. I'm thinking that solids are an enemy, akin to oxygen, as far as off flavors. Might you speed up rackings, to get off any lees, assuming that it is a problem?

 

[Rice_Guy]

there are two likely issues
* the yeast was stressed and you are dealing with a sulphur compound. ,,, Q: what did you do for yeast nutrition? ( a side question what fermentation temperature? High temp has higher nutrient requirements. the best melon I have had was run in the 50s F. My first try room temp with melon I would describe the flavor as medicinal)
* you had an infection in the melon and the fruit contained mold byproducts, ,, if your aroma actually is “rotten melon “ this is likely, wine is a preservative and low pH early in the process keeps contaminants from growing.

The flavor was very mild, fortunately a little back sweetening help bring out the melon flavor but the smell is horrible. It smells like rotten cantaloupe but tastes quite good. . but the bouquet is off putting.

YES sugar is magic, melon has a delicate flavor