Enoferm Alpha Rehydration and Nutrients

[BI81]

For those of you who use or have used Enoferm Alpha, what’s your protocol for rehydration and nutrients?

I’ve always used Opti-malo and Acti-ml, however today reading through the Lallemand technical data sheet they recommended 2 inoculation options. 1) Inoculation without rehydration 2) inoculation after rehydration in chlorine free water.

Neither mention malolactic nutrients during hydration. Also they state, during MLF “under more difficult conditions, add a specific bacteria nutrient”

Has anyone used Enoferm without nutrients?

 

[cmason1957]

I have used both Enoferm Alpha and Beta with great success. I add it after alcoholic fermentation has completed and I have racked off the gross lees. I add Acti-ml 24-48 hours prior to adding the bacteria and add the bacteria directly to the wine with a gentle stir.

 

[BI81]

I have used both Enoferm Alpha and Beta with great success. I add it after alcoholic fermentation has completed and I have racked off the gross lees. I add Acti-ml 24-48 hours prior to adding the bacteria and add the bacteria directly to the wine with a gentle stir.

Thanks for the input, so no use of nutrient (Opti-Malo) after inoculation?

 

[cmason1957]

I don't recall adding it and it isn't in my notes that I did, so probably not.

 

[BI81]

Appreciate the knowledge @cmason1957, I now have a way to save a bit of cost next vintage!! Unfortunately I’ve already purchased this years supply

 

[Johnd]

Just a word of caution, @cmason1957 seems to have some sort of LAB zen that not a lot of others do. He just dumps it in post fermentation and it all just works out.

Others, me included, have had plenty issues and take every opportunity to increase our odds, using rehydration additives (ActiML), nutrients (OptiMalo), and co-inoculating. Few extra bucks per harvest always seemed worth it to me, I’ve been on a 100% success path since doing those three things. Just another opinion to consider.

 

[cmason1957]

Just a word of caution, @cmason1957 seems to have some sort of LAB zen that not a lot of others do. He just dumps it in post fermentation and it all just works out.

Others, me included, have had plenty issues and take every opportunity to increase our odds, using rehydration additives (ActiML), nutrients (OptiMalo), and co-inoculating. Few extra bucks per harvest always seemed worth it to me, I’ve been on a 100% success path since doing those three things. Just another opinion to consider.

I will admit that I have had some failures, not all works. This spring with a Cab Sauv Merlot, two buckets mixed together prior to ferment. They never started. At these same time, i had four buckets a cab sauv, merlot, Zinfandel, sryah that Tom of and finished in about 6 weeks, who knows why, I blame merlot.

 

[sour_grapes]

I blame merlot.

I have blamed Merlot for many of my misdeeds....

 

[BI81]

Just a word of caution, @cmason1957 seems to have some sort of LAB zen that not a lot of others do. He just dumps it in post fermentation and it all just works out.

Others, me included, have had plenty issues and take every opportunity to increase our odds, using rehydration additives (ActiML), nutrients (OptiMalo), and co-inoculating. Few extra bucks per harvest always seemed worth it to me, I’ve been on a 100% success path since doing those three things. Just another opinion to consider.

Very true, it’s a cheap way to hedge my bet.

 

[Johnd]

I will admit that I have had some failures, not all works. This spring with a Cab Sauv Merlot, two buckets mixed together prior to ferment. They never started. At these same time, i had four buckets a cab sauv, merlot, Zinfandel, sryah that Tom of and finished in about 6 weeks, who knows why, I blame merlot.

You know, of course, that you had merlot in both!! I’m assuming since it was spring, that your buckets were juice buckets from Chile or S Africa. Seems that many an unexplainable MLF bump in the road comes from wine with proper parameters, but which was handled by others before we got it. All of my failures are such, grapes that were picked, crushed, destemmed, frozen, and shipped in buckets, with directions to add zero sulfite. Not all were from Chile, but i suspect that all had been sulfited at some time or another. Fresh grapes in a box or on a pallet have never failed me.

 

[ZebraB]

When do you add the nutrients (OptiMalo)? when innoculating MLF or do you wait some period of time?

 

[cmason1957]

You know, of course, that you had merlot in both!! I’m assuming since it was spring, that your buckets were juice buckets from Chile or S Africa. Seems that many an unexplainable MLF bump in the road comes from wine with proper parameters, but which was handled by others before we got it. All of my failures are such, grapes that were picked, crushed, destemmed, frozen, and shipped in buckets, with directions to add zero sulfite. Not all were from Chile, but i suspect that all had been sulfited at some time or another. Fresh grapes in a box or on a pallet have never failed me.

Yes, I know I have Merlot in both, but I got nothing else to explain it with, well maybe the part of the basement those two are in (8 feet away from the others) is slightly colder or something. Who knows. It's things like that which make winemaking interesting, isn't it??

Actually, my wife and I have decided to not do spring juice buckets any longer. They just don't produce as good a wine as the fall juice buckets from California/Washington/Oregon. Grapes in the spring are right out, nobody in the Central Part of the country seems to sell them.

 

[cmason1957]

When do you add the nutrients (OptiMalo)? when innoculating MLF or do you wait some period of time?

I add Acti-ML about two or three days prior to adding the Malolactic Bacteria and when I add OptiMalo, I add it basically at the same time as adding the Bacteria.