Winemakers Given More Control

11/03/05 A new innovation from Chr. Hansen ensures a successful alcohol fermentation, and also contributes to the flavor development in wines.

Chr. Hansen says that it is helping wineries throughout the world understand the implications of various microflora in winemaking, and the benefits that can be achieved by using quality starter cultures. Several years ago, Chr. Hansen developed the breakthrough Viniflora malolactic bacteria cultures for malolactic fermentation. Now, the company has followed up with a new innovation of blending several species of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts, which not only ensures a successful alcohol fermentation, but at the same time, contributes to the flavor development in wines.

It is a well known in the winemaking community that the many species of yeasts and bacteria naturally present in the must add to the flavor development in wine – either positively or negatively. However, letting the natural flora take control can be risky – the right composition of yeasts and bacteria will achieve an excellent wine; but only a small number of undesirable organisms can completely ruin the wine with off-flavors, or even turn it into vinegar. The loss may be relatively insignificant when only producing a few cases of wine; however, in industrial scale wineries, it is essential that the natural microflora is controlled to ensure that only the desirable organisms play an active role in the fermentation process.

Chr. Hansen's new blended yeast products for wine give the benefit of a controlled fermentation together with the flavor benefit of a natural fermentation. Five years of testing in the laboratory and at several commercial wineries in the USA and Europe has shown the products give winemakers the improved complexity found in successful "wild" fermentations, and the control and reliability of conventionally inoculated fermentations.