I was recently in wine country and visited a favorite winery. While tasting some of the recent releases with the owner/winemaker, I posed the question “Does the type of yeast used affect the flavor of with wine?” The simple answer was “Yes!”
Yeast plays a critical role in the fermentation process, where it converts the sugars in the grape’s juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. But, yeast can also produce a variety of other chemical compounds, including esters, phenols, and other aromatic molecules, that can definitely contribute to the wine's final flavor, its aroma, and even the way the wine feels in your mouth.
There’s also a difference between using cultured commercial yeast and wild yeast. This winemaker that I spoke to preferred to use the wild native yeast as a way to additionally differentiate their wine based on where it’s made (i.e., terrior) since it comes right from the environment - the grapes, winery, and the air.
Here are just a couple of ways yeast can influence wine flavor:
Chemical Compounds Formed During Fermentation: These include things such as Esters and Aromatic compounds
Fermentation Byproducts: There’s more that just alcohol that’s being produced in fermentation. Other byproducts such as acetaldehyde, sulfuric compounds and other volatile compounds
Polysaccharides - These are long chains of sugar molecules that can make a wine feel smoother, creamier or softer in your mouth
So, simply put, Yes! The type of yeast is yet another variable in wine making. Wine making is an art, but there’s also a lot of science/chemistry that goes on too. Cheers!