Can Yeast Affect the Final Flavor of a Wine?

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!

It's Not the Grape that Makes the Wine - It's How the Grape is Transformed

There are lots of wines being produced. Just look at the wine aisle at your local grocery story or wine shop. And then, look at how many different Chardonnay wines are offered. And how many Cabernet Sauvignons there are. And so on.

But, these wines are all different. Some Chardonnay’s are subtly different and others are hugely different. Same goes for the Cabernet Sauvignons. So, why are the Chardonnay’s different and why are the Cabernet Sauvignon’s different. It’s not always the grape, but instead how the wine maker uses the grape.

Here are just some of the factors that wine makers use that affect the final taste of the wine:

• Whether the grapes were removed from the stems for fermentation or fermented as whole clusters

• The fermentation vessel used - stainless steel tanks or oak barrels

• The length of time the grapes soak (aka macerate) in their own juice

• The length of the fermentation process and the temperature of fermentation

• Whether the fermented wine undergoes Malolactic Conversion or not

• How long the wine stays in contact with the dead yeast cells (aka resting on lees)

• How long the wine is aged

• The vessel used for aging (stainless steel versus oak)

• The type of oak used in aging (French oak, American oak, Hungarian oak)

• The filtering or ‘fining’ process used

• The amount of time the wine spends in the bottle before being shipped for sale

Again, this is just an abbreviated list of variables in the wine making process. But it certainly illustrates the reasons that no two makers of a varietal wine end up with the same result. Cheers!

The Art of Wine Making: Choosing the Right Bottle and Label

Choosing the right bottle and label is the final step in the art of winemaking.

While the bottle and label are more about marketing, branding, and presentation than the winemaking process itself, they do play a role in creating a complete wine experience.

The bottle shape and design can tell about the wine's character and its heritage. For example, a Burgundy bottle (tall, slender) is often associated with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while a Bordeaux bottle (with straight sides and a high shoulder) is commonly used for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and red blends. And, clear bottles are almost alway used for rosé wines in order to show off their color.

The weight of the bottle can also imply quality with heavier bottles often being used to bottle higher-end wines. But, again, this is largely marketing - just because the wine bottle is heavy doesn’t mean it’s a great wine.

As for the label, this is a way to tell a story and give the wine its own identity. A well-designed label can reflect the wine’s origin, the winemaker’s style, and the character of the winery. It's also a way to differentiate a wine from the competition on the shelf. Labels often feature artwork, typography, and even storytelling elements that make the wine stand out and feel unique. For some wineries, creating a memorable label can be just as important as producing a quality wine.

The bottle closure, cork vs. twist-off, and whether to have a foil capsule or not, are other aspects of the chosen wine bottle. Again, a cork is not necessarily better than a twist-off cap (a subject of much debate) and a foil capsule, while providing some protection for a cork, is just another part of the winery’s marketing and method of making their bottle look special.

But, what it all comes down to is what’s Behind the Cork™ - the wine itself. Cheers!

The Art of Wine Making: Having a Trained Nose and Palate to Evaluate the Wine

A wine maker using a Wine Thief to remove wine from a barrel for tasting

Winemakers rely heavily on their senses of smell and taste to evaluate the evolution of their wine from the grapes in the vineyard to the final product that goes in the bottle. While part of this process is science, a significant part is an art that wine makers develop over years of training and experience.

This training and experience are used throughout the wine making process. While there is science (i.e., chemistry) involved, the wine makers use their senses throughout the process:

• In the vineyard, they can measure the grape’s sugar and acid levels, but a trained wine maker will also inspect the grapes, break them open, taste the juice, taste the seeds and evaluate the tannin

• During fermentation, a wine maker will be constantly tasting the wine as the grape’s natural sugars convert to alcohol

• Once the fermentation is complete, the wine maker is again smelling and tasting the wine as it ages

• If the wine is being aged in oak, the wine maker will be evaluating how the flavors of the oak are integrating with the wine

• Following aging, many wine makers will blend their wines in order to achieve the final aromas and tastes desired

• Just prior to bottling, the wine maker will ensure the wine is properly filtered (or not) and ensure that the bottles and bottling process are clean and ready to go

I have always loved the words of a wine maker that I met early in my wine adventures who said that “Making wine is easy. Making good wine is hard.” It is the artistic side of wine makers that make the difference between an ordinary bottle of wine and an outstanding bottle of wine. Cheers!

The Art of Wine Making: Determining How Long to Age the Wine

Photo by Liv Kao on Unsplash

Aging of a wine before bottling is a balance between the wine’s inherent qualities and the winemaker's goals.

The decision often involves experimentation, understanding the vineyard, and following the wine’s natural development over time.

Here are some of the considerations that a wine maker may use when deciding how long to age a wine before they bottle it for sale:

• Grape Variety - Red grapes have more structure and tannin that allow for greater aging

• Acidity - Higher acidity wines are better suited for aging

• Alcohol Content - Higher alcohol wines generally age better

• Tannin - Tannin levels allow a wine to age better and the levels will reduce with aging

• Sugar - Higher residual sugar (RS) level allow a wine to age better

• Phenolic Compounds - Wines with a higher concentration of phenolics can age better

• Oak Barrels - New barrels impart significant flavor while used barrels impart little flavor

• Vintage Characteristics - Different vintages can age better than others

But, probably the most important factor used in making the wine-aging decision is the wine maker’s intended style. Wine aging is a balance of science and art, and the winemaker's vision for the final product plays a significant role in determining how long a wine will be aged before it’s released for consumption.

Some winemakers strive for wines with complexity and depth, which often requires extended aging. With time, a red wine will develop secondary and tertiary flavors—things like earthiness, leather, tobacco, and dried fruits—along with more rounded, integrated flavors.

But, if a winemaker is aiming for a fresher, fruitier style of red wine they may not age the wine as long, instead focusing on preserving the bright, youthful flavors of the grape. These wines are often released young to emphasize their freshness and fruit-forward style.

The bottom line is that wine makers balance many factors in determining the optimal aging time for each wine. They use their experience and talent to influence how a wine will develop over time. Ultimately, the goal is to allow the wine to reach a point where the components are in harmony and meets or exceeds the expectations of the wine maker. Truly an art! Cheers!