Little successes... H2S problems

[DaveMcC]

We often come here to seek info and solutions, which I have used in abundance (thank you to the organizers and contributors in our community), when we encounter problems, but I wanted to share a small success. Important to share our wins, as well as the losses or narrowly avoided disasters, yes?

Three batches of different wines from 2020 (Tempranillo, Merlot, and Petite Sirah) became "stinky" with H2S, owing to way too long a time on the lees (several weeks, called away out of town at a critical time). My first time with this problem. Anyway, after doing my homework (Pambianchi, both books) and Scott Labs, I tried a quick bench test on 50ml of each batch and a single drop of 1% CuSO4, which completely eliminated the sulfur "rotten egg" odor. I will receive an order of Lallemand's Reduless compound to try, with greater confidence that it will also solve the problem with additional benefit that the Reduless(TM) can bring.

I think you all can appreciate the anxiety that leads up to tackling a problem with the wine; the worry, thinking, self-doubt, all of which has to be faced with humility and science. I am an actual artist (www.davidmccurry.net) and like any good artist, completely understanding your medium, history, and complete knowledge of your craft is the path to success and fulfillment.

 

[winemaker81]

Agreed!

If you have an off taste, that is a side effect of the H2S. Treat it with ascorbic acid.

I had H2S in a 2020 wine, which I successfully treated with Reduless, but it had an off flavor. I dosed it with 1/4 the ascorbic I calculated, and it took 3 months to remove the off flavor produced by mercaptans. Ascorbic is very strong and too much will make the wine very sharp tasting.

 

[DaveMcC]

Thanks for the tips on the ascorbic acid. Was considering that as well, a recommended pre-treatment for the Reduless, especially in this case where the H2S has been with the wine for several weeks.

 

[winemaker81]

Thanks for the tips on the ascorbic acid. Was considering that as well, a recommended pre-treatment for the Reduless, especially in this case where the H2S has been with the wine for several weeks.

The good news is the treatment worked. I had 3 of 4 carboys affected with H2S. It took over 6 total months, but the 3 "bad" ones were fixed, and came out good.

 

[tmcfadden932]

H2S is usually a problem with lack of Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) in the must. If you start with YAN above 250 to 300ppm, you won't have the problem in the first place. I like to use FermAid-O nutrient to add YAN. There are others on the market that do the same thing.