wine sooth

Yeast gone wild.

Complexity and Terroir.

The major contention of the proponents of uninoculated fermentation is that this route bestows a greater complexity to the wine. Some have suggested that certain, “regional” strains or cultures can also impart a regional distinction. S. Cerevisiae is subject to great variation (vineyard to vineyard and even tank to tank). Mortimer’s work indicated that there were multiple distinct strains within individual wineries. So it is not unreasonable to implicate yeasts as contributory factors in a wine’s distinctiveness. (more…)

Yeast gone wild.

This is the second post in a series of three that look at the idea of wild yeasts. (See the first post here).

Wild-Domesticated-Feral.

One of my original questions (when I set out to put this piece together) was: “are those S. cerevisiae yeasts found on the grapes prior to inoculation still “wild” or just “feral”?” If S. cerevisiae thrives primarily in close proximity of human populations (as mentioned in Robert K. Mortimer’s article - in the section discussing a theory of yeast evolution offered by Naumov), the interaction between man and yeast must have some impact on the genetic make up of the yeasts. (more…)

Yeast gone wild.

“There are no wild yeasts, only feral ones” Bruno D’Alfonso once told me bluntly. I had been probing the winemaker about notions in the wine loving and wine writing spheres about what is and is not excessive intervention and manipulation in modern winemaking.

Recalling my undergraduate and medical school microbiology, I had some understanding of yeasts and concepts of their utility in winemaking. Bruno’s argument made sense to me, and it affected my thinking about wine yeasts going forward.

After a recent increase in blog chatter about natural wines and the aversion some writers and critics have to cultured yeasts, I wanted to revisit this topic. Obviously, there is a disconnect between what the winemakers know and what some writers and critics believe. It seems to me, though that getting hung up over the use of inoculated yeasts as an inherently bad thing is misguided.

This is the first in a series of three posts that look at the idea of wild yeasts. (more…)

PinotHarvest.com Logo

This is a great site to follow if you want to know about wine harvest and crush - especially if you love pinot noir and double especially if you love California pinot noit.

The site was developed by Adam Lee and Brian Loring.

Last month, before its launch, I asked Brian Loring about the purpose of the site:

“Adam and I, as well as other winemakers and growers, regularly post on various wine bulletin boards about our harvest experiences. The format of those sites, with the back and forth interaction of other board members, doesn’t lend itself to presenting how harvest unfolds in a straightforward flow. (more…)

Wine, American style.

In discussions elsewhere, I have stated my support for a region-based (rather than variety-based) appellation and labeling system in the US. I firmly believe that greater wine quality (and global standing of American wine) can be achieved through matching grape to site.

Dan Berger, in his recent piece on Appellation America, says that due to the “spirit of the free-enterprise system” and the lack of a “legal model that mandated which grapes could grow where and still carry the regional name, a regional-naming system was doomed“. The system was embraced by the consumer who now drives and propagates it. Worse, though, this drive to satisfy mainstream preferences and demand seems to be affecting a trend towards soulless wine. (more…)