Published October 10, 2024
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Wine would not exist without the activity of yeast and other naturally occurring micro-organisms. During the winemaking process, one of our most important jobs is to maintain optimal conditions for the yeast to grow and ferment the grapes into wine. However, there are also lots of non-desirable micro-organisms that can spoil the wine or create unpleasant flavors.
How to encourage the beneficial micro-organisms, while keeping the harmful ones at bay?
For many years, sulfites have been added to inhibit bacteria. Some winemakers just cross their fingers and hope for the best. At Winter’s Hill we are using another approach.
When the fruit is picked, we inoculate it with beneficial yeast that quickly crowds out the spoilage bacteria and prevents their population from growing.That gives the juice time to macerate and absorb color and flavor from the skins without risk of spoiling.
Later, another species of yeast (either naturally occurring or added to the grapes) will transform the sugars into alcohol and create the wine. Using this technique has helped us to craft more aromatic and delicious wines, while also reducing the sulfites that we use in our wines.
