"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