Hydrogen Sulfide...now what?

[Oyarsa]

I'm doing a very old Orchard Breezin Mist Wine kit for my first foray into wine. I'm 8 days in and tonight I tested the SG. The kit suggests the next step is at 0.998 SG or lower and day 14.

I drew a sample in a wine thief and measured in the wine thief. I feel very confident the SG was lower than 0.998, but the hydrometer stuck to the side of the wine thief fairly quickly. Tomorrow I will double check if I can find a more suitable test jar.

The more pressing issue is a sulphur smell. The kit and yeast WAS about 5 years old. I imagine that is the cause. But now what to do...

I don't want to use copper sulfate. I read that racking and adding sulfite can help. One site seemed to recommend acting fast while another one recommended patience. Should I move on to the next step now or wait out the 14 days?

 

[joeycannoli]

What type of yeast did you use? Is it a strand that is known to produce more H2S that others? Did you use nutrients?

You can try macro aeriation (splash racking) now to introduce some more oxygen during fermentation. It helps reduce hydrogen sulfide production.

If that does not help, there is a product out there called Reduless that is better than the last resort of copper sulfate

https://morewinemaking.com/products/reduless.html

 

[GreenEnvy22]

I had a HS issue in my 2015 dornfelder. Reduless and several rackings worked wonders. Now it's a really nice red.

 

[Oyarsa]

Sorry to take so long to reply. My work just converted to a new computer system, so time has been mininal.

I'm honestly not sure what kind of yeast. It's a very old kit. I'm not holding my breath. Or maybe I will because of the sulphur.

I racked into the carboy with a bit of splashing, but otherwise followed the kit instructions. I will look for reduless. Sounds like a great idea, but my initial google search makes me think it is expensive. No sense throwing good money after bad. This kit can be counted as a learning experience!

 

[joeycannoli]

It's not expensive. 30 grams is 8 bucks at morewine. You only need around .5 grams per gallon of wine to treat.