Steve Peek wrote:
> "Marshall Jose" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I picked and froze blackberries from a neighbor's plants, and when I had
>> enough (about 3kg) I prepared my must for the primary. After crushing the
>> fruit I added the usual things, including 1.5 tsp of yeast nutrient in the
>> form of food-grade urea. I also sulfited with two Campden tablets primary
>> must, which by this time was nearly 2 gallons. This sat for 24 hours.
>>
>> I then pitched the yeast, Lalvin RC212 (Bourgovin), per their directions,
>> which involved dissolving some of the yeast in warm water and letting sit
>> for 15 minutes before adding it to the must. I noticed at the time that
>> the yeast solution smelled a little off-putting.
>>
>> Within 24 hours of pitching, my must acquired a thick bouquet of hydrogen
>> sulfide, and 5 days later it's still as bad.
>>
>> This happened last year when I made wine from the same plant's berries.,
>> but then I'd used Red Star's Premier Cuvee. I eventually drove out the H2S
>> with agitation, but it made me wonder what went wrong. This time I was
>> very attentive to sanitation, and I'm rather disappointed that the H2S
>> presence has recurred with such vigor.
>>
>> After doing some internet searches, I get the impression diammonium
>> phosphate might have been a better nutrient. Does anybody have other
>> suggestions? There's still plenty of berries to pick this season, and I
>> might be able to re-try a batch this season.
>>
>> Marshall
>
> Give it a good stir with a copper rod. I often have a similar problem with
> apple wine and the sulphur seems to bind with the copper. It could be your
> yeast nutrient causing the odor, but some yeasts are known for H2S
> production.
> Steve
>
I made a "frond" with some 16 ga. copper wire and scoured it, then
swished it around in the must. Sadly, there was no apparent reaction.

I've since transferred it to the secondary, and I'll be periodically
oxygenating it using an aquarium pump and a bubble stone until the odor
is inoffensive.