I really enjoy reading the experienced giving advice to the novice but I wonder why first time winemakers work so hard at what should be a very easy and fun hobby. I’ve been making wine now for about 8 years, first was 6 gallon from 24 pounds of black raspberries, then cheap WE fruity kits tweaked with grape concentrate and sugar, then fresh juice buckets, mid-range kits tweaked with 8 pounds of black raspberries and high end kits not tweaked at all. Probably made more than 300 gallons so far plus 36 gallons currently bulk aging. All of these wines have been excellent, far surpassing $20 commercial wines, and never have I worried about going to the trouble of MLF, unless it is occurring by accident by extended time in primary or during bulk aging if that is possible. If a wine doesn’t taste quite right at first I just let it sit in the bottle until I feel like trying it again. It always comes around eventually. Unfortunately I have been unable too keep very much in the bottle for more than 5 years! I’m not trying to be negative; and I’m sure commercial wineries want to know exactly that they will get the result they expect; just saying that the beginner who works too hard at trying to make the “perfect” wine might get discouraged when it can be so very simple to make a very good wine.