"Stinky feet" smell

[RussR]

Hello all,
Been reading a lot and learning on this forum. Thanks! I am almost to the point of bottling my first batch, a WineExperts Merlot. The last time I took a sample out to see if it had cleared yet, it had a slight odor to it – what I would describe as “stinky feet”. Taste was I guess very bitter, which I understand is normal at this point, but the smell is what got me – not overpowering, certainly, but unpleasant as the glass is brought up to the nose.

I have followed the directions in the kit to the letter, as far as I know.

Dates:
4/11 - Primary fermentation started
4/17 - Secondary fermentation started
4/28 - SG stable at 0.992
5/15 - racked, appeared clear

The instructions have me bottling now, but I wanted to get advice on the smell first. Is this smell normal at this stage and will go away, or have I done something wrong and can I fix it?

Thanks,
Russ

 

[djrockinsteve]

Russ, 2 weeks to clear is a little short but I do not make kits. Also wines will have different smells as they go thru each stage. I'm sure you are smelling some odor from the fining material whatever you had used. Allow the wine to age and backsweeten to your taste.

My vote is give your wine time.

 

[Wade E]

I agree, never follow that bottling procedure at this time. As for the smell it should go away with time. Is this wine topped up good? Is it a rotten egg smell? H2S problems is pretty rare with kits so really dont think its that and its also very early for this type of problem. I think you are just not used to the smell wines can put out at very you g ages. By the way, what exact kit is this?

 

[robie]

Like Wade said, if it is not the rotten egg smell, the smell will likely go away in time. I would not be in any hurry to bottle it; leave it in the carboy under an air lock for another month or so; then smell it again. At that time, let us know if it still smells.

Remember, this is very young wine, so the taste and smell may not be what you would expect.

 

[jdeere5220]

4/11 - Primary fermentation started
4/17 - Secondary fermentation started
4/28 - SG stable at 0.992
5/15 - racked, appeared clear

Hello Russ,

Thanks for the dates on everything. It looks good to me, although as others have noted I always give the Wine Expert kits at least a couple extra weeks to clear, because you are going to want to let it age a bit anyway (other than a sample bottle or two!).

Did you stir in the sulphite and sorbate on 4/28 as instructed? Since this is a dry wine, the sorbate isn't all that important, but the sulphite is important to make sure your wine doesn't pick up any bacterial infection. Also, did your degassing seem to go well (was a lot of gas released?).

I really think everything is probably fine, I'm not the best when it come to sanitation and I've never had a problem with one of these kits. It could be that this smell you are describing is just a young wine aroma, which is definitely different than cheap commercial wines that generally smell of sulphite, oak, and alcohol.

 

[EdwardLongshanks]

I have a Grand Cru Merlot that is at the 2 and a half week mark and I noticed an off smell with that. I would describe it as "rubber tires" but stinky feet wouldn't be far off. I plan on doing another racking at 4 weeks where the instructions say to bottle it at that time, I may wait a bit longer. Im just assuming the smell is because I dumped a bunch of chemicals in the day before and the wine is just starting to clear.
Good luck

 

[Flem]

Patience, my friend. You have a very young wine. If you're sniffing directly from the carboy, the smell could be from the rubber bung. Good luck.

 

[RussR]

Thanks all for the advice. I suspected it was just that's it's very early on in the aging process, but since it's my first attempt, wanted to make sure.

jdeere5220, I added the sulfite and sorbate on 4/28 as instructed. The degassing went very well, I was surprised at how much gas came out. It is possible I did it too vigorously, as I have since learned from reading this forum.

Fortunately, it is definitely not a rotten egg smell as a couple people asked.

The smell was from a wine glass after I took a sample to see if it had cleared.

As most of you have advised, I'll just let it sit in the carboy for a while longer and see if it improves. Thanks!

Russ

 

[RussR]

Still doesn't taste very good, and cork problems

Well, it has been about 6 months since the last post. I bottled the wine on 7/11. Recently I tried some more. About a month and a half ago the wine still tasted pretty bad. Then a couple of weeks ago it tasted not quite so bad (meaning it was at least drinkable), but still nothing that I would be willing to give to other people.

As these kits as marketed as ready to taste in a month, then "it will improve even more after three months!", I have to wonder if I either just got a bad batch, or if I did something wrong. Obviously nobody here can tell me that. But after 6 months it has improved, but only from "awful" to "bad". Sorry I can't be more specific with how it tastes.

This was a WineXperts Vintners Reserve Merlot.

I don't really know if there is actually a question that can be answered on the taste, but I do have two others:

1. The instructions have a note: "If you want to age your wine more than 6 months, you must add extra metabisulphite to prevent oxidation." I did not do that, as I was hoping to drink it before then. But now it has been 6 months, and it's in bottles, what do I do?

2. Four of my remaining 28 bottles are showing some seepage at the cork (see attached picture). What is this? What does it mean? Cheap corks? Are those bottles ruined?

Thanks,
Russ

 

[djrockinsteve]

Russ save me a bottle. Never had a Stinky Feet Wine before.

Yes you need sulfite added. Guessing 1/8 teaspoon for 5 gallons but I don't know your details. Seepage could be from bad or old corks. Wrong size. Excess CO2 forcing wine out thru cork.

Did you back sweeten the wine. That will make a world of difference.

 

[Rocky]

RussR,
Did you record the initial SG and if so, what was it? I have only made one Vintner's Reserve (a Sangiovese and it was my first kit before I knew about the bigger kits). I was not totally pleased with the results (wine had a decent taste, but was very thin). Looking back at my wine log, I excerpt the following:

1-25-11 Started wine, SG 1.085
1-28-11 Ambient T=73.9 F , wine T=74 F, SG 1.072
1-29-11 Ambient T=76 F, wine T73 F, SG 1.030
1-30-11 AM, Ambient T=74.5 F, wine T=74 F, SG 1.012
1-30-11 4:30 PM, SG 1.008, racked to 1-5 gal and 3/4 of a gal jug
2-6-11 SG 0.994
2-8-11 SG 0.994 Stabilized and cleared
4-9-11 Bottled, 26-750 ml bottles

The wine does not have any off taste but is still thin. All of it is gone by except for 5 bottles in our cellar that we plan to try after 1 year. If I would make this kit again, and I probably will not, I would not have added water up to the 23 liter mark. I probably would have held back on the water to about SG 1.095 to 1.100. I realize that many would criticize this move, but that is what I would do. Personally, I don't make anything anymore that is not at least 15 L of wine concentrate.

 

[RussR]

Thanks for the ideas, folks. I'm going to take it into the local wine supply store this week (at their suggestion) and see if they can identify what went wrong.

Russ save me a bottle. Never had a Stinky Feet Wine before.

Not a real popular aroma, but could sure make a funny label! Actually, the "stinky feet" smell has pretty well disappeared.

Yes you need sulfite added. Guessing 1/8 teaspoon for 5 gallons but I don't know your details.

As I've already bottled, I suppose I'd have to do it individually to each bottle? Not looking forward to that.

Seepage could be from bad or old corks. Wrong size. Excess CO2 forcing wine out thru cork.

They are the corks that came with the equipment starter kit I bought, so undoubtedly not the highest quality.

Did you back sweeten the wine. That will make a world of difference.

No, I thought about it, but this being my first wine, I decided to just follow the instructions exactly as written, and they do not call for backsweetening.

RussR,
Did you record the initial SG and if so, what was it?

1.072. This was within the range specified in the instructions (1.070-1.085).

Thanks guys! I'll let you know what the local wine store has to say.

 

[JohnT]

Your "sinky feet" smell sounds like mercatans (bonded hydrogen sulfide). This can be treated with copper sulfate, but I would ask your local as he/she can actually smell an sample the wine.

One bit of advise... If you have a problem with your wine, hold off on putting it into the bottle. If you find a cure, you will not have a couple of cases to reopen.

 

[Rocky]

Russ, a couple other thoughts. Knowing what I know now about red wine kits, I would have added either a grape pack or a box of red raisins to the primary for more body. Also, in looking at your seepage, it was suggested that the wrong size cork was used or there may have been excess CO2. I believe it would more likely be the latter case as the wine seems to be coming through the cork. If they were the wrong size, it would have come around the cork. As far as what size to use, most of us use a #9 x 1 3/4". Some use the #9 x 1 1/2".

I see you are in Beavercreek. I used to work in Research Park for Kodak many years ago. A couple of us are trying to arrange a meeting of the Ohio gang (and anyone else who would like to participate) just to talk and exchange ideas and experiences. Would you be interested?