Hello. I'm making my first batch of wine and one of my problems is that
I don't know what new wine is supossed to smell or taste like. My batch
was made with a Cabernet/Merlot blend of sterile must (Mosti Mondiale).
Fermentation finished in October, then I cold stabilized it. The wine
doesn't smell like rotten egg, but it has a very distinct and strong
fizzy smell. Is this typical? I know that a lot of CO2 is produced
during the fermentation, and I'm hoping that that is what I'm smelling.
The taste is not really terrible or anything, but then again I've read
that new wine doesn't taste or smell very good. I plan on bulk aging
the wine for one year. Will the fizzy smell be gone by then? Is this
fizzy smell a sign of some problem? Thanks.

"Igor" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello. I'm making my first batch of wine and one of my problems is that
I don't know what new wine is supossed to smell or taste like. My batch
was made with a Cabernet/Merlot blend of sterile must (Mosti Mondiale).
Fermentation finished in October, then I cold stabilized it. The wine
doesn't smell like rotten egg, but it has a very distinct and strong
fizzy smell. Is this typical? I know that a lot of CO2 is produced
during the fermentation, and I'm hoping that that is what I'm smelling.
The taste is not really terrible or anything, but then again I've read
that new wine doesn't taste or smell very good. I plan on bulk aging
the wine for one year. Will the fizzy smell be gone by then? Is this
fizzy smell a sign of some problem? Thanks.

That "fizzy" smell is dissolved carbon dioxide. It's normal in a young
wine. You can degas it with a gadget called a "fizz-x" or simply sulfite
and top up the wine in a carboy with an airlock and the CO2 will dissipate
with time. A year of bulk aging would be good, but be sure that you don't
allow anything to grow on the surface of the wine. Setting the sulfite to
its appropriate level and minimizing the headspace over the wine will
prevent oxidation and growth of spoilage organisms.

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com

I never heard of it described as a smell but fizzy taste or pricking of the
tongue is common. It is just dissolved CO2. If you want to bottle young
you probably want to degas it by stirring vigorously. Some people like the
fuzziness in which case you may want to bottle early to capture it. I do
not like it.

If you are going to bulk age it for 9 mo. to a year the it will go away
naturally and I would not recommend degassing.

Ray

"Igor" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello. I'm making my first batch of wine and one of my problems is that
I don't know what new wine is supossed to smell or taste like. My batch
was made with a Cabernet/Merlot blend of sterile must (Mosti Mondiale).
Fermentation finished in October, then I cold stabilized it. The wine
doesn't smell like rotten egg, but it has a very distinct and strong
fizzy smell. Is this typical? I know that a lot of CO2 is produced
during the fermentation, and I'm hoping that that is what I'm smelling.
The taste is not really terrible or anything, but then again I've read
that new wine doesn't taste or smell very good. I plan on bulk aging
the wine for one year. Will the fizzy smell be gone by then? Is this
fizzy smell a sign of some problem? Thanks.