Hydrogen Sulphide in Primary

Sep 29, 2006 4 Replies

I've got a batch of California Carignane on the go and came home to an eggy smelling kitchen. It's been fermenting for 48 hours, still on the skins, and I gave it a healthy dose of DAP shortly after innoculating. Any treatment I've read for dealing with H2S has applied to after pressing and after fermentation. Any thoughts on what to do about this?



THanks



Some yeasts produce H2S during fermentation...this could be what's happening. You could pour the fermenting wine from one container to another giving the wine lots of air. That should help the yeast and also get rid of the odor. Perhaps another DAP dose...1 gram/gallon based on juice volume.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

I would go to the local drugstore and buy a small bottle of pantothenic acid (a vitamin) and I would add about half a tablet to the stinky fermentation. Lum Del Mar, California, USA

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Here's a link that mentions shortage of nitrogen and pantothenic acid in connection with hydrogen sulfide contamination.

Montrachet yeast is notorious for causing H2S.

Other causes can be too much sulfites, usually the result of grapes being dusted with too much sulfur during the growing season;

or bacterial contamination due to poor sanitation techniques..

Link goes into more detail..

Good luck..

fermentation.

Forgot the link, now didn't I. Here it is.. sorry about that..

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