campden tablet taste

[eeyores61]

Hi, I'm new to wine-making, and have followed instructions for wine no 1. The wine was bottled about a month ago, and I had a little taste today and although there's a pleasant fruitiness to the taste, the overwhelming smell is of campden tablet. I only added one (it smelled so much that I didn't add another when I degassed it) but it still stinks!

Is there anything I can do? I'm reluctant to try another wine because of this.

(My ancient orange mead doesn't smell/taste like this as I didn't add a campden tablet).
Any advice/comments very welcome.

[rjb222]

Can you describe the smell? Campden will make you pull your nose away from the gas but it is not what I would call smell bad. Would you describe it as a sulfur smell ?

[Her Lushness]

If it smells of sulphur, as in rotten eggs, you'd need to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, and give it a good stir.

I've never had a wine stink of Campden, and I use it as a matter of course when racking etc etc.

[rjb222]

If it smells of sulphur, as in rotten eggs, you'd need to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, and give it a good stir.

I've never had a wine stink of Campden, and I use it as a matter of course when racking etc etc.

This wine is already bottled if it has a sulfur smell then there are other things to be done to fix the problem yeast nutrient will do nothing at this stage as the ferment is over.

[alan66]

This wine is already bottled if it has a sulfur smell then there are other things to be done to fix the problem yeast nutrient will do nothing at this stage as the ferment is over.

What would be done at this stage?

Alan

[Her Lushness]

What would be done at this stage?

Alan

That was my next question...

[eeyores61]

I wouldn't call it sulphur - just a rather chemical smell and taste which I've sometimes also found in very cheap white wines. I left yesterday's 'tasting' glass out all day and last night the smell had almost gone but it still tasted grim.

Whisper: back to the beer!

[lockwood1956]

Was it degassed properly?

[rjb222]

My guess for the wine that was left out all day and still tasted grim is there were other things happening at this time like oxidation. The real taste would have been effected by the exposure in this period of time. As Bob has asked was the wine degassed properly when you bring it into your mouth does your tongue feel tingly? If you take some out of a bottle then put your thumb over top of the bottle and shake it good do you get a foam or some light bubbles that dissipate quickly?

[eeyores61]

*update*

Finally got through a litre of this by mixing it with creme de cassis, and using the leftovers for cooking.

But (creme de cassis at the ready) opened the next bottle tonight AND IT'S FINE!

Still smells weird but tastes not unpleasant, so I've been testing it all night and may have to fall over shortly. Thanks for all the replies

[Rich]

If it was only one bottle that was bad... what did you sterilise/sanitise the bottle with. Could you have left some sterisiling solution in the bottle at all? even just some?

If so, what did you sterisile it with?

[fatbloke]

If it was only one bottle that was bad... what did you sterilise/sanitise the bottle with. Could you have left some sterisiling solution in the bottle at all? even just some?

If so, what did you sterisile it with?

Hum ? my thoughts as well.

Only because when I started out, Bob explained about the Ritchies cleaning/sanitising powder being bleach based etc......

I'd guess a small amount of that might give a "chemically" sort of taste - and it might not be enough to actually start changing the colour of the wine etc but still might give an "iffy" sort of taste!

regards

JtFB