Many wine regions are experiencing a high disease pressure year with delayed fruit ripeness. First and foremost fruit of this type is often picked before optimal sugar-acid balance to avoid infection becoming too vast that jeopardizes wine quality. This results in many challenges for the winemaker.
Making wine from infected (powdery, downy, botrytis) fruit requires meticulous consideration of fermentation and MLF management to overcome fruit organoleptic imbalances and nutritional limitation. Lallemand Oenology have had a lot of experience in this realm following some difficult disease pressure vintages, namely 2011 and 2014. Lallemand have some helpful hints for optimal fermentation and MLF management:
- The addition of Inactivated Yeast Booster Blanc™ or OptiMUM White™ (white must) or OptiMUM Red™ (Red must) early in fermentation will help soften astringency, increase palate weight and volume, mask herbaceous characters and improve fruit expression. Highly Recommended.
- Quick separation from skins is desirable hence the use of clarification enzyme Lallyzme HC™ for whites or Lallzyme EX™for reds is paramount.
- Superior nutrition management will be important for vintage 2017, more so than in recent years –
- GoFerm Protect Evolution™ (highest level of sterols on the market for robust yeast),
- Fermaid AT™ or Fermaid O™ (Fermaid O™ has the highest level of YAN permitted by the OIV monograph on yeast autolysates (oeno 496-2013).
- Yeast for this fruit is chosen based on a few desirable attributes:
- Picked too early, fruit too acidic – Lalvin C™ – degrades up to 45% of malic acid during AF.
- Improvement of palate weight and volume – Yeast high in polysaccharides a good option for example Uvaferm HPS™, Lalvin ICV D254™. Lavin Rhone 2056™ gives good fruit expression and volume
- Low nutrient demanding, robust , crisp and clean yeast –Lalvin ICV OKAY™ or Lalvin QA23™
- Coinoculation of wine bacteria (as long as SO2 is within limits) with a good AF strategy will help overcome indigenous microflora, that may produce undesirable characters, from taking hold and enable SO2 stabilisation as early as possible. ML Prime™ (Lactobacillus plantarum) is ideal as it will complete MLF in 3 days during AF. Alternatively ,the Oenococcus oeni wine bacteria Alpha™ has a sensory profile ideal for this scenario as it contributes mouthfeel and helps to reduce herbaceous characters (mask) and promote fruit.
Please contact your Lallemand representative to discuss your options to ensure best AF and MLF practices are applied during this challenging vintage.