Killing Wild Fermentation on Must & Skins

[Donz]

I just spent a week in Montalcino visiting different Brunello vineyards and asking questions. Some winemakers use yeast, others do not and still believe in wild fermentation from the grape skins.

Several of the people I spoke to that actually do add commercial yeast do not bother killing the wild yeast in advance with sulfite. What are your thoughts regarding this? I have always added sulfite to my skins and must after crush 24 hours before pitching yeast....

 

[TOMMARIANI22]

Sulfite really is just a solution to end all spoilage bacteria.. it really just ends up killing wild yeast in the process and provides a good barrier to protect from oxidation. I grew up in an Italian wine making family my grandfather never added anything to his must and it did ferment.. but was it the greatest? Woo I knew he liked it and that's all that mattered to him. Continuing with family tradition I have taken the step to fight against and be as diligent but aggressive as possible to make a product that really is something to remember.

 

[TOMMARIANI22]

If you do add commecial yeast .. commercial will over take any other wild strains that may be present

 

[Johnd]

If my fruit is in good shape, I don’t add any sulfite and will typically let it sit for 12-24 hours on pectic enzyme to aid in breaking down the must. After the sit, adjust BRIX and acid as needed, then add my yeast. It’s possible that wild yeast may start off the fermentation, but it’s quickly overcome by the cultured yeast. Additionally, not adding sulfite eases the stress on my MLB when it’s added.

 

[NorCal]

I’m with John. It’s a tool. If the fruit is really nice, I’ll back off. If the fruit isn’t that great, I’ll hit it with 50 ppm.

 

[Donz]

Thanks for your input guys. I'll follow your advice and check the quality of my fruit this year and most likely will not add any sulfite after crush if not needed.

I'll be doing co-inoculation with BM 4x4 and VP41 this year as I have had good results with this in the past.