July 2011:
News may 2011:
NOBILE® Barrel Refresh is specially designed to extend the life of oak barrels.
NOBILE® Barrel Refresh slowly diffuses over time similar characteristics of our NOBILE® staves to enhance integrated oaky notes in wine.
NOBILE® Barrel Refresh characteristics
Surface area: 0,273 m2 (2,94 sq ft)
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| Favors roundness and vanilla notes. Increases sweetness and toasty notes. |
Supports structure and develops aromatic complexity. Mimic a traditional barrel ageing. |
Usage
Dosage: 1 to 5 Barrel Refresh/barrel depending of the required level of exhaustion of the barrel and of the oak intensity.Time of contact: 4 to 6 months depending of the product and style of wine.
Un barrel refresh correspond à une surface de contact de 0,273 m² (± 20% bois neuf).
Download the product data sheet
Mars 2011 : Green Business 
- Rehydrating the yeast with a rehydration nutrient rich in sterols
- Adding assimilable nitrogen according to the natural must content, in two additions (if low initial YAN) or in one addition (if light deficiency), after yeast addition and/or at 1/3 of sugar depletion,
- Organic nitrogen (amino acids mainly) will be preferred to inorganic (di-ammonium phosphate) for additions, for its better efficiency in terms of yeast reactivity and assimilation (30% better viability at the end of fermentation with organic nitrogen). Even though the nitrogen equivalence of amino acids is lower than DAP, organic nitrogen is better assimilated and more efficient than DAP. It is a different concept of nutrition, being more balanced, precise and accurate.
- Reproduces the nutritional distribution naturally present in the must (balance between amino acids and mineralized nitrogen).
- Guarantees improved nutritional balance of the yeast.
LAFFORT USA is the first winemaking products supplier to be certified Green Business
by the Bay Area Green Business Certification Program
October 2010 : Concerns of this 2010 harvest: Botrytis and green character
Unfortunately, 2010 provided an unusually long cool growing season for the West Coast, which greatly exacerbated mildew pressure. Later harvest dates significantly increase the risk of Botrytis development on grapes, which for some of them are already affected by recent sunburn. Many grapes may not reach full ripeness, and “green character” is to be expected.
Concerns of Making Wine from Mold Infected Fruit:
Botrytis: Laccase & Glucans are not your friends!:
Extracellular enzymes (laccase in particular) produced by fungi are responsible for the oxidation of phenolic compounds in the grapes and juice. This oxidation causes loss of fruity aromas and browning of the juice. Laccase is a persistent enzyme and will remain functional in the juice/wine over time if not removed! Protect the grapes from oxidation during all pre-fermentation operations, avoiding any contact with oxygen.
The fungi also produce compounds called glucans, which cause clarification and filtration problems later on in wine.
SO2 does not inhibit laccase and polyphenol oxidase activities! Enological tannins are the most effective practical way of permanently inhibiting these harmful enzymes. TANIN VR SUPRA® should be added to the must early on in red wine production, while Galalcool (white color) should be added to the juice as early as possible in white wine production (see figure 1).
Glucans can be addressed with specific enzymes to improve the wine’s filterability.
Fermentation Management
To knock down infectious wild yeast and bacteria populations, keep pre-fermentation maceration as short as possible and choose a strong yeast strain with a short lag phase (Zymaflore® X Series or Actiflore® BO213). The must will be depleted in nutrients (already consumed by wild populations), so your nutrition regime should be higher than usual. Use a yeast re-hydration nutrient such as Dynastart to build a healthy strong culture to ensure a problem free fermentation. Maceration actions (pump over/punch down) should be kept to a minimum to prevent oxygen exposure and extraction of more laccase from the skins.
At the end of fermentation, a lab test for Glucans will give valuable information for future cellar processes such as settling and filtration.
For more detailed information about laccase management and step by step procedures for red/white winemaking with mold infected fruit , open the two attached documents or go to our website….
Technical booklets :
Managing the “Green Character” (IBMP) of under-ripe grapes
The main potential issues with under-ripe grapes are:
The limited extractability of the skins, which are likely to be thicker (addressed with enzymes like Lafase HE Grand Cru® or Lafase Fruit®).
Unripe and ‘green’ seeds tannins, which are the reason why you will want to limit the extraction during alcoholic phase. This may result in lack of body and unstable color matter. An early added tannin like VR Supra® will protect the skin tannins and help build structure, and a reactive catechin tannin like VR Color® will stabilize tannins in a long-lasting way and is soft in mouthfeel.
Addressing the ‘green character’, by masking it (no degradation or metabolization of the IBMP possible): yeasts Zymaflore FX10® helps masking, or Zymaflore RX60® enhances the fruit, bacteria co-inoculation for a faster MLF and a fruity character preservation, Nobile® American Blend chips during fermentation and during ageing if necessary.
Protocol :
Feel free to contact us for more details!
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - (707) 343-1632
September 2010 : the optimum yeast nutrition
When properly re-hydrated, a good yeast strain will provide optimum aroma potential, low VA production, and most important of all, the complete conversion of sugar into alcohol. Yeast nutrition is complex, as it involves the correct combination of ammonium nitrogen, organic nitrogen, sterols, vitamins, and minerals. The yeast nutrition can be confusing, so here is a quick update on the optimal nutrition for your yeasts.
At different stages of fermentation, the yeast nutrition needs are different:
- At rehydration, the yeast has no activity yet. It is approx. 95% dry, so yeast rehydration is mainly absorption of water. Nutrients present in the water are efficiently integrated into the membrane and yeast cell, which will be transmitted to the daughter cells amongst the 6-8 new generations of yeast cells in the first days. At this stage Sterols are a key factor for the yeast viability, the fluidity of the membrane, and the efficiency of the transporters.
- During the first days after yeast addition, yeasts are multiplying and the population is being built up. Having excess mineral Nitrogen (DAP) available at this stage can lead to over-population of your yeast culture. During this stage, only adjust your YAN concentration if below 140ppm total initial YAN. When over-population occurs, your yeast culture will demand more Nitrogen and can easily become deficient and create off flavors (H2S or VA). The total nitrogen is to be adjusted according to the potential alcohol of the must (see graph). The higher the Brix, the higher the amounts of assimilable nitrogen required for a good yeast activity and fermentation progress.
- During the fermentation, yeasts may require more nutrients to keep healthy and performing. We recommend an addition of complex nutrient at 1/3 of sugar depletion. If H2S production does occur, we recommend adding DAP at 1lbs/1,000gal.
- Towards the end of fermentation, yeasts are no longer able to assimilate nitrogen. Other yeast derived products (especially yeast hulls) will be useful to help the yeasts finish off the fermentation.
Bisson and Butzke (2000)
Based on the latest research and a better understanding of the yeast metabolism, LAFFORT recommends for a healthy yeast nutrition and fermentation:
Dynastart® is a patented proprietary formulation to optimize the yeast membrane composition at rehydration. Its high content in sterols makes it very effective for yeast viability. As a matter of fact, winemakers having medium/high YAN and managing their DAP addition by tasting during fermentation have noticed that yeasts rehydrated with Dynastart are better prepared and need up to 75% less DAP than without Dynastart. Yeasts rehydrated with Dynastart have a higher reactivity and a better assimilation. Many results show that yeasts produce less VA, less H2S and sulfides, and also more aromatic compounds (especially varietal thiol aromas), which proves Dynastart is an essential element for healthy fermentations.
Nutristart® OrganiQ will be complementary to Dynastart, as it provides a complete nutrition of amino acids, vitamins and minerals during fermentation. It has the highest content of amino acids, for the best organic nutrition.
Dynastart® is OMRI Listed and Nutristart® OrganiQ has been approved by CCOF for use in organic winemaking in 2010 (while OMRI paperwork is being submitted).
To see our complete range of nutrient, click here
Contact us for more details!
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (707) 343-1632
August 2010
The grape must naturally has 90-95% of amino acids and peptides/proteins, and 5-10% of mineral nitrogen (NH4). We know that DAP is quickly assimilated by the yeast and is preferred to many amino acids. Adding large amounts of DAP unbalances this natural ratio, and can lead to fast fermentation kinetics, temperature elevations, formation of foam, loss of aromatic complexity, etc. Organic nitrogen on the contrary provides more regular fermentation kinetics and greater aromatic complexity (amino acids are the precursors for many aromas).
This exciting new product is a 100% organic nutrient, naturally rich in vitamins (thiamine, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid…), minerals and trace elements (magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron…) that promote cellular multiplication. Nutristart® OrganiQ:
Besides being rich in organic nitrogen, Nutristart® OrganiQ naturally contains thiamine (Vitamin B1), vitamin required for a good multiplication and cellular viability.
Nutristart® OrganiQ is also rich in pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), essential for reducing H2S production, other vitamins important to the yeast metabolism (B3, B9), and in essential minerals for good yeast vitality, especially magnesium, manganese and zinc.
Dosage and use:
300 to 400 ppm added to the fermenting must during the first third of fermentation.
Will be the perfect complement to Dynastart® (at the yeast rehydration) for light nitrogen deficiencies (initial YAN 200-250 ppm).
In case of severe nitrogen deficiencies (initial YAN < 120 mg/L), Laffort recommends to associate Nutristart® OrganiQ with an additional source of nitrogen for a better nutritional management for the yeast (Nutristart®, Thiazote® PH).
Contact us for more details!
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (707) 343-1632
June - July 2010
Oenosteryl SO2 Tablet
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How much SO2 does it actually add? A 2g tablets adds 2g of total SO2 in the container. In a 225L barrel for instance, a 2g tablet would add 8.88 ppm of total SO2. How much free SO2 does it actually add? The Oenosteryl SO2 tablets bring total SO2 to your wine. Only a fraction of this SO2 will remain free, depending on different factors (wine matrix, pH, etc.). It is important to maintain an adequate level of free SO2 during wine aging to ensure the protection against oxidation and against spoilage micro-organisms. See the following table for the correspondence between free and active SO2. To have a safe microbiological protection, we highly recommend 0.4 (dry wine) to 0.6 (sweet wine) of active / molecular SO2 after bottling, knowing that we ‘loose’ approximately 7ppm of free SO2 during a filtration. What is the risk of having a low SO2 for a short period of time? Remember! The summer months, when the cellar is slightly warmer, when we are busy bottling and preparing harvest, are often a period when the active / molecular SO2 decreases. On the example below, you can see that as soon as the SO2 protection decreases, micro-organisms start to become active again, and you can potentially have significant spoilage. Volatil phenols concentration in function of active SO2
How are packed the Oenosteryl SO2 tablets? Each box provides 48 tablets, each packed individually, under blister, to keep them fresh until use. LAFFORT recommendations: check the blister integrity before adding tablets to your wine: if the blister is damaged, the effervescence will not be optimal and the tablet will not release the right amount of SO2, so be careful with the storage conditions of your boxes and blisters! If you have a doubt, you may want to add the tablet in a small quantity of wine to double check the effervescence, and then add it to your wine. Molecular SO2 in function of pH and free SO2. |
Oenosteryl SO2 tablets are very popular because they are precise, odorless, safe and effervescent. The tablet dissolves in a few minutes, with a homogenous repartition of the SO2 in the wine. It is mainly meant for small volumes (barrel, small variable tank of less than 130 gal…). You do not need to stir the barrel, which leads to oxidation, after adding the tablets.