It’s a “small revolution.” Long awaited for decades, Lallemand Œnology has done it. Among the world leaders in microorganism production, the Canadian company is launching, for the next harvest season, an entirely new yeast – LEVEL² SALVA™ – capable of eliminating one of the most widespread contaminants in wine: Brettanomyces. We spoke with Sandra Escot, Market Manager for France-Switzerland-China at Lallemand Œnology.

? Lallemand Oenology launched a yeast capable of neutralizing one of the most feared contaminants in wine: Brettanomyces bruxellensis. A major step forward for winegrowers and cellars.

This bioprotective yeast secretes a factor that destroys the Brett wall.

? The result of international research and selection carried out at the University of Stellenbosch, the solution will be available from the 2025 harvest.

Sandra Escot, Oenology Market Manager France-Switzerland-China, explains how it works.

Sandra Escot, tell us about this new yeast that Lallemand Œnology is preparing to market?
LEVEL² SALVA™ is an active yeast and a true solution for eliminating Brettanomyces bruxellensis, which comes from the vineyard and ends up in tanks during fermentation.

Specifically, this yeast secretes an inhibitory factor that deteriorates the Brett cell wall, leading to cell death. Thanks to it, winemakers will be able to reduce SO₂ levels, even though they must still adjust them according to harvest conditions and other challenges. This yeast is a so-called non-Saccharomyces bioprotection yeast. It is sensitive to alcohol starting from 4%, which is why it must be used as early as possible, in the pre-fermentation stage.

For us, this is a small revolution, since it is the first selected yeast of this species, and above all the first yeast with such a highly targeted activity, playing a preventive role right from application on the harvest. LEVEL² SALVA™ is effective for all grape varieties, whether grown through traditional viticulture or organic farming.

Our research and development team collaborates with many universities internationally, and the selection of LEVEL² SALVA™ is an example of the fruit of these partnerships. It was carried out by Benoît Divol of Stellenbosch University (South African Grape and Wine Research Institute).

LEVEL² SALVA™ complements our broader range of microbiological solutions for controlling wine contaminants, in order to provide solutions adapted to all winemaking contexts.

You are in the commercialization phase ahead of a first market launch for the 2025 harvest. How has it been received?
We’ve had a very positive reception because this problem remains widespread. I have been at Lallemand Œnology for more than 20 years, and throughout that time clients have continued to ask us for solutions to this issue. We already have products such as NO BRETT INSIDE™, a very effective solution for treating wines against Brettanomyces, and ALLIANCE™ for treating musts, launched last year.

LEVEL² SALVA™ is accessible to everyone, to be used at the minimum recommended dose of 5 g per hectoliter or per 100 kg of grapes. This dosage can be adapted depending on the contaminant pressure and the sanitary state of the harvest.

Lallemand is a Canadian family-owned company established in more than 45 countries, with its core activity being the development, production, and marketing of microorganisms (yeasts, bacteria, nutrients, yeast derivatives). Lallemand Œnology today operates in 12 business units: the first was baking, followed by oenology and fermented beverages in general; then came activities in animal nutrition, human health, plant health, distilled beverages and bioethanol, bio-ingredients, brewing, etc. We operate in the food industry and agriculture sectors whenever fermentation control or microbiological solutions are needed for animal nutrition, human health, or plant health as alternatives to chemicals.

For wine, we have dedicated teams for each producing country. The Toulouse office hosts the sales team for the France-Switzerland-China markets that I manage, as well as the global marketing/communications team for Lallemand Œnology, and the global R&D department. This R&D relies on the large Blagnac laboratory dedicated to research, precise characterization of each product, and developing production processes before transferring them to factories. About fifty people work there.

Our R&D is dedicated to developing knowledge and microbiological solutions, from vine to bottle, with the aim of unlocking and optimizing the full potential of grapes, and thereby the quality and uniqueness of wines. As producers, our research into new products always goes through a production process optimization stage to ensure their activity. This is often linked to our understanding of needs, final applications, and field feedback.

Lallemand Œnology works extensively with active non-Saccharomyces yeasts, such as our LEVEL² range, but also with inactivated non-Saccharomyces.

Indeed, since autumn 2024, the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) has authorized the use of inactivated non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which opens new horizons for developing innovative products with new applications and benefits.

For example, for the 2025 harvest, we are also launching CAUDALYS™, our first inactivated non-Saccharomyces yeast, which gives white and rosé wines excellent aromatic longevity, great freshness on the palate, and interesting notes of minerality and salinity.

We appreciate Vinseo’s synergies, keeping up with regional developments, and contributing particularly during times of wine industry crisis. We have also worked with certain Vinseo members for a long time. For example, with the ICV Group, with which we’ve had a close, long-standing partnership on microorganism selection and applications in Mediterranean regions. This collaboration led to the development of the dedicated yeast range LALVIN ICV, well known in the wine industry.

The Cooperative Institute of Wine (ICV) provides us with specific needs and field feedback from the Mediterranean region. These issues generate joint R&D projects and the creation of new products.

Yes, it’s a real asset. There is always a country that first encounters new difficulties and tests the solutions we’ve developed. For example, extreme temperatures experienced elsewhere in the world led us to develop specific products in our LALVIGNE range. The advantage is being able to benefit from the experience of our colleagues on this topic, such as years without water – something we now face regularly – to quickly provide solutions for better managing water stress.

In Australia, fires left wines with smoky flavors. We developed products and protocols to reduce these notes in wines. With their northern climate, German winemakers are very familiar with acidity in wines. Thanks to them, we know how to better manage acidity and the different solutions we have to achieve specific goals. These exchanges with our teams and partners worldwide are extremely valuable.

The market remains tight. Some winemakers want to diversify.
Therefore France, as a historic wine country, must reinvent itself. Today, drinkability is becoming more important, with lower alcohol content and more freshness in wines. But also with the arrival of new wine-based products. We are truly at a pivotal moment for the industry, and Lallemand Œnology’s R&D and Technical Services teams are working, among other things, on these issues to provide relevant solutions.

In this perspective, we organize a conference every two years on a current theme. The Lallemand Tour is open to all and held over a week in Nîmes, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. In 2024, the theme was “Red Wines Reinvented.” We try to find an original angle that responds to current challenges. The next edition will take place from January 13 to 16, 2026.