Maximising aroma preservation in white and rosé wines

All winemakers are concerned with quality, to greater or lesser extents within budget constraints. In terms of white winemaking, the appearance of the wine is secondary to the nose of the wine, so it is critical that a wine of quality be expressive of both varietal characters and terroir.

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Impact of fining treatments on juice quality

In terms of juice handling, international winemaking practices vary significantly from country to country. In Australia, as in many other countries, it is typical to treat the free-run and pressings fractions of juice separately, whilst in India winemakers do not always take a pressings fraction.

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Fining agents part 1: Proteinaceous fining agents

This is the first in a two-part series of LAFFORT inforbriefs on fining agents. In Part 1 we focus on proteinaceous fining agents, which are commonly used for the removal of phenolics. Discussions are presented to support the characteristics of each fining agent.
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Fining agents part 2: Non-proteinaceous fining agents

In Part 2 of this series on fining agents, we analyse the non-proteinaceous fining agents. This includes a discussion of the structures of fining agents and what they are typically used for, including the new egg albumin alternative, BIOLEES®.
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bacteries-FR-350The LACTOENOS 350 PreAc® a new tool to manage malolactic fermentation in white wines

LAFFORT has continued the advance in pre-acclimated bacterial development with LACTOENOS 350 PreAc®, which follows on from the highly successful 450 PreAc® strain. LACTOENOS 350 PreAc® exhibits high acid stress tolerance.....

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Techniques for dealing with awkward malolactic fermentations

Alcoholic fermentation (AF) is generally followed by a second process, malolactic fermentation (MLF), caused by lactic bacteria, mainly Œnococcus œni species. This reduces acidity in the wine and develops its aromas, as well as ensuring microbiological stabilization.
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Optimizing the aromas of wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and other grape varieties with «Sauvignon» aromas: impact of a yeast rehydration nutrient and inoculation with mixed yeasts

Saccharomyces cerevisiae winemaking yeast is the key factor in enabling must to express its aromatic potential (Murat et al., 2001, Swiegers et al., 2005; Dubourdieu et al., 2006). Several metabolic pathways are involved in forming aromatic compounds, such as fatty acids and higher alcohols.
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CREA-velours-internetZymaflore FX10® : Using directed breeding to improve a reference strain unsuited to modern winemaking conditions

Temperature is one of the key parameters in winemaking, due to its impact on fermentation kinetics and the chemical quality of the resulting wine. (Ribéreau-Gayon et al., 2000a). Fermentation temperatures range from 13 to 35 ºC.

Tannins vs. oak chips: what does each contribute to your wine?

An investigation into the effects of additions of VR Supra (and two experimental tannins) against oak chips found that while the oak chips provided a benefit in hue comparable to the fermentation tannins, total phenolic load and wine colour density were superior when fermentation tannins were used. In terms of winemaker preference, although initially the oak chip-treated wine was preferred by the winemakers conducting the trial, ultimately the wines with added fermentation tannins were ranked ahead of the control and oak chip-treated wines.

Prefermentation maceration in red winemaking: risk control and alternatives

Low-temperature prefermentation maceration is undeniably useful for producing fruity wines. However, this technique involves a certain number of microbiological risks. There must be adequate cooling capacity to maintain a sufficiently low temperature, as there is a real risk that indigenous flora will grow, leading to poor development of selected yeasts, sluggish fermentation kinetics, or even organoleptic spoilage.
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Yeast strain and nutritional modulation of aroma intensity, longevity and winemaker preference in Sauvignon Blanc wine*

Recently we have focused much research on the impacts that yeast strain and yeast nutritional status have on the production of both varietal and non-varietal (ie fermentation-derived) aroma production in Sauvignon Blanc (van der Westhuizen et al., 2008; Swiegers et al., 2008). Saccharomyces cerevisiae winemaking yeast is the key factor in enabling must to express its aromatic potential (Murat et al., 2001, Swiegers et al., 2005; Dubourdieu et al., 2006).
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Stuck ferments: causes and solutions

An analysis by LAFFORT of the possible causes for stuck fermentations and more importantly, ways to treat them, has led to a strategic approach to the effective management of stuck fermentations, coupled with the innovative use of products purpose-designed for problem solving. Even in a very difficult year for stuck fermentations, such as 2008 in South Australia, the stuck fermentations experienced were corrected using the LAFFORT protocol.
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