Arnaud DELAHERCHE1, Etienne DORIGNAC1, Marie-Charlotte COLOSIO2 Thomas SALMON3, Yann VASSEROT3, Richard MARCHAL3
1 Fermentis, Marquette-lez-Lille – France
2 Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin, Nantes - France
3 URCA, Reims - France
The "prise de mousse (PDM)" or secondary fermentation is the phase that allows a base wine to become effervescent or sparkling. It requires the preparation of the "pied de cuve (PDC)" composed of yeasts capable of consuming all the fermentable sugars and transforming them into alcohol and carbon dioxide, the gas that causes effervescence. The quality of the PDC is therefore essential for a successful PDM.
As Richard Marchal explains, traditionally, PDC is prepared in three days, but this study has shown that the preparation time can be reduced by half (36 hours instead of 72 hours) and in a single step. This work is based on the optimization of the existing protocol by adjusting the contents of sugars and assimilable nitrogen, allowing to propose a new technical solution for the preparation of the initial inoculum capable of performing a PDM.
The study was carried out with three "Champagne" yeast strains and two PDM temperatures (14 and 18°C). Twelve months after the start of PDM, the bottles were subjected to the operation of "remuage" and "dégorgement". Did the tasting show no sensory differences between the sparkling wines made from the two methods of yeast preparation? Find out more about this new technical solution, including the benefits of reduced energy costs and storage time of the tirage tanks.
For More Information: Justine NOBLET • Fermentis +33(0)3 20 49 15 91
j.noblet@fermentis.lesaffre.com
www.fermentis.com
These recordings are from the Conference Session of Infowine.Forum (Portugal, 19-20 April 2023) in cooperation with Fermentis
