Expertise documents

In 2017, the organic vineyard areas had tripled in 10 years and approximately 5% of worldwide vineyards are now under organic certifications.  For organic growers, who cannot use other fungicide sprays, copper sulfate is still an effective tool against downy mildew. With the increased production of organic vineyards in the world, the use of this fungicide has also grown with the expansion of this type of farming. It is known that elevated concentrations of this metal can be toxic to yeasts and bacteria. Our results have shown that wine yeast and bacteria do not appear to be significantly affected by Cu concentrations higher than 15 mg/L, except in the case of malolactic fermentation in white wines, where concentration > 7.5 mg/L can impact the MLF. High pH and high Cu concentrations can impact wine yeast viability and lag phase. To read more about this topic, please consult our Winemaking Update - Organic Version WUP Organic 2020 Cu- ENG LR

The contaminating yeast Brettanomyces is a problem, notably for red wines. This yeast is very opportunistic and can survive and multiply in difficult conditions throughout the life of the wine. Hygienic conditions and microbiological controls can inhibit its growth, but will not eliminate it. The goal then is to limit its development, which will in turn limit the production of volatile phenols. The use of SO₂ is the preferred method to control its development, however there is a recent trend to reduce the use of SO₂ in wine, as well as a general increase in wine pH, which reduces its efficacy. Moreover, there is a great variability in the resistance of SO2 among different Brettanomyces yeasts. The inoculation with our selected natural bacteria is a good option to protect the wine during the fermentation process, and new studies also show their potential to protect wine during the ageing steps against Brettanomyces re-contamination UI #4 Biocontrol MLB ENG

Proceedings of the XXVIth Entretiens Scientifiques Lallemand held in Osoyoos, Canada focused on understanding that microbiological diversity is essential for controlling the production of quality wine.  Topics presented included the diversity of microbial populations in the vineyard and in winery fermentations. ESL 2016 Canada - ENG

The tendency to harvest higher maturity grapes, resulting in higher pH and alcohol wines, seems more favorable to the development of indigenous bacteria. To limit the development of unknown indigenous flora, which can lead to the production of undesirable sensory deviations, co-inoculation is an interesting winemaking option and using selected Lb. plantarum in the freeze-dried form for direct inoculation appears to be a very safe winemaking option in combination with the co-inoculation strategy. L. plantarum ML Prime™ offers several advantages: good implantation, fast, effective dominance in co-inoculation and very fast, complete MLF under high pH conditions. In addition, its facultative heterofermentative characteristics makes ML Prime™ a safe choice for preventing the formation of acetic acid (volatile acidity) from hexose sugars. For full article click here WUP #1-2015 ML Prime - Croatia  

Proceeding of the XXIVes Entretiens Scientifiques Lallemand - 'Understanding Varietal Aromas During Alcoholic and Malolactic Fermetnations'.  This booklet includes a presentation by  Dr Matthew Goddard, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand titled 'Merging Ecology of Wine Microbiology" Download PDF