The Art of Wine Making: Picking the Right Yeast for Fermentation

Natural Yeast on the Surface of Grapes

[Photo by Wayne Christensen on Unsplash]

Wine makers have used yeast for centuries to ferment the juice of grapes into wine. And, part of the art of winemaking is choosing the right yeast to use.

Wine makers have several choices in deciding which yeast to use to ferment their wine:

Wild or Native Yeasts - Grapes naturally have yeast on their skins (see photo). There are also natural yeast in the vineyard environment and yeasts that live within the winery. So, a wine maker can simply leave the crushed grapes and their juice to “spontaneously” being fermentation.

Advantages:

• Because wild yeasts are unique to each vineyard and winery, the add to the ‘terroir’ expression of the wine, making it even more unique

• Wild yeasts can produce unique chemical interactions that don’t occur with commercial yeasts

• Wild yeast is often viewed as more natural or pure

Disadvantages:

• It takes longer for fermentation to begin since the wine maker is relying on the yeasts in the air versus adding quantities of yeast directly

• Some natural yeast are not able to survive the rising levels of alcohol and die before fermentation is complete

• While also listed as an advantage, the unique flavors associated with natural yeast may result in undesirable results

Commercial Yeasts - This is the most common approach.

Advantages:

• Commercial yeasts are easy to purchase, transport and store.

• The fermentation process becomes more predictable and easier to control

• Some yeast will help reduce the volatile acids in the final product

• These yeasts will help to promote malolactic conversion

Disadvantages:

• Reduces a wine makers unique expression associated with native yeast

So, once again, choosing the ‘right’ yeast is just another part of a wine maker’s artistic expression. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon

2022 Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)

Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth, has been the Bousquet family’s inspiration since founding the winery in 1997. According to Ancient Greek mythology, Gaia (Guy-uh) was one of the primordial deities, emerging fully formed from Chaos to become the divine personification of Earth and the mother of all life. Gaia labels depict the goddess in a festive headdress of colorful fruits and flowers.

Gaia wines are crafted with French winemaking sensibility and made from 100% organic fruit grown at a cool 4000 foot altitude.

This Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon was produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that were carefully hand selected. They were fermented with native yeast for 15 days followed by 30 days of maceration. The wine then underwent full malolactic conversion before spending 10 months in used French oak.

This Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon is deep purple in color with medium aromas of black cherry and black plum. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has flavors of black fruit along with herbal notes. There is a hint of chocolate from the oak aging. It has rich flavors and a nice finish with spicy and jammy notes. [ ABV: 14.5%, TA: 5.2 g/L, pH:3.68, RS: 1.9 g/L]

This Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon is very tasty and quite affordable, making it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet

The Art of Wine Making: Deciding When and How to Macerate the Grapes

Photo by Being Organic in EU on Unsplash

Maceration is part of the winemaking process, especially for red wines, and it is considered part of the art of wine making. Maceration extracts color, flavor, tannins, and aroma compounds from the grape skins, seeds, and sometimes stems into the juice (i.e., the must).

What is Maceration?

Maceration is the soaking of crushed grape skins in their own juice. This allows compounds like tannins and the pigments that give red wine its color to be extracted from the solid parts of the grape.

• In red winemaking: The juice is fermented with the skins.

• In white winemaking: Usually, the juice is separated from the skins.

When Does Maceration Happen?

1. Cold Soak (Pre-Fermentation Maceration)
   Grapes are chilled and soaked before fermentation begins. This helps extract color and fruit aromas without pulling out too many tannins (which are more soluble in alcohol.

2. Maceration During Fermentation
   This is where color and tannin extraction intensify as the alcohol content rises. Winemakers will “punch down” the floating grape skins or “pump over” the juice maximize skin contact.

3. Extended Maceration (Post-Fermentation)
   Some winemakers leave the wine on the skins after fermentation ends, which can soften tannins and add complexity.

The Art of Maceration

Winemakers tailor maceration depending on:

• Grape Variety: Thick-skinned grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon can handle longer maceration; delicate ones like Pinot Noir need much less.

• Wine Style Desired: Full-bodied red wines have longer maceration periods and tend to be done at warmer tempeatures. A fruity, medium-bodied red will have a shorter and cooler maceration.

• Vintage Variation: In cooler years, maceration may extract more compounds to boost the wine’s intensity. In warm years, less extraction avoids overly tannic wines.

While there’s a lot of science going on, the artistry of wine making lies in the timing, temperature, and tasting decisions that a wine maker makes. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Gaia Malbec

2022 Domaine Bousquet Gaia Malbec ($25)

Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth, has been the Bousquet family’s inspiration since founding the winery in 1997. According to Ancient Greek mythology, Gaia (Guy-uh) was one of the primordial deities, emerging fully formed from Chaos to become the divine personification of Earth and the mother of all life. Gaia labels depict the goddess in a festive headdress of colorful fruits and flowers.

Gaia wines are crafted with French winemaking sensibility and made from 100% organic fruit grown at a cool 4000 foot altitude.

This Gaia Malbec was produced from 100% Malbec organic grapes that underwent cold maceration for 72 hours followed by fermentation with native yeast for 12 days. It was then aged in French oak barrels (100% used) for 10 months.

Gaia Malbec is deep purple in color with aromas of blackberry and sweet tobacco. On the palate, this medium full-bodied wine has medium tannin and medium acidity with flavors of blackberry and black cherry. It finishes balanced with some spicy notes. [Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 14.5%, Total Acidity (TA): 5.232 g/L, pH: 3.69, Residual Sugar (RS): 1.94 g/L]

What better way to celebrate Earth Day 2025 on April 22nd than with Domaine Bousquet’s Gaia Malbec. It’s delicious and affordable, making it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet

The Art of Wine Making: Deciding How to Press the Wine Grapes

A Small Basket Press

As previously mentioned, wine making is a blend of art and science. Another aspect that is often regarded as an art form is choosing the method to use to press the grapes to extract the juice.

The wine press is thousands of years old. The first wine presses were found in what is now Armenia, where grapes were pressed with the feet. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, presses became more technical and precise. Then, in the Middle Ages, the basket press was developed and its use became widespread.

Today there are three main types of wine presses: screw presses, bladder presses and basket presses.

Screw Press: A horizontal screw press consists of a horizontally enclosed cylinder, in which grapes are added. Inside the drum, there’s a rotating screw, which is applying pressure to the grape skins by plates from both ends. Because of the pressure of grapes against the sides, juices start to drain through the slated cylinder.

Bladder Press: A bladder press consist of a large horizontal cylinder closed at both ends. The grapes are fed from the top, through a pusher or from the side. Inside the rotating drum is a bladder that inflates with air and exerts pressure on the grapes. The juice then flows out through small openings on the sides of the cylinder.

Basket Press: The basket press (see photo above) works by pressing the grapes from the top and bottom. Grapes are placed inside a basket or a cage, then usually two half-moon blocks are placed on the top of the fruit. With the help of an iron ratcheting assembly, pressure is put on the blocks that squeeze the grapes, with juices flowing out from the sides.

The “art” of deciding which method to use comes from multiple factors:

• Controlling the Style and Flavor: A gentle press extract can extract mostly juice while an aggressive pressing can extract more tannin, phenolics and bitter flavors from the skins and seeds (and stems if pressing whole clusters

  • A screw press can be the harshest

  • The bladder or pneumatic press and be more precisely controlled

  • The basket press can be slow, gentle and is often used for artisanal wines

Pressing the grapes isn’t just a pre-defined step in wine making. The wine maker carefully selects the method that best suits their style of wine making and the desired product. This is yet another aspect of the “art” of wine making. Cheers!